Refried Beans
Homemade refried beans are an easy and economical side dish or filling for tacos. Add your favorite toppings like cheese or cilantro.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons shortening
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- Fine sea salt to taste
- 60 ounces cooked pinto beans (4 15-ounce cans), drained with liquid reserved
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- Cotija cheese and cilantro for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large pan, melt shortening over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add beans and Mexican oregano and stir. Let cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in 1 cup of the reserved bean liquid and stir. Reduce heat to low while you use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to mash the beans. (You can also transfer to a blender or food processor to blend until smooth.)
- Add more liquid as needed to achieve desired consistency; you can make the beans smooth or leave some larger pieces.
- If desired, garnish with cheese and chopped fresh cilantro. Serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure to drain the beans over a bowl to collect the liquid. You will need at least 1 cup of bean broth, water, or vegetable stock to thin the beans for mashing.
- This makes a generous amount of beans. You can freeze the extra or reduce the recipe by half.
