Everytime I make refried beans I don't usually "fry" them. I have found that this recipe works just as well without the oil. Just keep the pan on low heat and it should come out just as good! : )

Hi! I'm a big fan of beans in all forms. Here are a few tips for great refried beans:

2 1/2 cups of boiled and mashed beans
2 Tbsp pork lard or olive oil
1 Chorizo or sausage
1 can of chipotles

Mash the beans and put them aside. Put a little oil/lard on a pan and fry some chopped onnion. Then add chorizo (spanish sausage) and fry it until it's almost done. Chop one or two chipotles (you can find these in the mexican food section at supermarkets) and remove the seeds. Add the chipotles to the onion and chorizo and stir for a few minutes until the flavors mix. Finally add the mashed beans and cook for a few more minutes.

Here is another recipe for Frijoles Rancheros:

2 1/2 cups of dry beans boiled as indicated above
1 chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 slices of bacon
1 chopped jalapeno pepper

Boil the beans as indicated a bove. Don't mash them! and don't discard the boiling water. Set aside. In a large pot put the onion and the bacon and fry it until it's almost done. Then add the tomato and the jalapeno and keep frying for a few minutes. Finally add the beans with the water. Let it simmer for a few more minutes.

Enjoy!

I find that boiling the beans initially for half an hour, discarding that water, then adding fresh water for the remainder of the boiling, greatly cuts down on the 'gas' problems that can be associated with beans. This tends to make beans a less 'musical fruit'.

Great recipes on this site. Thanks!!

Rob.

Beans are beans, it is in the seasoning, some oil, salt, onions, and a little heat,hot pepper,hot sauce, chili powder. I do mine in a pressure cooker, put beans in cooker bring to a boil with lid on, turn off let sit 1/2 hour, drain, fresh water bring to pressure cook 40 minutes. Drain, add oil, chopped onion, salt and whatever seasoning. Cook gently and mash with a potato masher. Cook, mash season and taste,cook mash season and taste, don't burn.

David

I would like to make the yellow-colored rice that is served with these beans at mexican resturants. Are there any good recipes for that?

What a wonderful column this is, I have been cooking pinto beans for over 50 years and still am amazed at some of the new ideas that people come up with to make them more enticing, thanks for your ideas. Della from California

ps
As for the tortilla's I think you didn't search well enough. Most supermarkets have them, just the supply can be a little dodgy. Nature food stores definetely have them.
I'd be surprised if you still haven't found what you are looking for.
One more tip: fresh cilantro in the supermarket is very expensive. it comes in small plastic containers. Try a fresh market, vegetable stands or a turkish shop. There are plenty of them and the people working in them are usually very friendly!!!

I can attest to the great flavor of the other Spanish Rice Recipe on this site. Having grown up in Southern California I've tried a lot of so called authentic variations, the only changes that I add to their basic recipe is 1 chicken boulion cube or in a pinch,the chicken flavor packet from a Ramen package, and one can of Rotel (Canned Tomatos and Green Chilies) either Spicy, Regular or Hot. That and serve with a wedge of lime. This is out of this world paired with the Carne Asada recipe.

I grew up in Texas, and refried beans were a staple in our house as well. However, we also frequently used a canned product called "Ranch Beans," which were pinto beans already cooked and spiced.

Once I got out on my own and became a vegetarian (which I've slid off the wagon from recently) I'd recreate ranch-style gravy when I made pinto beans but didn't feel like mashing and frying.

I live in San Francisco now, but I still make these when it's cool out. Here's the recipe:

"Stacy's Ranch-Style Beans:"

1) Rinse and pick-over two cups of pinto beans
2) Add to pan and add filtered water to two inches above beans
3) Bring to a boil, turn off heat and let beans soak for an hour
4) Discard half the cooking water (to reduce the starch) and add more water to previous fill line
5) Bring to a boil again, lower heat and simmer for 1.5 - 2.0 hours, checking for skins to start splitting (you don't want to get them too soft; the goals is to catch them right before they split)
6) During the final 20 minutes of cooking, mix together the following and add to the water:
- 1 Tbs chili powder
- 1 Tbs paprika
- 1 Tbs McCormick's seasoning salt (which has no msg)
- 2 tsp of garlic powder (or a clove of minced fresh garlic)
- 1 tsp of cumin
7) As the cooking wraps up, stir in 1 - 2 tsps of cold-water blended corn-starch to thicken the water into a gravy as it cools
8) Turn off heat, keep sealed, and let sit for 20 minutes

SERVING SUGGESTION:
I sometimes cube a few potatoes, toss them in olive oil and spread them on a baking sheet in the oven for about 45 minutes while the beans are underway. If you time it right, the potatoes will be crispy on the outside and soft in the middle just as your beans finish.

Dump the crispy potatoes into a couple of pasta bowls, and pour the gravy rich beans over the top. Garnish with chopped onions. If you care how it looks, you can add a pinch of cilantro. (I'm usually a green onion fan, but for this dish, a strong white onion tastes best, even it the look is boring.)

I know it sounds weird, but I usually eat this with a small side of steamed broccoli. When I was a kid, though, we had our ranch-style beans with hamburgers.

Psyched to have found this recipe-- how far ahead could the beans be cooked/simmered before they get "refried"? I'm guessing they don't necessarily have to be cooked completely the same day? Thanks!

