Refried Beans Without the Refry

Submitted by CaliforniaJan

"Refried beans made simple in a crock pot...a great and low fat alternative to canned beans. If you like variety, black beans can be substituted for part of the pinto beans. Note: Since reviewers commented on the salt, I've reduced the amount. If you think this may still be too much salt for you, add it at the end and to your personal taste. Enjoy!"

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photo by Gatorbek

Ready In:: 8hrs
Ingredients:: 8
Serves:: 14

ingredients

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
¹⁄₂ fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
3 -4 teaspoons salt, adjust to personal taste
1 ³⁄₄ teaspoons black pepper
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
9 cups water

directions

Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain the desired consistency.

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Reviews

I make my beans almost exactly this same way on the stove top, except I add serrano chili and 1 tsp. of ground cumin. I had not tried it in the crockpot before, because I didn't know how much water to add, but this was exactly the right amount of water, and now I can make it in the crockpot too.

Andtototoo
This is our go to recipe for beans! They are even delicious unmashed. See my review of Simpy's Carnitas, Recipe #202935!

Queer Eye in the Kitchen Guy
I made these in the pressure cooker. 35 minutes at 15lbs. I also added some chicken broth base in lieu of 2t of salt. Next time I may try ham broth base. I used the whole pepper, 'cause I love a little heat. They were very good, and I'll definitely use this recipe again.

Cheri 911
Have made this several times. I make several varieties of refried beans and this is always in the rotation. I add in 2 T. jalapeno juice from jarred and 2 fresh jalapenos chopped, 1 T. chili powder, more cumin and only 1 1/2 t. salt. Delish!
ColoradoCooking
Meh. I've made these a few times because it's super easy but...I was never really happy with them. First, the amount of salt is outrageous. I use 1/4 teaspoon and that's perfect. You can always add a little more later but to start, go easy!! Second, today I finally realized adding raw onions and garlic is giving the beans this weird, funky almost raw flavour. It's...not great. From now on I will sautee them in a little olive oil first. Side note - If you prefer using the low setting like I do, reduce the water. 7 cups is plenty and I still have to drain a lot off. I cook them on low for 8 hours.

rusticgirl