Slow Cooker Crockpot Refried Beans
 
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 cups of Pinto beans (Best to buy these in bulk at Winco or local co-op) - this comes out to about 1.25 pounds of beans
  • 5 cups water
  • 4 cups chicken broth (Make your own chicken broth in the slow cooker!)
  • 1 onion, diced finely (I used a food chopper) - I incorporated the onions into the beans with an immersion blender. If you just want some of the flavor – just peel and quarter the onion and then remove the onion pieces before you mash the beans.
  • 3 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Optional – I’ve seen recipes that add fresh jalapeños or even canned jalapeños but I didn’t want mine too spicy, just in case the kids would eat some.
Instructions
  1. Rinse your beans. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and pull out all the discolored ones. You might find rocks and other random stuff in your beans (especially if you buy the cheaper beans) – so don’t skip this step.
  2. Combine everything in the crockpot. Cook on HIGH for 8 hours. Add more water if you need (I didn’t need to add additional water).
  3. When beans have popped open and are soft, they are done. Reserve a couple cups of the liquid into a separate container.
  4. Strain beans. You can either mash them with a potato masher, use a food processor or use an immersion blender. I used the immersion blender, right in the slow cooker crock and it was a cinch! Add extra water if you need to get the consistency you want.
  5. Wait until it cools. Fill Ziploc bags and freeze. I like to lay mine on a flat cookie sheet or piece of cardboard in the freezer so they freeze completely flat, then I stand them up in a box, so they are easy to find! I would use within 3 months, but they probably won’t kill you if you keep them longer in the freezer.
  6. If needed, you can add more chicken broth when you thaw the beans – they might need a little more liquid when reheated.
Recipe by A Happy Hive at https://ahappyhive.com/slow-cooker-refried-beans/