How to Make Refried Beans in the Slow Cooker

Published: Mon, 02/26/18


HAPPY MONDAY, SLOW COOKERERS!!!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend.

Thank you so much for all of your sweet notes and best wishes for my oldest, who had her wisdom teeth out on Friday.

Everything went well, and the Dr actually *gave* us her teeth, wrapped up in guaze and plastic. I'm not sure what to do with them.

The bag says "bio hazard" on it -- does the tooth fairy come for wisdom teeth? I wonder what the going rate it?

hmmm.

😬  🧚  😬  🧚   😬   🧚    😬  🧚 

 
She's still on soft food, which ties in really well with today's email.

I've got a recipe today that you might not have thought about making before - but it's a great way to stock your freezer with serving-size portions of refried beans.

I can hear you now: why oh why Steph would I want to make refried beans in the slow cooker when I can buy a can for 79¢?

Answer: Because you can! And that gives you MAJOR bragging rights and also this way you can control what goes into them, keep the sodium super-low, etc.

I care about you. I care about your health.

and I also want to help you have major bragging rights. ;-)



Refried Beans in the CrockPot Slow Cooker
click thru to see photos and reader reviews
makes approx 6 cups

2 cups of dried pinto beans, sorted
1 1/2 yellow onions, peeled and cut in half
1 1/2 red onions, peeled and cut in half
10 whole garlic cloves
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander

The Directions.

You will need to soak the beans overnight. Not only will this soften them better, but it will help release the gas.

Rinse the beans well in a colander, and dump into the crockpot. 

Put them back in the crockpot with enough clean water to cover the beans with about an inch of water.

Stir in the cumin and coriander.

Peel and cut the onions in half, and put them in the crockpot. (you are letting the onion flavor permeate into the beans, that's all we're doing, here).

Peel all of the garlic, but toss them in whole.

Cover the crock and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are tender. 

I cooked ours for exactly 9 hours. The were soft, and some of the beans had split.

Fish out the onion and the garlic cloves. If you want to keep some of the garlic in for flavor, you may. 

It's your choice. 

 If the beans are soft and you still have a bit of liquid left, carefully drain it, saving a little to help with the smooshing and for added flavor.

Using a potato smasher, or hand mixer, mash the beans.

Now you have two options:

You can just start using the beans (the way I did, because I'm pretty darn lazy), or you can scoop hunks of smooshed beans out of the crock and fry them on the stove top with a bit of butter or olive oil (or lard, or bacon fat). 

Your choice.

No salt was added, so you'll need to season to taste.


The Verdict.

Freeze any leftover beans you may have in tightly sealed plastic bags or freezer containers and use within six months.

I like to thaw the baggies in warm water, then add a tiny bit of taco sauce and shredded cheese and microwave to warm up for an after-school snack for the kids.

When I taught preschool, I had bought a 25-pound bag of pinto beans from a restaurant supply store for the kids to play with in sensory bins.

Because of this I have a LOT of beans.

This recipe calls for 2 cups, which is a standard size bag of beans, but if  you have a super large slow cooker that will accommodate more than 2 cups, go for it!



Enjoy!! Happy Slow Cooking!!!
xoxo steph

 🔶 if you are looking for more Mexican-style recipes for your weekend, I have linked to quite a few at the bottom of this Enchilada Stack recipe. 🔶