What Beans Should I Use For Refried Beans?

You can technically re-fry any bean but pinto beans are the most common. Black beans are my second favorite choice.

Pinto beans are great for refried beans because once they are cooked they are very soft and tender. We want soft beans so that we can mash them or blend them to the desired consistency. We also want the right flavor. Beans in general are very bland until you add spices and seasonings. Pinto beans take on our Mexican spices and seasonings so perfectly.

Other beans such as navy beans are extra creamy and pair best with Italian seasonings. Kidney beans have thick skin and hold their form really well, they are best for soups and don’t mash as well as pinto beans. Black beans also get very soft and blend or mash up very nicely as well. Black beans are also great in Mexican dishes.

How To Cook Dried Beans

Before you cook your dried beans you need to soak them. Soaking the beans reduces gas making them easier to digest. Soaking them will also make them more tender and and softer when they are fully cooked. To add more flavor you can soak your beans in salt water. Here are a few different ways you can soak the beans.

How to Soak Dried Beans

• Quick Soak (1 hour). In a large pot add your beans and water at a 1(beans):3(water) ratio. Turn the heat on and boil for 1-2 minutes. If there is foam on the the top of the water drain that water and boil again for 1-2 minutes with fresh water. Let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hours. Add a table spoon of salt for flavor. The quick soak will not help all remove the gas from the bean and they may take longer to cook (close to 2 hours).
• Hot Soak (4 hours). It is just like a quick soak except you let it soak for 4-6 hours. This is typically how I soak my beans. 9AM rinse, boil for 1-2 minutes and start the soak, 3PM start to cook and they are ready by 4:30-5:00 to add to my dinner recipe.
• Overnight Soak (8-12 hours). In a large pot or bowl add your beans and water at a 1:3 ratio and let soak in the refrigerator over night. More water is better. The beans will expand 2-3 times their size as they soak. Add a table spoon of salt for flavor. In the morning, rinse the beans and with fresh water bring to a boil. If any foam appears on the water drain and rinse the beans and start cooking again with fresh water. Overnight beans usually take less then an hour to cook thoroughly.

How To Cook Soaked Beans

Now that the beans are soaked we will rinse them one more time and cook them in fresh water and seasoning. For refired beans we will use some Mexican flavor seasonings and spices.

Seasoning

To season Mexican flavored refried beans we use

• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Paprika
• Salt
• Theme *optional
• and 1 Jalapeno

Add these seasonings, spices and one whole jalapeno to your fresh cooking water and beans and cook for 1-2 hours. Once done your beans will be soft and full of flavor.

*Theme is optional. It is not a common Mexican flavored herb but complements them well. Theme is also really healthy for you. I’m always looking for opportunities to add immunity busting herbs and ingredients to my recipes and theme is a good one.

How to Re-fry Beans

Now that our beans are soaked and cooked we can finally make them “Re-fried”.

Drain most of the water out of the beans leaving just a quarter-half an inch of water. You can always add more if needed. You could also add lime or lemon juice or some oil for flavor. I typically don’t add these ingredients but some recipes do. Next mash your beans with bean or potato masher or a immersion blender. Heat up if needed, serve and enjoy!

If you want more spice and heat with your beans, mash the jalapenos (or half of it) in with your beans!

How To Get The Right Texture In Refried Beans

There are two main keys that will determine the texture of the refried beans.

• The amount of water/moisture
• The if you mash or blend

If you like a smooth, almost soup like texture for your refried beans you will need a little more water and use a blender. You can use a regular blender or an immersion blender.

For a thicker, chunkier texture use less water and mash with a masher or a fork. With the masher you will have a lot more control with how smooth or chunky your beans end up. I personally don’t like them too soupy so I ways use a potato masher and add water as I go for just the right texture.

Refried Beans

Prep Time: 6 hours

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 dried pinto beans
• 5 cups water
• 1 whole jalapeno
• 1 teaspoon salt (for soaking) + 1 teaspoon salt (for cooking)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon theme * optional

Instructions

1. Soak beans. In a pot add 1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans with 5 cups water and a teaspoon of salt. Soak overnight. (read above for faster soaking options)
2. Cook beans. Rinse the water and add 5+ cups of fresh water. Add seasonings, spices, and the whole jalapeno. Cook for 1-2 hours.
3. Re-fry the beans. Drain the beans and place them back in the pot with just a little bit of water. You can also add a little oil or lemon or lime juice if you want. Mash the beans with a bean masher, potato masher or use an immersion blender. Reheat is needed and enjoy!

The post Refried Beans Recipe (from dry beans) appeared first on Embracing The Home.

