Refried Beans

I love making my own refried beans.  I think its ridiculous to pay 1-2 dollars per can when you can make a whole crock pot for about the same price! These beans, freeze really well, you can also can them.  I like to make a huge batch and make up a ton of burritos and freeze them.  They make a great lunch for my hubby to take to work.

I also like to make mine nice and creamy and smooth.  If you like them chunkier, ditch the blender and go for a potato masher or something similar.  I love to stir in a cube of butter at the end, to make them really creamy.  Actually I add a cube per blender full, but if you are wanting to watch calories... you can easily take that out.  You can also add cream or even cream cheese if you like, instead of butter.

If you want to freeze just the beans, simply pour them into desired sized portions, into a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to three months.  I also like to freeze them with some cheese, in little Tupperware portions for a quick chips and dip snack. 

This recipe is for a huge crock pot full of beans.  If you want less, just cut the recipe in half. 

Refried Beans



6 cups beans dried

1-2 tsp crushed red pepper

¼ cup salt

6 cups water

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 large onion chopped

4 cloves garlic

2 cubes butter (or more if you want)

Soak beans overnight. Drain water and add all ingredients above except butter into a large crock pot.  Cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for about 6 hours.  Making sure to replenish water if they are drying up.  You will want to cook them until tender and the liquid is creamy.  Let cool and blend beans (using desired amount of liquid in the crock pot) in a blender with a cube of butter for each round of beans that go into it. Add more liquid if necessary. They will thicken as they cool.  Store in freezer containers or as burritos.

Tip: You don't have to soak the beans overnight. You can just put them straight into the crock pot if you are more pressed for time.  The advantage to soaking them, is that the beans are able to release their gaseous properties in the bowl instead of in your belly!