I really enjoy Mexican food and have long loved refried beans. When I was in college I often purchased refried beans to make burritos with, eat with corn chips, etc. While that was pretty cheap fair for a college student I have worked hard to make our food budget for our family even cheaper and healthier. This has caused me to make my own refried beans.To make refried beans the first step is to cook the dry beans (you could use canned beans but that would add to your cost and make it less healthy). For refried beans I generally use pinto beans or dried field peas (not green split peas- these are brown). I think you could probably use about any bean you have on hand.
To cook the beans I wash them and then cover them with plenty of water and I usually do the quick soak method where I bring them to a boil and then turn them off and let them sit for an hour. Otherwise you could soak them overnight (without the bringing to a boil). After soaking I drain off the water and put fresh water on and then cook on a medium heat until the beans are soft.
That's all it takes! You can make a big batch and freeze it for later if you like. Adjust it to suit your tastes however you like. Here are a bunch of different recipes you can look at for ideas. This is extremely cheap food and yummy too.
Enjoy!
I would love to hear if you make refried beans! Please share your tips and ideas.
I am linking this to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.
I love homemade refried beans. They taste so much better.
ReplyDeleteMy parents make their own - I've tried it a couple of times but ran into storage issues - I've been meaning to try again - thanks for the encouragement.
ReplyDeleteWe make our own refried beans too! Between the cost the occasional gluten contamination of the canned beans from the store, making our own is well worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteLast time we made them, we used black beans and they were GOOD!
Homemade everything is better, isn't it? Amazing how we can do for ourselves with just a little extra effort. :o)
ReplyDeleteThis is my first visit to your lovely blog. Nice to meet you!
I buy large bags of dried pinto beans from Sam's Club and then can them myself. From a 6# bag, I get around 14 quarts. Then when we want refried beans, I just mash and fry them. It's handy for quick pintos and cornbread, too.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot to add: I can them instead of freezing them because several years ago we had a massive ice storm, and no power for almost 2 weeks. Most of the food in my freezer was lost, so since then, I've been canning almost everything, and letting the freezer run down to almost nothing in January and February.
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