Refried beans, a classic Mexican staple at most restaurants and Hispanic homes, are perfect for burritos, tostadas, as a dip, 7 Layer Dip or by themselves. The beauty of making refried beans at home is that you can make them as spicy or as chunky/creamy as you want.
I can almost guarantee that you will find a pressure cooker in just about every Hispanic home. Why? Because pinto beans cook SO quickly and easily for refried beans. The old fashioned stove top recipe has you soak your beans overnight and cook them for 2.5 - 3 hours. With a pressure cooker, no soaking is needed and the whole process from start to finish is under two hours.
Pinto beans are a good source of protein and a great item to have in your long term food storage. The older the beans, the longer the cook time needed to soften them.
Shelf Life: Beans should be stored in a cool, dark place and will keep for at least 3-5 years. After that, beans can be used, but may take much longer to cook to soften.
TIP: To soften old beans, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for every pound of beans in your recipe.
Many recipes will caution against using salt until the beans are cooked; however, with pressure cooking, adding salt along with the beans not only enhances their flavor, it helps them hold on to their skins and keep their shape.
Canned green chilies are an easy way to add flavor and control the heat.
TIP: Freeze your chopped onions. I chop, measure, label and freeze. Frozen onions work great in cooking. Don't use frozen onions for recipes that call for raw, uncooked onion (ie. salsa).
Beans cook more evenly in a lot of liquid and any remaining liquid can be used as a broth or to fry the beans in a skillet. You can use water or vegetable broth, or a combo of the two. After cooking, I strain the liquid and put about 1-2 cups back into the pot, along with the cooked beans.
Use an immersion blender if you want smooth and creamy refried beans, or use a potato masher if you like chunky. I like smooth, and my husband likes chunky, so I mash first, take some out for him, and then blend the rest for me.
I use my saute/browning setting to help thicken the beans in my pressure cooker. You can use the traditional method of putting 1 Tablespoon of oil in a heavy, non-stick pan, adding 1 cup of water to the pan, and cooking the beans over low heat until the desired consistency is reached.
Enjoy!
Easy No Soak Refried Beans - Pressure Cook
Cooking beans in the pressure cooker are so much faster than cooking them on the stove & no soaking is required! If you have very old beans, try adding 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to the mixture to help soften. Use refried beans in burritos, 7 layer bean dip, tostadas, Mexican pizza
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans (one pound)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil, vegetable oil, or bacon grease (helps prevent foaming)
- 1 cup chopped onion (can use 1 T. onion powder or 3 T. dried onion flakes)
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic (1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1.5 teaspoons garlic flakes)
- 1 (4oz) can of diced green chilies (you choose the heat)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 cups of water, vegetable broth or combo of the two
Instructions
1. Pick over your dry beans and discard any broken or shriveled beans.2. Rinse beans and drain.3. Put rinsed beans in the pressure cooker.4. Add oil or bacon grease, onions, garlic and chilies to the pressure cooker.5. Cover with 8 cups of water and stir.6. Close the lid, lock the cooker and select HIGH pressure.7. Set the time for 30-35 minutes (previously soaked beans = 20-24 minutes. 8. Allow the pressure cooker to release naturally (NPR). 9. Remove lid away from face & strain the beans in a colander or strainer, reserving the liquid. 10. Puree with an immersion blender or mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. If you wish, you can put 1 Tablespoon of oil in a heavy, non-stick skillet, adding 1 cup of reserved bean water to the pan. Cook beans in pan over low heat, stirring until desired consistency is reached, about 10 minutes. Leftover beans can be frozen in individual portions for up to 3 months.
Details
Prep time: 15Cook time: Total time: Yield: about 5 cups
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