Homemade Refried Beans...

Here at the Nagle5 house, we love Mexican food. Seriously, we love Mexican food. We have fajitas, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, etc., etc., etc. About eight months ago, I decided that I should make my own refried beans, so I set about discovered how to do this. In the end, I cobbled together parts of one recipe and one YouTube video and came up with something that really worked for me. I'm a visual learning, so I always like those instructions that have a lot of pictures. The You Tube video is a hoot and it gave me the visuals I need to understand the process. I didn't follow either recipe, but I did get a basic understanding of what was involved by reading the one post and then watching the video a few times.

On Sunday morning, I made a ton of refried beans because we were completely out of them. (I can't believe I let that happen!) Anyway, we really needed more, so I got right on it. This was my third batch of homemade refried beans and it is the biggest one I've made yet. So, in the interest of paying it forward and sharing recipe goodness, here is how I make my refried beans.

HomeMade Refried Beans

Soak pinto beans over night. Make sure there is a plenty of water in the pot (a lot more than you think you'll need because you want them to stay covered and they swell a lot!).

In the morning, drain the water. Refill the pot to an inch or two above the beans. Set on the stove and bring to a boil. After it has been boiling for roughly 45 minutes, add some seasoning to taste. This is where you really personalize your beans. I add onion, garlic, salt and a little pepper. Keep boiling another 45 minutes or until you can easily cut through a bean with your finger nail (or a fork).

In a separate pan/pot, heat of some kind of fat--roughly 2-3 tablespoons, but I haven't been measuring. (I've been using bacon grease, but you can use oil or shortening.) Add beans with liquid to the pot. (I've discovered that using a ladle is an awesome way to get beans with liquid, so your refried beans one be dried out. Bring to a simmer and let some of the liquid boil off. Use a potato masher to squish the beans as finely as you like. (I like to leave some whole beans, but it is all a matter of taste.)

Turn off the heat and scoop into storage containers. As you can see, I used a combination of jars and space saver storage containers. Allow to cool and put in the freezer. (Notice I left plenty of room in the glass containers to allow for expansion--you don't want broken glass.)

That is it...it is that easy. Can you believe it? I know I was surprised at how easy it was. These beans are inexpensive and much better than any canned version you can buy. You just try it.