Refried beans served with a beef tostada and rice
Refried beans and Mexican rice pair together to accompany Tex-Mex entrees. These twice-cooked beans also become fillings for tacos, an ingredient in bean dip or a layer in nachos. Preparing these once required several hours of cooking dried beans before heating them again in lard, but convenience products and appliances allow the modern cook to quickly prepare refried beans using any type of beans preferred.
Use Canned Beans
Rather than cooking beans from scratch, heat 3 tablespoons of oil, lard or bacon drippings in a skillet with 1 minced clove of garlic and 1/4 cup minced onion. Add 2 14-ounce cans of pinto beans, undrained, to the skillet and heat through while mashing with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon. Look for no-salt-added pinto beans to reduce the sodium. Canned black beans and kidney beans are good alternatives to pinto beans.
Use a Pressure Cooker
Add 1 pound of dried pinto beans into a pressure cooker with minimum 4-quart capacity. Fill the pot to the water fill line inside and lock the lid into place. Follow the pressure cooker's instruction manual to cook the beans for 35 minutes at 15 psi. Drain the cooked beans, add to a pot with 2 tablespoons of oil or shortening and 1/4 cup of water. Mash the beans to the desired consistency.
Prepare Instant Refried Beans with Dried Beans
Place 1 cup of dried pinto beans and 1 teaspoon each of cumin seed, chili powder and salt into a spice mill, mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. Grind to a floury consistency. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Boil 3 cups of water and pour over the instant bean mix. Whisk while heating to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 4 to 5 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove lid and let stand for 10 minutes to thicken further after cooking.
Tags: pinto beans, desired consistency, dried pinto, dried pinto beans, from scratch, , Refried Beans