Homemade Refried Beans

This past summer we needed good, healthy meals that wouldn't require us to turn on the oven. We also needed quick lunches. We had a big box of canned beans in food storage, and what ended up happening was a beautiful thing. I was looking through recipes one night and came across a basic refried bean recipe. I thought, "Hmmmm, we can do that." The next day I tried it.

They turned out pretty good, but some tweaking needed to happen. It got better with time, and pretty soon we were trying different kinds of beans for fun. One day I even threw a bag of lentils in the crock pot with the same recipe and we had Lentil Tacos. They were fantastic! 

The idea behind this is to make a huge batch and use it through the week for lunches, or quick dinners. Tacos, burritoes or enchiladas are all fast and easy to assemble. You can even freeze this stuff and pull it out for recipes. It's much better than canned, in my opinion! Our favorite so far has been the black beans.

1/2-1 c. onion

 3-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 T. olive oil or butter

4 oz. can diced green chilies

4 - 15 oz. cans of beans, drained slightly or 1 lb. dried beans (2 cups), soaked overnight

1/4 t. cumin

3/4 t. black pepper

1-2 c. chicken broth or water

Salt to taste (add this last as the chicken broth is salty)

Skillet Version:

Saute onion & garlic in oil until tender. Add chilies, beans and seasonings. Let cook down, adding broth or water as needed. Stir and mash until desired consistency is reached. Taste-test and add salt if needed.

Crock Pot Version:

Dried Beans: Add 6 cups of water (or 3 cups broth/3cups water for more flavor) to a crock pot. Add 2 cups of dried beans- no need to pre-soak for crock pot cooking. 

Canned Beans: Add 2 cups water (or 1 cup broth/1 cup water for more flavor) to the crock pot. Add 4 cans slightly drained beans.

Add the rest of ingredients, minus the salt. Omit oil/butter if desired. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans are soft. Mash up the beans with a potato masher, draining off excess liquid if necessary. Taste-test and add salt if needed.