Refried Beans
Magical Refried Beans
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Strainer
- Pot with Cover
- Stove Top
Ingredients
- 1 Pat Butter (Replace with 1 Tablespoon Oil to make Vegan)
- 1/2 Onion (Diced)
- 1 Can Black Beans (400g/14oz)
- 1 Can Red Kidney Beans (400g/14oz)
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste (18g)
- 1/2 Cup Water
- Jalapeño Peppers (optional)
Instructions
- Dice ½ an onion and set it aside.
- Put a pat of butter in pot and it melt over medium-low heat.
- Add the ½ diced onion to the pot. Cook until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, strain both cans of beans. Gently wash them in warm water and set aside.
- When the onions are cooked, add the beans, tomato paste, and jalapeño peppers to the pot. Mix well.
- Add water to the beans. The water should cover around 75% of the beans.
- Lower the heat to the lowest setting and cover.
- Check on the beans every 15 minutes and stir. If the mixture is dry, add a little water.
- After an hour, remove the cover and increase the temperature a little.
- Allow the excess water to evaporate over the next 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Keep a close eye on the pot, and when it reaches a consistency that you find favorable, remove from the heat.
- You can mash the beans or serve them unmashed.
Notes
Refried Beans; Necessary Yet Magical
Mexican food requires beans. Without them most dishes feel naked. Why wouldn’t you want refried beans with your Mexican food? They are full of protean, help fill you up, and are low in calories. Plus, they don’t need much, beyond time, to be flavorful.
¡Trigger Warning!
This is not a traditional or authentic Mexican recipe. Like everything on our website, it’s our spin. People from Mexico will probably be horrified.
Why go through the trouble of making beans separately? Why not just add the beans directly to the meat? That’s a great plan if you’re slow cooking chili. However, when you’re making tacos or burritos, it’s better build the dish at the end. It’s more work, but it tastes so much better. Through personal experience, we have found that cooking the beans with the other taco/burrito filling creates a very watery mixture that turns out a far less appealing final product that’s lacking in flavor. For that reason we started making the beans separately and have never looked back.
If you’re looking to have a bean dip, this recipe is also suitable for that. However, it should be altered slightly for a bean dip. See below.
Low on Spices
As you might have noticed, this dish is low on spices. Beans are flavorful already. The addition of butter adds some soft and subtle creamy notes. The tomato paste adds some sweetness and acidity. Beyond that, let the main dish do the heavy lifting.
Feel free to swap out the type of beans used. Most traditional refried bean recipes use pinto beans. Different combinations of beans will alter taste. Play around a little and create a new combination. Let us know in the comments if you have an interesting take.
The great thing about making your own refried beans is that you can create a consistency which suits your taste. We typically like our beans chunky, but if you want something as smooth as a hairless Chihuahua, this would be a great application for an immersion blender.
If you were making this to be a bean dip for tortilla chips, rather than as a side dish to your Mexican plate, you should probably spice it up a little more. Add the following to the above recipe:
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder,
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Make A Meal
Refried beans are just one part of a fantastic Mexican meal. Learn how to make a full Mexican dish with these other great recipes. All of them are low-carb, low-sugar, packed with protean, and full of amazing taste.
More traditional Mexican music. Don’t cook without it.