OH MY GOSH LIFE. I have been hardcore absent from my blogging world for so long. We were in the last few weeks of the school year, and it was my last year of teaching since the baby is coming soon (yay!), so I really wanted to soak up those last few weeks and stay totally focused on enjoying every minute of them. Also, I was busy – hi, making finals for four different grade levels is time consuming.
SO – that is why I am just now popping back into your lives today. BUT – this is an exciting day for blogging! Today marks my first day as a full-time blogger. No other jobs, just a working-from-home food blogger.
Not only does that mean blogging is my full time and only job (which feels like I am cheating life), it also means that I will have so, so, so much more time to focus on blogging. So many new improvements and changes to come! And hopefully this also means no more weeks of being absent. Anyway, back to the food, because that’s basically the reason we are all here, right? Food = life.
You know how basically everything that exists in the food world is way better homemade? Well samesies with refried beans. There is seriously no reason to use canned refried beans when this super simple homemade version is so dang easy! We totally cheat here and use canned pinto beans for our base, but if you want to be super extra legit, you’ll take one extra step and make homemade beans, too. Like with dry beans. I have no experience with dry beans, but I plan to change that soon because they are yummy.
Though SUPER delicious and comforting, making beans from scratch would kinda ruin the point of this recipe, which is the ability to throw together a yummy recipe in less than twenty minutes so you don’t have to let a pot of beans simmer away all day long. Maybe we can call it semi-homemade? Regardless, these are much tastier than the canned refried beans you buy at the grocery store. And they are healthier, too. Way less fat and oil!
These beans take less than twenty minutes to throw together because there just really aren’t many steps – super simple:
- Dice your onion and garlic, and saute in a skillet until softened.
- Add your drained beans, and mash, mash, mash!
- Add your seasonings and stock (veggie or chicken), and cook for several minutes so the flavors can combine.
- Add any yummy additions (I highly recommend queso fresco [or any crumbly Mexican cheese], jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice!) and eat up!
My favorite way to use these beans is as a base for tacos. Spread a hefty dollop across the bottom of a corn tortilla, pile on your toppings, and consume the most delicious taco ever! They are super yummy as is too, though. Do whatever your lovely heart desires.
So this past weekend, my two best friends – Megan and Cranny – came to visit from North Carolina. They got into Manhattan on Friday and they left yesterday. It was the BEST weekend ever, despite my pregnant whaleness and difficulty doing anything as simple as standing up from a chair. But it’s cool…it’s fine…
The weekend consisted of eating at a billion awesome restaurants, cooking some delicious food (vegetable barley soup, grilled cheese, homemade sausage biscuits and gravy), bonfires with s’mores, exploring fun areas of Manhattan like rooftop bars, black lit bowling alleys, and escape rooms, and just hanging out, talking, and laughing until we cried about every three seconds.
One night, we played this RIDICULOUS game. It’s kind of similar to Apples to Apples…you get seven cards that have these absurd sentences written on them. So one person is the “judge,” and they choose an accent card. Let’s say the accent card says “Russian.” Now we all have to pick one of our cards to read in a Russian accent. The judge picks the best one, and that person wins. It’s not always real accents though…we got stuff like nerd, paranoid, toddler, and stuff like that.
I learned one main thing throughout the process of this game: I have zero ability to perform any real accents. The silly extra ones like paranoid and nerd I can do. But anything real? Like German, Indian, Italian, etc…? Nope. Everything comes out British. EVERYTHING comes out British. So, definitely scratch voice actor off of my list of career options…
I guess I’ll just have to stick to this job instead. But this one includes yummy food, so I’m down 😉.
PrintTwenty Minute Refried Beans
These refried beans come together in no time and are tastier AND healthier than the canned versions that you can find at the grocery store!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 15.5 oz cans pinto beans, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup veggie or chicken stock, plus more if it gets too thick
- Optional additions: queso fresco (or any crumbly Mexican cheese), jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice
Instructions
- Add your vegetable oil to a skillet over medium – medium/high heat.
- Add your onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, stirring often.
- Add your drained beans to the veggies and mash with a potato masher until it has reached the consistency you want.
- Add your seasonings and chicken stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for several minutes over medium heat, stirring often, so that the flavors can combine. At this point, if your beans get too thick, add stock periodically to thin it out. This will just depend on your preference of texture.
- Season to taste and add any additions that you would like!
Notes
I like my refried beans to remain a little chunky for some good texture, but if you want yours completely smooth, forego the potato masher and just puree your drained beans in a food processor until smooth before adding into the skillet with the onions and garlic
My favorite way to use these beans is as a base for tacos, spread across a corn tortilla with toppings piled on top!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 211
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 524 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 1 mg
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more yummy Mexican recipes? Check these out:
This looks delicious! It’s perfect for my next tailgating party!
★★★★★
It would be great for tailgating!!