Crockpot Refried Beans

When we go our for mexican food, Jason always orders double beans, no rice. He has a great love for refried beans. At home, I have to admit I usually just open a can of refried beans and throw it in the microwave before we have anything mexican - tacos, burritos, fajitas, etc. Not the tastiest but worked okay.

Then I came across this recipe on Stick a Fork In It and was excited to give it a go. Especially since dried beans are SO cheap!

I cooked these all day while we were at work and the house smelled delicious when we got home. They were super easy, too, and tasted much better than the canned variety!

Crockpot Refried Beans
3 cups of dry pinto beans (rinsed)
1 onion, diced
9 cups of water
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for about 8 hours. (I put mine on low - my crockpot runs hot)

When they are done cooking, drain all of the liquid and set aside. Using a potato masher, mash the beans until they reach your desired consistency. Or, run them through your food processor. (Using a slotted spoon, I just transferred the beans from the crockpot right into my food processor in batches - took less than 5 minutes to do the entire pot) Add the reserved liquid until you reach your desired consistency.

Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. I ended up putting quite a bit more cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in ours.

This is also freezer friendly - which is great since it makes a large batch!