One of the first recipes I added to the blog was a recipe for making refried beans in a slow-cooker/crockpot.  It is a recipe that came from Mimi on Simple Savings. Here is the recipe.

Crockpot Refried Beans – by Mimi on Simple Savings

2 cups dried red kidney beans
1 cup red lentils
3/4 cup olive oil
6 cups water
1 onion diced
6 cloves of garlic, sprinkled with a touch of oil and roasted for 15 minutes in a moderate oven (more or less according to your love of garlic!)
1 tin peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon smoky paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 Bay Leaf

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of it’s papery shell. Chop the peeled tomatoes.

Combine everything in the crock pot, and cook on high for 9 hours (if an old one like mine) or probably on low if yours is a newer model. You can also simmer this on the stove top for 2-3 hours.

Remove the Bay Leaf.

Empty into a food processor and blend until smooth, or mash well with a potato masher.

I love this recipe and use it all the time.  It freezes brilliantly and is really versatile – can be used in nachos, tacos, enchiladas, vegetarian pies as well as some of my original creations.  I hope you like it.

A special thank you to Mimi who posted this on the Simple Savings forum 3 years ago.  It has become a staple in our household.

This recipe has become part of our staple diet and it is so versatile and can be used in many different ways.  It is also suitable for freezing so making a big quantity is no problem – I just freeze it in 500g portions.

Last night I cooked up another mix of re-fried beans so I thought I would share some of the possible uses.

Once I have used the stick blender they look like this.

Serve as a dip with crackers and vegetable sticks.  Include a dish of salsa or guacamole to complete the Mexican theme.

Make nachos using dollops of bean mixture, salsa and grated cheese between the layers of corn chips.

Bean tacos make a cheap and filling vegetarian option.

Spread on bread, toast or wraps as a tasty base for other fillings.

Use as the base for a Mexican layered dip and serve with corn chips.

Or you can create your own dish and perhaps share your ideas here.

TIP:  The first thing is to give any new creation (whatever it is) a name.  This will give you much more credibility with the family than answering, “Oh, something I made up with what was in the pantry/refrigerator”.

Here is one to get you started.

Mexican Bean Pie

Quantity of refried bean mixture

Cooked rice

Salsa/chilli/Tabasco sauce to taste (optional)

Grated cheese

Dry breadcrumbs

Mix together to get a fairly firm mix.  Press into a loaf tin or pie plate. Top with cheese and breadcrumbs and bake in oven or under the grill until golden brown.

Serve with salad or vegetables.

We had this for dinner tonight served with carrots, broccoli and sliced avocado.  The broccoli and avocado were from our garden.