Refried Beans Without the Refry

Let me be frank.  I made this recipe a while back when I made Simply Perfect Enchiladas.  The reason I didn't post the recipe is...well...they just look so unappealing.  Is there really any way to make mashed beans look pretty?  I suppose if I would have topped them with cheese, that would have helped.  The truth is, this is my plate and after the enchiladas, I felt a little guilty about consuming any more cheese;)  I decided the beans needed to be shared, even though they are not the prettiest because they are very good and SO darn easy.  You just throw everything in the crockpot ahead of time, and you are ready to go!  Without actually refrying them, you have an easy and healthy side dish for a Mexican meal.  Homemade refried beans are also so much tastier than the canned ones!  Enjoy them with your Cinco de Mayo feast this Thursday!

Refried Beans Without the Refry

1 onion, peeled and diced

3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

5 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional

9 cups water

Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.

Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher (I like to throw them in my kitchen aid mixer and let that do the work for me), adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

Source: allrecipes