Best Refried Beans Recipe

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This is the best Refried Beans recipe around. Made from dry beans in your crockpot or slow cooker, these vegetarian refried beans work as a side dish or in your favorite recipes. 

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Have you noticed those bags of dry beans sitting on the bottom shelf at your grocery store? I used to wonder what people did with them.  The price looked right, much less expensive than the canned beans I was purchasing, but I never bought them.

My daughter LOVES refried beans and I found myself buying a lot of canned beans.  I tried lots of refried bean recipes before finally developing this recipe, which has the perfect blend of spices and beans.

One of the best parts is that you don't need to soak the beans first. Check out this entertaining article,  "Don't soak your dried beans! Now even the cool kids agree" by Russ Parsons for a bit more info on that topic.  I found it both funny and interesting.

Slow cooker recipes are great for busy nights and this bean recipe uses pantry staples. Simply dump all the ingredients into your crockpot and you are good to go. I do this while my kiddos are eating breakfast, and the beans are ready for dinner. All you need to do once cooked is mash and season to taste.

HOW TO MAKE the best REFRIED BEANS RECIPE:

1. Rinse dry beans (pinto beans, black beans, white beans, or your favorite bean) in a colander, picking out any bad beans.
2. Add all ingredients to crockpot.  Stir.
3. Cook on high 6 hours or until beans are easily mashed.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree beans, or potato masher to mash until desired consistency is reached. Add extra water if needed for a smoother consistency. Adjust salt to taste.

I love my crockpot and cannot recommend it enough.  It is the key to my success in feeding my family healthy meals on busy nights.

WHAT ARE THE NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF BEANS?

Beans have a high fiber and water content, which will make you feel full quicker.   The required daily intake for women is 21-25 grams and men 30-38 g. 

1 cup of beans provides 12 g of fiber, which is almost half of the requirement.

Not only are beans high in fiber, they are also packed full of antioxidants, complex carbohydrates and protein.

Beans are a good plant-based protein source.

Beans are not, however, a complete protein like meat. They lack one or more of the essential amino acids you need from your diet (a complete protein has all 9 essential amino acids). If you are vegetarian and using beans as your protein source, make sure you get another type of plant-based protein during the day.  Nuts, brown rice, oatmeal or whole-grain bread are good options.

CAN YOU FREEZE REFRIED BEANS?

Yes! You can freeze the extras of your homemade refried beans in ziplock bags for many more meals.

Once cooled, divide the leftovers into freezer bags, flattening the bags so they can be easily stacked in your freezer.

I typically freeze in quart-sized freezer bags versus the gallon-sized freezer bags because that size is perfect to feed my family.

Another great part about this recipe is you can eat crockpot refried beans in a bowl with a spoon or use in another recipe. My daughter often enjoys her refried beans with sour cream and melted cheese on the top. 

WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH REFRIED BEANS?

• Refried Bean Burrito 
• Refried Beans and Rice Skillet
• Bean and Cheese Quesadilla with Chicken 
• Chicken Tostadas
• Taco Cups
• Refried Bean, Zucchini and Corn Gratin
• Layered Taco Dip

I encourage you to wait no longer, grab that bag of dried beans next time you are at the store and give them a try.  Your own fat-free refried beans made easily at home.

If you enjoyed the recipe make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below! Then follow me on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. I love seeing what you come up with!

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