Refritos (Refried Beans)

I soaked the pinto beans over night, and then followed jherb’s suggestion to cook them in the slow cooker. I do not like a lot of spice, and ignored the other reviewer’s directions to add more cumin. I will try that next time; they were a little bland. I have never cooked my own refried beans before, we are so used to the canned version, but I like cooking from dried beans and will try this recipe again.

We accidentally used a tablespoon of cumin instead of a teaspoon when we first made this, and now we make it this way every time! These are so much better than store-bought refried beans; the secret is in slow cooking dried beans. Once you've had them this way, you can't go back.

These refried beans are excellent in quesadillas. I usually throw the 2 cups of dried pinto beans into my slow cooker with some boiling water. They take about 4 hours or so to cook. The cooked beans are very soft and easy to mash up. In the past, I've used 2 tbsp. of cumin rather than 2 tsp. Don't forget the fresh garlic! Yum!