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Ingredients for Baked Beans

Navy Bean

1 1/2 cups dry 4 1/2 cups cooked 3 cans

I use navy beans, but other beans work as well. I’ve also used pinto beans in the past, I’ve seen other use red beans but I believe navy beans are the most common for baked beans. You can get canned beans or use dry beans. Dry beans are so cheap and I buy them in bulk. They last forever in my food grade 5 gallon buckets so I also have them on hand.

When cooking dry beans remember they 1 cup dry beans becomes 3 cups cooked. You should soak your beans before cooking them for 8 hour but I don’t always soak them that long and they cook just fine. The soaking is more for the nutrition benefits of the bean rather than the cooking process. Soaking the beans will make them easier to digest as well.

Onion and Garlic

Onion and garlic are pungent and full of flavor. Both have great nutritional value and have been known to super foods when it comes to cleansing the blood. They have even been known to help decrease cancer risk. Eating them often is just another way of adding great nutrition to your everyday diet.

Ketchup

Ketchup is so easy to just pull out of the fridge and add to your baked beans but you can also substitute ketchup by simple adding 1/4 cup tomato sauce (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste) and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. I never like opening a can of tomato sauce for just a quarter cup but sometime I have frozen tomato paste in the freezer that I’ll use.

Mustard

You can use any type of mustard for this recipe. I think this time I only had yellow mustard and it worked just fine. Dijon mustard would also be really good or you can use a mustard powder (Azure Standard or Amazon). If you do use the powder use about half of what the recipe calls for. 1 tablespoon mustard = 1/2 tablespoon mustard powder.

Molasses

For a bold depth of flavor I use blackstrap molasses. There are so many good benefits from blackstrap molasses I try to include a little in a lot of my recipes. You can use regular light molasses for this recipe but I recommend blackstrap molasses for its density in nutrients and its bold flavor.

Learn more about blackstrap molasses here or find it on amazon here.

Here are more recipes with blackstrap molasses

Brown Sugar

To sweeten our baked beans we need brown sugar. Light or dark, either one will work for this recipe. If you don’t have any brown sugar but you do have molasses you can make your own just by mixing regular while sugar and molasses together. I use a homemade dark brown sugar that make with blackstrap molasses.

Salt and Pepper

I like to add salt and pepper at the end as I taste test it. I don’t know how much I usually add so I encourage you to taste everything and adjust to your own liking.

Rosemary (optional)

I had never added rosemary to my baked bean until this time and I really liked it. The rosemary added another layer of sweet earthy flavor that elevated this recipe to a new level for me. I will be adding it regularly now.

How to Make Baked Beans

1. Soak and Cook Dry Beans

First step is to soak your dry beans for 8 hours or over night. Sometimes, if I’m low on time I will do a quick hot soak by heating the water before add in the beans and then soaking. The hot soaking method works but the longer the soak the better it is for the beans. When soaking the beans release oligosaccharides and antinutrients into the water making the beans easier to digest and easier for your body to take in the rich fibers, vitamins and minerals that beans contain.

When soaked cook your beans for 1-2 hours until soft.

2. Saute Onions and Garlic

When making baked beans first dice and saute the onion and garlic till fully cooked and soft. If you don’t saute them they will not cook as well or soften fully when mixed with the other ingredients.

3. Mix All Other Ingredients

Add the cooked beans, molasses, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer in your cast iron skillet for 30 minutes.

If you don’t have cast iron this can be done another type of pan but the cast iron holds on to higher heats longer and more evenly, giving it more of the baked texture. Also I usually just use the cast iron skillet on the stove top but you can put the skillet in the oven at 350 for a true baked beans.

Vegan Baked Beans

Yield: 4 Cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dry navy beans (or 3, 15 oz cans cooked beans)
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup katchep
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/2 brown sugar
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Instructions

How to Cook Dry Beans

1. Soak 1 1/2 cups dried bean in 5 cups of water for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Rinse beans and put them in a pot covered with 1 inch of water and a little salt and bring to a boil.
3. Once at a boil cover and bring to low simmer for 1-2 hours until beans are soft.

Baked Beans

1. Dice the onion and 3 garlic cloves and saute in cast iron skillet
2. Add cooked beans, ketchup, mustard, molasses, brown sugar, and rosemary to skillet and stir till combined.
3. Bring to a boil and let simmer at low for 30 minutes covered.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

• 1 1/2 dried beans adds to about 4 cups cooked bean approximately 3, 15 oz cans

• For a little more heat to your recipe try adding 1/2 -1 teaspoon of smoked paprika or chili powder or cayenne.

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