Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans

I think I might be a little late getting on this bandwagon, but refried beans with melted cheese on a warm homemade whole-wheat tortilla is the bomb! Oh and don’t forget to top it with a little sour cream. I seriously cannot believe I am just figuring out how good this combination is. The reason why though is because I didn’t think I liked refried beans. That’s what happens when you only try them out of a can. But much like the difference between store-bought and homegrown tomatoes…homemade refried beans are light-years beyond the canned stuff! And with this super easy recipe below there is no excuse not to make them yourself. If you don’t already have one, you can buy the same slow cooker we have for about $25 and use it for this and other slow cooker recipes.

I am even going to pull out a bullet point list to tell you all the reasons why I like this recipe so much:

– Beans in general are super cheap and a good source of protein
– You don’t have to soak these dried beans overnight (which I often forget to do)
– They are sooo easy to make you could even do it with one hand tied behind your back :)
– You can freeze the leftovers for another day
– And for me, since I don’t normally love beans for textural reasons, this mashed up version is the perfect way to make them extra good

Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Course: Side Dish, Slow Cooker

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes

Adapted from allrecipes.com

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Ingredients

• 1 onion peeled and halved
• 2 cups pinto beans dry, rinsed
• ½ jalapeño seeded and chopped (or other hot pepper)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 pinch cumin
• 6 cups water

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cook on high for 8 hours, or overnight while you're sleeping.

3. Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save the excess liquid to add back to the final product to get the optimal consistency (i.e. not too dry).

4. Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans.

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