REAL Food Recipe - Refried Beans

 

In my opinion there simply is no comparison when it comes to homemade refried beans and the ones you buy at the grocery store that come in a can, they are far more flavorful and much healthier.  You know exactly what is in your beans.  Along with being easy to make they’re also very inexpensive making them a very tasty, economical and nutritious item to add to your meal plan.

 

Refried Beans 

2 cups dry pinto beans

2 cups dry black beans

½ large onion finely diced

¼ cup rendered bacon fat

Salt, to taste 

Thoroughly rinse and sort beans removing any pebbles or deformed beans.  Place in a large mixing bowl and cover with plenty of water.  Allow to soak overnight.  In the morning drain the beans and place in a slow cooker.  Cover with two quarts warm water and allow to cook on high for six hours, until beans are super tender and soft.  Check the beans periodically, stir and add water if needed. 

Once beans are cooked heat large pan over medium heat and melt bacon fat.  Sauté onion until tender.  Begin spooning in the beans along with their liquid and mashing with a potato masher until relatively smooth.  Continue adding and mashing beans until you have incorporated them all into the onions and fat.  Allow to simmer over low heat until thick, stirring often to prevent scorching.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

I like a little consistency to my refried beans so I’ll leave some whole beans in them but you can puree them smooth with an immersion blender if you prefer them that way.  You can also use vegetable shortening in place of the bacon fat for a vegan or vegetarian version.  I prefer to use bacon fat as it adds that authentic flavor to the beans that makes them absolutely delicious.

 

Once cooled, you can place the beans into containers and freezer.  This recipe makes approximately 10 cups of refried beans for about the price of purchasing a 15oz. can at the grocery store.  Use with tacos or to make burritos or simply as a side to your Mexican meal with a little cheese sprinkled on top.