Refried Beans Recipe

How to make it

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• Rinse the beans in water and remove any small stones, pieces of dirt, or bad beans.
• Cook the beans in water.
• Crockpot Cooking method:
• Put the sorted, washed beans in the crock pot.
• Add water almost to the top.
• Put on the lid and turn to high.
• Stir now and then, as the skin just starts to split they are done.
• Strain the beans from the cooking water.
• Keeping the beans, not the water...
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• Add the onions and oil to a wide, sturdy (not with a flimsy stick-free lining) frying pan on medium high heat.
• Cook onions until translucent. (Note the onions are optional, you can skip them if you want. I love them so they always go in at our house.)
• Add the strained beans and about a 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until they are a rough purée.
• Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out.
• Add salt to taste.
• *Optional* You can add a few slices of cheddar cheese, or some (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese if you want. I prefer to add cheese as i make up the dishes.
• When beans are heated all the way through the beans are ready to serve.
• -Tuilelaith's Note-
• Many recipes call for soaking the beans overnight and discarding the soaking liquid. I do not do this. My Mother would do this for ham and beans, so I do remember it being done. I do discard the cooking liquid and just add some water back into the frying pan when we are frying the beans. I suppose you could just reuse the cooking water to fry them in, you would get more nutrients that way..
• -Also, when you are ready to fry them up, cook some bacon and a sliced onion, at least taking the bacon out of the pan add the beans. It makes for a more true flavor this way.