The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Refried Beans

5.00 Mitt(s) 6 Rating(s)6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5

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Level: Easy

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Description

Homemade refried beans are the easiest in the world to make, and are toward the top of the list of “Things That are SO Worth Making From Scratch Because They Taste So Much Better Than The Storebought Stuff.” Use them to make burritos, nachos, or just top with cheese and serve alongside tacos, quesadillas, or enchiladas.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole Recipe Of Pioneer Woman's "Homemade Pinto Beans"
  • 1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Of Fat (bacon Grease, Lard, Shortening, Or Butter Will Work)
  • Cayenne Pepper And/or Chili Pepper (optional)
  • Sliced Jarred Jalapeños (optional)
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation

First make a batch of my homemade pinto beans:

4 cups dried pinto beans
4 slices thick cut bacon, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

Rinse the beans under cool water. If you see any little strange looking bits in there, pick them out and discard. Put the beans in a Dutch oven (or similarly large pot) and fill with water until 2 inches above the beans.

Throw the bacon in the pot, and bring everything to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about two hours until nice and thick. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Next, if you want to spice up your refried beans, add any of the optional ingredients listed above.

Now, spoon the cooked beans into a mixing bowl. Allow a little of the cooking liquid in there, too. If you like your refried beans a bit soupy, add a little more liquid. Then, with a potato masher, simply mash away!

Next throw in some fat like shortening, lard, bacon grease or even a few tablespoons of butter. You can certainly omit this step if you’re trying to cut down on fat but it really contributes to the smooth consistency, and in the case of the bacon grease and butter, the flavor of the refried beans. Now continue mashing until the mixture reaches desired consistency. You can leave them quite lumpy or make them super smooth – it all depends on how much you mash. Then, go ahead and season them to taste. Even if the cooked beans were seasoned, the mashed version might need a little more salt.

If you prefer to actually fry the refried beans, you can do the mashing in a large skillet over medium-low heat but you don’t have to.

7 Comments

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Launa Haywood on 3.28.2013

Mjrl~I would SOAK the Beans overnight FIRST..

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Launa Haywood on 3.28.2013

UNCOOKED Bacon into Pot????

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mjrl on 12.3.2010

Don’t you have to soak the beans overnight first? And then pre-cook them for 2 hours?

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heresthediehl on 9.29.2010

I made these this week and absolutely loved them! I’ll never buy canned beans again :)

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vinegarfizz on 4.14.2010

I will never be able to bring myself to purchase canned refried beans again. Incredibly delicious. Thanks, PW!

6 Reviews

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4hmom on 1.2.2015

Throw away your canned refried beans and make this easy recipe. You can customize it by adding your favorite flavors and there’s no way to mess it up. I could not believe how easy it is. You do need to plan a bit ahead, but it is a carefree preparation process. I cooked my beans earlier and left them in the pot. Then when the rest of my meal was ready, I drained and mashed them.

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socalcheapskate on 12.19.2012

Turned out great, thanks!

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amycookie on 11.27.2011

So easy and yummy! Why did I ever buy canned refried beans? Thanks for the recipe!

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heresthediehl on 10.13.2010

absolutely loved these! i’ll make them any time we need pintos/refried beans.

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milkwithknives on 9.23.2010

Delicious! I crockpotted the beans all day (with a spoonful of ham base instead of bacon), so I just had to mash them up with a dab of butter when I got home. I ate them on my little homemade corn tortillas, and it was one of those absolutely perfect meals that for some reason just thoroughly hits the spot. I’m looking forward to the leftovers for dinner tonight. Oh, I also saved the extra broth from the pot for soup this weekend. Yummy. Thanks a mil, Ree.

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