I was never a fan of re-fried beans.

They looked scary and weird.

And in the can they look incredibly unappealing.

But I have been converted after making them in the slow cooker.

Super easy, cheap and a great substitute for meat which is great for you and your wallet.

I read several recipes but was not pleased with the outcome until I I came up with my own combination of ingredients.

Slow Cooker Re-fried Beans

• 2 lb dry pinto beans
• 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 1/2 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 slices of bacon, diced (optional)
• 1 jalenpeno, seeded and diced or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• water

In a slow cooker, add dry beans and enough water to completely cover them plus at least an inch. Without turning on the slow cooker, let soak for 2 hours.

Once the beans have soaked for 2 hours, add the remaining ingredients and turn the slow cooker on to high and cook for 4 hours, covered (if the beans have absorbed lots of the liquid you may need to add more along the way).

After cooking for 4 hours, remove the bay leaf. In batches, run the cooked beans, onions, etc through the blinder until they reach the desired consistency, adding some of the cooking liquid as needed.

Enjoy!

Tip: I used about 1/4 of the beans immediately for dinner, kinda like this recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

Tip: I froze the rest of the beans in small meal-sized batches. Keeps in the freezer up to three months.

Tip: If you are trying out re-fried beans on your family for the first time, “hide” them in a burrito or quesadilla. I promise they will love them.

This “recipe” from Money Saving Mom for freezer bean and cheese burritos is a perfect use for these CHEAP beans (click on the photo for the instructions).