Refried Black Beans

Name: Refried Black Beans
Prep time: 3 h
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 3 h 5 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 pound dried black beans; 8 slices bacon,, chopped; 1 large yellow onion,, diced; 1 stalk celery,, diced; 2 jalapeno peppers,, stemmed, seeded and diced; 2 tablespoons minced garlic,, about 6 cloves; 6 cups chicken broth; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

You won't find refried black beans with more flavor anywhere. With an intense smokiness, homemade from scratch refried black beans are so much better than store bought.

Prep3 hr
Cook5 min
Total3 hr 5 min
Serves10

You won’t find refried beans that are smokier and more full of flavor than these. They are the most delicious refried black beans I have ever made. Ok, maybe they are the only refried beans I have made from scratch. Usually making refried beans for me involves doctoring up a can of refried beans. But there’s no comparison between canned beans and homemade beans. Everything is better about homemade refried beans- the flavor, the texture, the smell.

This recipe is from one of the Pastry Queen cookbooks. I forget which one but I think it’s Pastry Queen Parties: Entertaining Friends and Family, Texas Style. The author of The Pastry Queen Cookbooks, Rebecca Rather, lives in Texas and she knows her Tex-Mex cooking.

Interestingly, she insists there is no need to soak the beans overnight which is a big plus for me. The reason I hardly ever cook with dried beans is because I forget to soak them the night before. I can’t tell you how many times my dinner plans have changed last minute because, darn it, I forgot to soak the beans.

Instead of soaking the beans, you just cook them a little longer, about 2 1/2 hours and they are perfectly tender. The beans simmer away with bacon, onion, celery, jalapenos, and garlic. And the flavor that develops is amazing. Everything including the bacon gets pureed with the beans which really distributes the flavors wonderfully. The end result is fabulously smoky. Eight slices of bacon smokey. 🙂

Serve Refried Black Beans with Mexican Rice to round out a Mexican dinner. Or use them as a filling for burritos, tacos, or even omelets.

Refried Black Beans make and excellent side for a chimichanga or tacos!

Ingredients

Steps

1
Rinse beans in a colander and get rid of any broken beans and debris. Set aside.
2
Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook bacon for about 10 minutes.
3
Lower heat to medium and add onion, celery, jalapenos, and garlic. Cook until onion softens, about 3 minutes.
4
Add beans, chicken broth, and salt. Bring to a boil. Decrease heat and simmer uncovered until most of the broth has been absorbed and beans are tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
5
Working in batches if necessary, place mixture in a food processor and process until smooth.
6
Pour the vegetable oil into the same Dutch oven. No need to wash it. Heat over medium-high and add bean mixture. Cook until beans are hot, stirring frequently.

Nutrition

Calories229

Refried Black Beans

Ingredients

Steps

Nutrition

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