Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit! Homemade Refried Beans and a Tex-Mex Dip
You’re totally singing that song now, aren’t you? I have been singing it ever since I put the pinto beans to soak and my curious son asked, “What are THOSE things, mom?” “Pinto beans,” I said. To which my son replied, “OH! Beans! Beans! The magical fruit! The more you eat, the more you toot!” All the while dancing around the room to this fun tune. Nice. The kid had to take after me his dad. lmao Actually, I like to make the beans from scratch, because there is this little trick I do to aid in the digestion of these delicious little bites to avoid said tooting. So far, this has turned out to be a pretty appetizing post, hasn’t it? LMAO Nothing whets the appetite like a good tooting conversation.
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Refried beans. So good, and so good for you! While they are not actually “refried,” (that’s a mistranslation for “refrito,” which actually refers to what you have sauteed, be it garlic and onions, a tomato mixture, whatever…) they’re just fried once. Of course you *could* reheat them in a pan rather than the microwave, and then they’d be “refried.” lol But anyway, I’m not posting to discuss semantics today…I’m posting because I want to share my recipe for these delicious beans! And afterwards the yummy layered dip I made with them.
Ingredients:
2 pounds (1 kilo) dried pinto beans, washed, sorted and soaked overnight
2 tablespoons brown sugar (secret anti-toot ingredient!)
1/2 pound (200 grams) bacon, cut into bite sized bits (use a kitchen shears to save time)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons chili powder
Preparation:
Drain beans of soaking liquid, and generously cover with water in a stock pot.
Add brown sugar (this is important to help aid the digestion of the beans and reduce flatulence normally associated with them).
Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.
Cook about 1 hour or so, depending on the size and age of your beans–they’re done when the skin begins to break open.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Saute bacon in a pretty large pan until crispy.
Remove bacon to a paper towel and reserve, leaving drippings in the pan.
Saute garlic first, just until golden, then add onions and continue to saute until translucent.
Drain beans well, and add to the pan.
Season with salt, pepper and chili powder…maybe a little oregano if you really want to go wild.
Stir well, mashing a bit with either a potato masher or large fork.
Keep stirring and mashing for about 10-15 minutes, until thoroughly combined.
Adjust seasoning.
Remember that bacon you set aside? Now it’s time to use it. 
Let’s make a Tex-Mex Baked Dip with our beans and bacon:
Ingredients:
2 cups refried beans
1 cup guacamole
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 pound (200 grams) bacon, fried to crispy
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
2 chili peppers, sliced
(you can also add tomato pieces, black olives, whatever floats your boat)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425ºF/200ºC.
Spread beans in a 9×9 square baking dish.
Top with guacamole, then sour cream (or Quark or yogurt).
Sprinkle cheese over the top, then sprinkle bacon, onions, and chilies (and whatever other ingredients you’re adding).
Bake about 20 minutes, or until heated through.
Serve with corn chips.
This looks so appetizing! I have no fear of beans or bean-related conversation. I would however definitely add tomatoes in one way or another
Comment by manggy — February 7, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
yum! its been awhile since i’ve tried making beans from scratch, i ought to again!
Comment by ashley — February 7, 2008 @ 2:23 pm
marry me
Comment by furiousball — February 7, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
Bacon…, really?
Comment by Tricia — February 7, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
How odd is it that we both posted recipes for refried beans on the same day? Mine’s here but lacks the bacon grease. (I’m regretting that decision now…)
Comment by Jerry — February 7, 2008 @ 6:58 pm
Am I missing something? I understand the recipe, but what’s the “little trick” that reduces the flatulence factor and aids digestion? I’m curious!
Comment by Kate — February 7, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
Yeah, what Kate said! What’s the trick? The brown sugar? Cooking them until they split? Soaking overnight?
Dancing around the soaking beans in the moonlight wearing nothing but a smile?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Comment by Jhianna — February 7, 2008 @ 8:28 pm
Hi Manggy! Me too! Loooove me some tomatoes….it’s just the other crazy folk in my house that aren’t having any of it. lol
Do it, Ashley! You’ll be glad you did!
Furious, I’m already married, remember? LMAO Come for a visit, meet the hubs and kids, bring your kids and we’ll have bunches of family fun at the beach. I’ll bring the picnic basket.
Tricia, yep….bacon really does make everything better. lol
Jerry, how funny is that? We even talked about the semantics of “refried vs refrito,” LOL!
Kate and Jhianna, OMG am I a dork or what? It’s the sugar that helps aid digestion of the beans, and cuts down the toots.
Sheesh, so much build up and I forgot to mention it. lmao
Comment by nikki — February 7, 2008 @ 11:02 pm
do you wish me dead ON PURPOSE??!?! Oh that looks so good.
Comment by flutter — February 8, 2008 @ 1:10 am
That dip looks great. Nice and gooey and cheesy. You just can’t go wrong with bacon on top!
Comment by Kevin — February 8, 2008 @ 2:36 am
Mmm. Did someone say bacon? And cheese? ::ears perk up::
Comment by elly — February 8, 2008 @ 3:20 am
Mmmm… that looks good. Pass the plate around… I’m hungry!
Comment by Kiriel — February 8, 2008 @ 2:17 pm
OMG, Nikki! I am SO making this tomorrow!!!
Comment by Ginny — February 19, 2008 @ 4:23 am
Flutter, OMG hell NO! I wish you to come over and eat with us.
Kevin, bacon does make everything better, doesn’t it?
Elly, hee! I thought of you when I posted this…we are soul sistahs when it comes to bacon and cheese.
Kiriel, here ya go!
Ginny baby! I hope you like it! We ate most of it in one sitting (insert shameful face here), and I covered it up and put it on the counter….well, Dalà decided to sample it as well, and ate what was left! I was SO mad! lol! Dumb dog, stealin my treats! XOXO
Comment by nikki — February 19, 2008 @ 10:58 am
Oh my gosh, I’m pretty sure mine will be gone in one sitting, too! It looks so yummy! And Dali’s no dummy! haha He knows a good thing! I’ll bet he spends s lot of time waiting for something to drop. LMBO
Comment by Ginny — February 19, 2008 @ 5:48 pm
Nikki! YUM! We had this tonight. Michael told me yesterday that he’s not wild about refried beans. I wasn’t surprised, because he’s not wild about beans (legumes) period. But he likes these beans!!! He’s a convert! LOL This was so yummy! Thank you! I never would have thought to add bacon. And it tastes so much better than the typical party style Mexican dip! AND we are keeping it out of OUR dogs reach!!!!! LOL
Comment by Ginny — February 21, 2008 @ 4:36 am
DalÃ’s not a dummy, but he sure is a stinker! LOL I’m SO glad you guys liked the beans!! And Michael has converted to the realm of beans? WOOHOO! and LOL—it’s gotta be hard to keep it out of your dogs’ reach…they’re big! lol Top shelf the leftovers! hehehe MUAC XOXOXO
Comment by nikki — February 21, 2008 @ 9:02 am
[...] LOL But I’ll try to get more food shots more often. Next thing on my list to try is this refried bean recipe. refried beans made with bacon, the way god intended. [...]
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