Description
You’ll never eat canned refried beans from the store, again. I never knew refried beans could be so delicious on their own until I made this recipe. Absolutely scrumptious!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs. dry pinto beans
- 1 large onion, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
- 3 qts (12 cups) chicken stock (can substitute water, but chicken stock creates the best flavor)
- 1/2 cup butter (not margarine)
- optional, add 1 Tablespoon Southwestern seasoning for spiciness, if desired.
Instructions
- Put the dry beans in a strainer and rinse them with cool water to wash away any dust.
- Pour the rinsed beans into your crock-pot. (It needs to be at least a 4 qt size.)
- Add the minced onion, minced garlic and chicken stock.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and set it on high.
- Cook the beans for 5 hours or until they are tender.
- As the beans cook, if it seems like the chicken broth is all being absorbed, you can add a little water to the pot, to keep the beans cooking. They should always have a small head of liquid over the top of the surface of the beans. I almost never have to do this, but dry beans can be different from batch to batch.
- When the beans are soft, drain off any remaining liquid, reserving it for a time.
- Mash one stick of butter ( 1/2 cup) into the cooked beans. I use a potato masher and it’s the perfect tool to get the chunky/smooth texture that makes these beans so delicious. If your beans still seem a little thick, you can add small amounts of the reserved cooking liquid to achieve the desired consistency. We like our beans thick, so I rarely use the reserved liquid.
- When the beans are cool, I measure two cups into each of five (5) quart-size freezer bags and seal them up to freeze. Push the beans down flat and get all the air out of the bag. That way they’ll take hardly any room in your freezer.
- Use the beans just as you always do, in your favorite recipes. I use one two-cup bag in place of a typical 14-16 oz. can.
Notes
I freeze these beans up to six months with great success. I love having some on hand at all times!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Category: Side, Appetizer
- Cuisine: Mexican