I love Mexican food! Growing up in California was the best for eating all the Mexican food I could want. Now, I’m not so fortunate. Good Mexican food is hard to come by here in Montana. Lucky for me, I’ve recreated one of my favorites, and pretty much a staple of good Mexican food. Refried Beans! I love the sides of rice and beans that come with my entrees at good Mexican food restaurants. I love to eat a bit of the rice and beans together in the same bite, and it’s even better when there’s a bit of enchilada sauce and cheese that attaches to that bite. YUM!
Making beans with dry beans can take forever if you make them the traditional way. Soaking the beans, cooking overnight, I’m not that patient or prepared. To make these I give the beans a quick glance on a plate or cutting mat, to make sure there aren’t any rocks in them. I have actually found rocks in bagged beans on MULTIPLE occasions, so don’t skip this step! A quick rinse and into the pressure cooker they go.
After cooking and releasing the pressure, it only takes a couple of minutes to mash the beans and have them ready to serve.
These are perfect as a side dish. And you can mash them to your favorite consistency. Keep in mind that the more you mash them the more water you will need to add as you mash. As the starches release from inside the bean, they absorb more liquid. So if you like your beans less mashed, with the bean still pretty intact, then you shouldn’t need to add much, if any more water. But if you like them super mashed- like me, then you can just add more water as needed. A potato masher works for this job, but I prefer my immersion blender. That’s the texture I like, but you do you!!
Try these beans in 7 Layer Bean Dip, bean burritos, alongside any of your fav Mexican entrees, etc. I recommend garnishing with a little extra cilantro (because cilantro is amazing!!) and/ or some Queso Fresco. Delicious.
Tip: This makes a large batch of beans because I like to make a bunch and freeze the extras. I portion the leftovers into bags in the serving size amounts for my family. That way I can just pull a bag out of the freezer for dinner that night. However, if you do not want that much beans around your house, then you can halve this recipe. It still works great.
Let me know if you try them out!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs dry pinto beans- sorted and rinsed
- 7 cups water
- 5 Tbs avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tsp chicken bouillon
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp chipotle powder- or as much as you like- it is a little spicy
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 4 Tbs butter
- cilantro
- More water as needed
Instructions
- Sort and rinse your dry beans. Add them to your pressure cooker pot. Cover beans with 7 cups of water. Add the bouillon, oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chipotle powder, oregano, and onion powder. Give everything a quick stir, then secure the pressure cooker lid and set to cook on high for 60 minutes. After the cooking time has expired allow the pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes or longer.
- Carefully quick release any remaining pressure. Add the butter and a sprinkle of cilantro to the beans. Using a potato masher or an immersion blender, mash the beans to your desired consistency. Add more water as you go, as needed. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve beans hot. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze in zipper bags.
I’m grateful for this life I’ve been given, and the people I have to share it with. They are my motivation for making good food. Food goes best with family and friends. Who do you love to cook for?
