Vegetarian Refried Pinto Beans

Roberta Reynolds

This is a recipe I literally beg my sis to make. I was so happy to watch her put this together because I’d never been able to master the perfect combination she always achieves of some beans silky smooth, while others remain with most of their ‘bean-ness’ in tact. Now I know…. These guys are rich and satisfying, and as comfortable as a side dish with a plate of enchiladas as they are sprinkled with cheese and waiting for you to dip a salty tortilla chip right in.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 10

Servings 10 Servings

Ingredients

3 cups dried pinto beans rinsed and picked over for rocks, dirt, or other un-beanlike things – for best results, soak beans in cold water to cover overnight, or for a minimum of two hours
3 quarts water with 2 tablespoons of salt added
6 whole cloves of garlic peeled
2-3 tablespoons canola oil or other neutral oil
1 cup crumbled Cojita cheese optional

Instructions

Heat water and salt in a large soup pot.
Drain beans from their soaking liquid, add to salted water, and add smashed garlic.
Bring to a boil. Continue cooking beans on a low boil until tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours this all depends on how fresh your beans are. NOTE: Fresh beans are much lighter in color than older, tougher beans.
When beans are tender, heat the canola oil in a large frying pay over medium high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove beans from the cooking liquid and start frying them in the oil. Keep adding spoonfuls of beans until you have about 3-4 cups of beans in the hot frying pan. Mash the beans with a potato masher as they are frying, and add liquid from the bean pot to reach the smooth consistency you like.
To add more texture to the finished dish, start adding spoonfuls of the still whole beans from the cooking pot and stir them into the mashed beans until you get the desired combination of smooth vs. whole beans you like.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with some Cojita cheese if you like. I do.
NOTE: Be sure to reserve some of the bean cooking liquid. As the beans begin to set up, they will continue to thicken. Stir in some reserved bean liquid and all will be well again.