How to Make Homemade Refried Beans

A few months ago I was invited to Mexican-native, Marta’s home, early one morning where she spent all day teaching a few friends and me how to make traditional Mexican dishes such as chicken and pork tamales, and refried beans. She spoke only a few words of English, and I speak even less Spanish, however–food has a way of bridging cultural gaps and our communication never lacked.

Later that night we had a Mexican Fiesta at our church. The food was impressive and tasted AMAZING, the entertainment kept us laughing all night, and the hand-made piñatas were a smashing success ;).

Before Marta taught me how to make refried beans, canned beans were always a cheap staple in my pantry. But now that I know how EASY (and inexpensive) making refried beans can be, I’ve been making my own.

If you come visit me at Once a Month Mom today, I’m sharing my healthified recipe, and freezer tips! YES, these beans freeze well! And a bag of dried beans (which costs about the same as a can of refried beans!) makes a huge batch, so you can freeze them in portions. It’s super handy to be able to grab the beans out of the freezer and just reheat a portion for a quick side dish, burrito filling, nacho dip, etc. In fact, yesterday I got together with a couple of friends for a big freezer cooking day and one of the meals our menu was freezer burritos stuffed with homemade refried beans, taco meat, and cheese. They are individually wrapped so I can easily grab one (or more) out of the freezer for a quick lunch or dinner. Love having “convenience” foods on hand!

See you at Once a Month Mom!