I made these tonight and they were delicious! I had already soaked the beans in preparation and they only took just under an hour to cook over the stove (no pressure cooker). I added a little cumin in the frying pan, and then at the end I stirred in a splash of lime juice and a few shakes of habanero hot sauce for a little kick. In my experience, the lime juice brightens up the flavor just enough to offset the potential blandness.

I have made very large batches of refried beans and frozen them in quart sized plastic zipper bags or plastic containers. Works great.

I love beans. Whenever I cook beans, I always feel rich. It's because I know I can have tostadas, and burritos, or eggs with chorizo along with beans anytime I want. I don't care for canned beans. If anyone knows of a brand that doesn't have that canned taste I would sure appreciate knowing what it is. Also, when I do make a batch of beans I freeze them in plastic bags or containers, much easier than making all of the time.

Can you 'mash' the cooked beans in the food processor?

You can, but you risk over-puréeing them, and you have yet another thing to clean. Easier just to use a potato masher with the beans in a pan. ~Elise

My mom is Irish and my father is Mexican and I grew up on pinto beans be it soup beans and corn bread, or refried beans and rice. What I do is make a big pot of soup beans. We eat it with cornbread. Then I save the leftovers for a few days in the frig and then make refried beans. I drain some soup off them and add spices and smash with a potato masher then simmer for a little. Best of both worlds for us!

We love Tex-Mex, so I'm looking forward to trying this recipe soon.

Speaking of using dried beans instead of canned, does anyone know how much dried beans would be the equivalent of a 15oz can of beans? I know it will vary some according to the type and size of bean, but some sort of guideline would be great. I'm going to start cooking dried instead of buying canned, and I'd like to avoid cooking more than I really need. Thanks!

I'm guessing that about 1 1/4 cups of dried beans will cook into the equivalent of a 15 oz can of beans. ~Elise

I cook in beef broth in a crock pot overnight and spice the broth with onions, garlic, cayenne pepper and all the good stuff that spices up the broth. Next morning strain the broth off but keep for a great bean soup or whatever you like. Then add fried onions and garlic or whatever you want to spice up the beans to your liking.

Accidently found you while looking for pizza sauce recipe. Never even thought about making my own refried beans. DUH. I am from VA and have grown up on pinto beans and cornbread. How can anyone live without them? HA. I have high choleserol and try very hard to watch what I eat. Always buy fat-free refried beans, but question if they really are. I found a recipe I definately will try. I cook a big pot of beans and freeze them for when I want them. My husband doesn't like them as I do. Now I can make what I need for a recipe I'm using and not waste the rest. I'm bad about putting what's left in the frig and forgetting it's there until too late. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the recipe! I love Mexican food, particularly refried beans. There are beans, however, that I have discovered that are better than pinto beans. They are Peruvian beans (frijoles peruanos)or are sometimes called "mayo coba" or frijoles canarios. They are tan or yellowish before cooking, but have the same color as pinto beans when they are cooked. I used to only be able to find them at Latin markets, but I have started to see them in the grocery stores in my area.

Anyway, once I discovered them, I have never gone back to pinto beans because of their wonderful flavor. I cook them similar to your stove top directions, except I cook them with 1/2 white onion (just throw in without chopping), 2 whole cloves of garlic, and 1/2 t. salt per cup of beans. After they are softened, I transfer them w/their water to a skillet (to avoid losing any of the flavor) and add a generous bloop of olive oil. I heat them on a medium high heat, smashing them with a potato smasher, until the water has cooked out. I do not discard the cooked onion and garlic--they simply break down and mix into the beans.

Give it a try...they are wonderful!

I concur with all the above on the soaking. You gotta do it, unless you love bean-o.

Excellente recipes, I'm Mexican and this is how I cooked the beans:
1. Soak the beans overnight, or put the beans to boil (after that let them rest for 30 minutes, or until water gets brown)
2. Throw the water and wash gently the beans (this remove the sugars and you avoid the gas situation)
3. Put clean water to your beans, 2 cloves,half onion, a pinch of cumin and cooked until done.
4. Then add salt and a cube of "chicken broth" (I don't now how to translate: "concentrado de pollo")and boil again until gets flavor.
5. In a pan heat 2-3 spoons of lard (or oil) VERY VERY VERY HOT, until get out smoke. Add the blend beans(blend 2-3 cups, with a litTle liquid) and let them boil again (be careful because this can burn you)
6. If you don't blend your beans you can mash them. Also you can fry chorizo, this add extra color to the beans.

Perfect starter recipe. Here's what I did: I think my pans were too small for this recipe, so I just kept it in the pot I was cooking it in. Added about a half bulb of minced garlic into the onion and sauteed it before adding it to the beans. Then I added salt until it was delicious. Used an immersion blender to give the whole pot a once over. Turned out fine for me...

These beans are so good. I have made them three or four times now. If the pictures turn out well, I plan to blog about them soon. YUM! Thanks for a great recipe. :)

Here's an old New England trick to 'degassify' the beans. We use this method when making baked beans, but it works for refritos as well.
-Soak the dried beans overnight
-Drain and discard soaking liquid.
-Cover beans with cold water and bring to a boil, boil for 10-15 minutes.
-With a slotted spoon, remove a few beans and blow on them. If the skins wrinkle when blown on, the initial cooking is complete.
-Take the pot off the stove and place in the kitchen sink. Do not drain, but add about 1/2 cup baking soda to pot. It will foam up pretty impressively.
-When foaming stops, put beans in colander and rinse well.
-Return to pot and cover with water, and continue to cook.
(At this point, for baked beans, we put them in the bean pot with the baking syrup and bake for at least 6 hours.)