Refried Beans - chunky, smooth and outrageously delicious dish cooked, mashed and served as a delightful side dish to tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and as dips. You can't go wrong with this bean dish!
Rinse dry pinto beans and pick through and discard any foreign object.You might skip this step , if you get a good quality packaged pinto beans.
Add beans to a large pot covering with 3-4 inches of cold water. Cover and let sit on the counter for about 8 hours or preferably overnight.
Once beans is soft , drain and rinse. Transfer to to a dutch oven.
Cover the beans with an 1-2 inch of water. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook beans until tender about 60 minutes or more .
If using a pressure cooker, follow instructions for cooking beans in your manual. It takes roughly between 8 to 12 minutes to cook.
Heat lard or bacon drippings in a heavy skillet over medium heat, then add finely diced onions, garlic, cumin and chili pepper. Saute for about 3 minutes or until onions is wilted.
Stir in pinto beans, and salt to taste. Continue stirring until beans is fully combined with other ingredients and heated through.
Add about a 1/4 cup of water, or use water from the cooked beans and mash with a potato masher until they are a rough puree. You may add more water if for desired texture. Remove and serve on a plate or bowl.
Garnish with with cheese, jalapeno pepper, crispy bacon and minced cilantro.
Notes
If you're short on time, you can use canned pinto beans. Make sure to drain it well before adding it to the pot.
Aside from pinto beans, you can also use black beans, chickpeas, or cannellini.
To make it healthier, you can skip the bacon drippings and replace them with vegetable oil or any unsaturated fat.
You can mash them by hand using a potato masher or with an appliance like a food processor or stick blender.
Mash beans to desired consistency.
Garnish with cheese, jalapeno pepper, crispy bacon, cheese, and minced cilantro.