The Best Refried Beans {Made in the Slow Cooker and Fat-Free}

The Best Refried Beans {Made in the Slow Cooker and Fat-Free} puts dry pinto beans, salt and white or yellow onion at the center of a side recipe and finishes in about 375 minutes, enough for 8 cups of refried beans.

• Yield 8 cups of refried beans
• Ready in 375 minutes
• Prep 15 minutes
• Cook 360 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry pinto beans (rinsed, remove any stones or shriveled beans)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium white or yellow onion (peeled and cut into large chunks)
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)
• 1 jalapeno (seeded and membranes removed, chopped)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar or same amount of liquid from a jar of jalapenos or banana peppers
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Place the rinsed beans in a medium or large saucepan and cover with water by at least an inch. Bring the beans and water to a boil and cover, cooking for 15 minutes (be aware that the beans will expand as they absorb water and cook so make sure your pan isn't overly full to begin with or else you'll have an overflow problem - safest to start with a larger pot).
2. Remove from the heat and drain the beans. Place the beans in the slow cooker insert and cover them with about 2 inches of water. Add the salt, onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours.
3. When the beans are tender, ladle out about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid and reserve in a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Drain the beans and veggies in a colander until most of the liquid is gone but there are still a few drips (you don't want the beans bone dry).
4. Place the beans and veggies and 1 tablespoon white vinegar (or 1 tablespoon liquid from a jar of jalapenos) in a food processor or blender (you may need to do this in batches - if so, only use half the amount of vinegar each time if splitting the beans in two batches).
5. Add more liquid if needed. Most importantly, taste the beans and add additional salt, if needed!
6. I let the refried beans cool and then spoon them in 1-2 cup amounts into freezer ziploc bags, press them flat, remove as much air as possible and seal.

Give it a minute off the heat, then serve it while it is still hot.