Here is my favorite (and crockpot easy) way: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/refried-beans-without-the-refry/detail.aspx
GREAT!!!! Now what if I don't want them refried, but want to be able to eat them with rice, let's say?
I would guess just don't mash them, that is the final step that makes them refried. Up to that point they are just cooked pinto beans (with a light flavor...just remembered that when we make them, I use a small can of green chiles instead of jalepeno, so they are mild enough for ds). I would suppose you could even follow the recipe and instead of mashing, use them in a recipe for chili.
I LOVE pinto beans, I quick soak, you pick through, rinse and put in a large pot, cover 1 inch above the beans with water, Cover pot and bring to a boil, boil for 3 minutes, turn off heat. Let set for 2 hours. I keep the water in, add chicken broth or more water and chicken bouilon, a little olive oil (or bacon fat) pepper, salt, garlic powder and dehydrated onionor onion powder......... Cook about 4 hours stir occasionally and add water as needed. (oh I also add dill weed) honestly it smells better cooking on the stove and the "juice" is thicker and more flavorful than in the crockpot......... plus I'm just one of those people that can't keep the lid on the crockpot...... I serve beans with fried chicken and corn bread...... my dad likes corn bread and fried potatoes........ what ever..... I also dice up some raw onion for the top. NOW for the left overs!!!......... CHILI ofcorse, brown some onion and ground beef add some chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and tomato sauce (or tomatoes) and beans, stir and simmer about 15 minutes (or longer)...... I hope you have left over corn bread for this too!
I love pinto beans! All of what ABall said. If you have a ham bone- That works instead of the bacon fat and I have never tried Olive Oil or chicken broth and bullion (I'll have to now!). Definately have to have cornbread with them. Yummmmm! Pinto's are what my G-dad lived on for years. That's about all he would eat. Debbie
Oh yum yum! Have just regular beans and cornbread. Google for lots of ideas on bean stews, bean soups, and such. There's Italian bean stew, Mexican bean soup, French bean broth, etc. And here's other ways I enjoy having pinto beans- Tootin' Stuffin (cook beans in slowcooker then use the liquid to prepare a box of stuffing mix and top the stuffing with beans, cheese, onions) Beans and Rice: Add a can of mexican tomatoes and corn to the slowcooker in last 15 minutes as you start rice then dump it together and top with cheese. Another variation is to top plain rice with the mexican bean mixture. Stir-fried beans - treat cooked beans as if it's a protein like tofu and stir-fry in asian sauces and serve over rice. Fried bean rice- make fried rice and add beans as the ingredient along with egg, can of mixed veggies, etc Baked beans (drain cooked beans, add usual ingredients for baked beans and bake just enough to warm it through and cook bacon if you included it) Bean Dip: Puree with jalapenos (Not flavorful enough on its own but excellent as ingredient in seven layer dips and such- forget those expensive cans of bean dips.) Bean burgers (pureed/mashed beans with egg and crumbs (bread, saltines, whatever) then fried and put on buns with the usual burger trimmings. Breakfast Beans: Warm up beans and serve with maple syrup for breakfast with a side of taters, mashed potatoes, or potato pancakes. Chili with Beans: Add to a big pot of beefy chili to stretch it out further. Same with taco filling- add beans to the meat to stretch it out. Serving taco filler as nachos stretches it out even further. (Add a can of tomato sauce or ketchup and you've got sloppy joes) Second day beans and Rice- 2 cups cooked, drained beans 2 eggs 1/3 cup dry milk with 3/4 cup water (or 1 cup milk) 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1 small onion, minced OR 1 tablespoon dry onion 1 cup cooked rice 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Mix all together in 8x8 dish and bake 325* for 40 min. My GrandBetty's Bean Salad (Great for summer days when nobody wants hot beans) Grandbetty's bean salad 2 cups cooked beans 2-3 hard boiled eggs, diced 1 tomato, diced 1 sweet pickle, diced 1 onion, diced Toss all together Another bean salad- toss beans and whatever veggies you find sitting around with vinegar, oil, and a bit of honey and/or sugar to taste. Use it as a substitute for ground beef in variety of recipes, such as Bisquik's "Impossible Cheeseburger" recipe on the back of the box
With a tight budget for groceries, I've learned how to stretch out beans without boring the kids with yet more beans. I hope this helps!
for some reason, it makes it more tender.......... and ohhhh it smells so good too. olive oil is always in the pantry and I don't always have bacon fat....
I never soak my pinto beans and they cook in four hours. I clean them before cooking. I prefer them cooked over the stove rather than the crockpot. The crockpot gives them a slightly different consistancy. They are great either way and I do use the crockpot to cook my beans when I know I will not be home to watch the stove. I add boiling water to the crock when I make my beans. This allows it to heat and cook faster. It takes way to long if I wait for the crock to boil the water.
How do I know how many beans to cook? I don't want to many left over, but I want to make sure I have enough.
I cook one lb. bag for my family of 4. we eat ours with corn bread. beans and corn bread one whole meal. Cook as much as you want and freeze the left overs for quick reheats to go with other meals.
I always make enough beans for a few days. I freeze leftovers. As for measurements, I can't offer any. I have been making beans all my life, since I could stand on a chair and my mom never taught me measurements. I just estimate.
