Smoky Refried Beans

groovyrooby's Note:

Once you've made your own beans you will never go back to the can. There simply is no substitute. They are quick, simple, and delicious.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans , drained, reserving 1/4 cup of liquid (black beans also work well)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (less for a lower heat-tolerance)
• ½ lime

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add whole garlic cloves and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes.
3. Smash garlic cloves with a fork just enough to break them open and flatten them a little.
4. Add pintos and liquid and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
5. Add spices and salt to taste. Stir well.
6. Turn the heat down to medium-low and smash beans with a big fork. You don't have to smash every single bean. Leave some whole for texture.
7. When mashed to your liking, squeeze the lime juice all over the beans and serve warm.
8. These beans make a great taco filling or tostada topping. My husband likes them mixed with a little salsa and eaten as a dip.

Reviews

[jaybee chef]

I've been making these for years but I always have roasted garlic cloves on hand as well as cilantro pesto that I make and freeze in ice cube trays. So what I do is put a cube of thawed cilantro pesto and a few cloves of roasted garlic in the pan, flatten the garlic with a spoon and then continue from there as directed. Then I top with queso or Mexican 4 cheese and heat in the microwave until the cheese just melts. This ia a simple and yummy recipe. I like the mixture of whole and mashed beans. If you want a tip for mashing, try a potato masher rather than a fork. These can be so easily adapted to different tastes just by adjusting spices. If it's too mild, you can always add jalapenos or even hot sauce to taste. Personally I like the amounts of cumin and chili powder, but I think my cilantro pesto and the addition of cheese adds more dimension.

[Mindelicious]

I used dry beans so I adapted things alittle bit. Canned beans never digest very well for us. This recipe was wonderful and I really like the addition of lime juice. The beans were great as listed but the DH loves spice so we added some jalapenos and onions for good measure which they wouldn't need depending on what you would be serving them with. Thanks Groovy!!

[EmilyStrikesAgain]

This was excellent! So quick and easy it was ridiculous- the hardest and most time consuming part was mashing the beans. My arms got tired. I drained the pinto's completely (bean liquid is what gives you gas!) and added about 1/4 cup water with a sprinkle of Vegeta granules.