Healthy Refried Beans — aka “Smashed” Pinto Beans

It is Taco Tuesday! I’m cooking homemade tacos with all the toppings — guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, cheese and lettuce. Wait…let’s not forget “Refried Beans.” This side dish is a traditional part of Mexican cuisine and often accompanies dinners served at Mexican restaurants. Let’s make these beans for our homemade “Taco Tuesday” meal. Although it is easy to open a can of commercial refried beans; these mashed pinto beans tend to be high in salt and are cooked with lard. Not so healthy. I have a recipe for homemade “Refried Beans” which is flavorful and includes just a bit of oil rather than lard. It is a great way to use some of my extensive stash of canned beans. Plus, pinto beans are quite tasty when properly prepared. And healthy, too. The title, “Refried Beans,” is misleading — the beans are not fried twice. In Spanish, they are called, “frijoles refritos.” It simply means that the pinto beans are cooked thoroughly, sometimes fried and always mashed. My recipe is very easy to prepare; ready in a less than 30 minutes.

Too, too many beans

I have quite of stash of canned beans — due to an extensive shopping trip which my husband took one Saturday morning. So, I’m trying to find ways to use the beans — rather than letting them sit on the kitchen shelf for months. Using some of the pinto beans to make “Refried Beans” fits right in with my theme supper of “Taco Tuesday.”

Pinto beans are mighty tasty. Their flavor is mild, earthy and slightly nutty. Compared to other beans — such as black beans, red beans, blackeye peas. Northern beans, Navy beans and field peas — pinto beans are mild and tolerable. If you unsure about eating dried or canned beans, these are the ones to try.

About Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are the most widely consumed beans in this country clearly beating out red beans (kidney beans) and black beans. Plus, they are a staple in Mexican and Latin American cuisine. They are an ancient food having been cultivated for 7,000 to 8,000 years by indigenous civilizations of Mexico and Peru. Pinto beans have a mottled appearance, hence the name in Spanish is “frijoles pintos” which translates literally to “painted beans” or “speckled beans.” Pinto beans are high in nutritional value. They are actually a legume — meaning they are a complete protein and contain all the amino acids which are needed for growth. Plus, pinto beans have lots of fiber, minerals and vitamins — folic acid, Vitamin B6, thiamin and Vitamin E. Pinto beans rich in antioxidants — including polyphenols and flavonoids such as  kaempferol, a flavonoid with protects cells in our bodies against damage from free radicals. And, nutritionists and physicians support the importance of increasing fiber in our diets. Dried beans — including pinto beans — can really make a contribution here.

These pinto beans do not have a mottled appearance. What?? Apparently, the speckles are water soluble and break down during the heat processing of the beans. It is the dried beans which appear mottled.

Recipe Ingredients:

Do I have special training in cooking Mexican and Latin American cuisine? No. However, our geographic area of Baton Rouge now has a pleura of Mexican restaurants. Our social group enjoys eating at many of these restaurants. — And, I look forward to trying out new dishes when we go (always with a margarita). Plus, I love the traditional dinner combination of an entrée with side dishes of refried beans and rice. This recipe represents my best Americanized version of “Refried Beans.”

Here are the ingredients for my “Smashed” Pinto Beans:

My “Refried Beans” have lots of flavor. I included onions and garlic, plus seasonings of chili powder, cumin, cilantro and a touch of lime juice. I used canned pinto beans for convenience rather than dried beans. These beans are sodium-reduced (230 mg/serving vs 430 mg/serving) — but there still is enough salt so that you don’t need additional salt in this recipe. Some folks have a genetic aversion to the cilantro flavor — if you are one of these folks — then skip this herb. I added water when making the recipe so that the beans were nice and creamy when finished.

Making the Recipe

To make this dish, first sauté the finely chopped onion in a small amount oil over medium heat. This could take 7 to 10 minutes; as I like the onion to be translucent and cooked through. Add garlic close to the end of cooking along with the chili powder and cumin. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add drained and rinsed pinto beans (you don’t need the starchy liquid that comes in the can). Plus, add fresh water. (Save cilantro and a squirt of lime juice for the end of cooking.) Stir everything to combine and let cook on low heat for 10 – 15 minutes until the beans are tender. Don’t let the beans burn — add more water if needed. Remove from heat and mash the beans using a potato masher or the back of a cook spoon. Stir in fresh cilantro, if desired.

Traditionally, “Refried Beans” are served with Mexican rice. These make up the side dishes of dinners at many Mexican restaurants. I love this combination and often eat the beans and rice before starting on the entrée which I’ve ordered. At home, for my homemade taco meal, I’ll just eat the beans along with anything which falls off the taco.

I really enjoyed my “Smashed” Pinto Beans along with my taco meal. I’m quite pleased with the results of this recipe. I don’t miss the flavor of having the beans fried in lard. And the sodium-reduced beans still had plenty of flavor. I hope you enjoy the recipe, too. Let’s include more beans in our meals.