Refried Pinto Beans

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This post is dedicated to my mom.  We spent time with her back in April.  I grew up in a tiny little town, with not many dining out options.  Today, it is still a tiny town without many dining options.  Of course, there is a Mexican restaurant.  Doesn’t every town have one?  Over a very filling lunch (think super-sized) she mentioned that she still remembers the refried pinto beans I use to make when I was a kid.  She liked the texture of them.  Funny thing is, I make them very often but have never shared my refried pinto beans until now.    

 

 

Lenny and I both love beans and we don’t discriminate, they are all good.  Guilty pleasure, I loved refried beans, and usually order them instead of black beans when we are going Mexican.  I love how creamy they are (thanks to lard), and I can not resist smearing them all over my tacos.  I know, maybe a little weird.  I do love them.

My smashed (aka… refried) bean recipe is simple.  Lard-free.  Spicy.  Full of texture.  I like to use pinto beans that I have cooked ahead of time and stored for when a hunkering of delicious hits.  A couple of times a month, I pick a bean and cook up a big pot.  They freeze wonderfully, and can be used for recipes like this or to toss into soups and stews.  If you don’t have the time to precook a big pot of beans, feel free to use canned.  I cook up some yellow onion, garlic (I used green this time), and serranos, until slightly soft.  Then I pour in the beans along with some of their nectar.  Cook, stir, cook and stir.  Once the mixture is slightly thick, I start smashing with a potato masher.  I do not make the bean mixture completely smooth, I leave a lot of whole beans in there.  They are the texture.  That is really it.  Easy.

 

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Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Refried Pinto Beans

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Pinto beans are combined with seasonings and olive oil, then smashed to make these creamy refried pinto beans. Great by themselves, and even better with tacos.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups of pinto beans, with 3/4 of their nectar
• 1 large green garlic bulb or 3 small cloves, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1 serrano, diced w/seeds (more or less depending on the heat you like)
• kosher salt to taste

Instructions

In a large frying pan, over medium-low heat, gently heat the olive oil.

Add the onion and garlic, stir, and cook until soft.  About 3 - 5 minutes depending on the heat of your stove.  Stir every so often.

Add the serrano, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add the beans with their nectar, lower the heat to a simmer, stir and cook for about 5 - 8 minutes, until the nectar is reduced slightly.

Using a potato masher, gently mash.  Do not over mash, leave about half of the beans whole.  A little texture is great.

Add the lime juice and season with salt to taste.  Stir.

Gently heat for 1 minute.

Serve.

Eat.

Did you make this recipe?

Thank you for joining us at the Chez Us table. We truly love having you here.Have you made this recipe?  Please share what recipes you are enjoying from Chez Us. We would love to see and be able to share with our followers. Use the hashtag #chezuseats on your social media channels, then we can pull a chair up to your virtual table and share with our friends.

Refried Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

4 cups of pinto beans, with 3/4 of their nectar

1 large green garlic bulb or 3 small cloves, minced

1 small yellow onion, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 lime juiced

1 serrano, diced w/seeds (more or less depending on the heat you like)

kosher salt to taste

How To:

In a large frying pan, over medium-low heat, gently heat the olive oil.

Add the onion and garlic, stir, and cook until soft.  About 3 – 5 minutes depending on the heat of your stove.  Stir every so often.

Add the serrano, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add the beans with their nectar, lower the heat to a simmer, stir and cook for about 5 – 8 minutes, until the nectar is reduced slightly.

Using a potato masher, gently mash.  Do not over mash, leave about half of the beans whole.  A little texture is great.

Add the lime juice and season with salt to taste.  Stir.

Gently heat for 1 minute.

Serve.

Eat.

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