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I too love them. Serve them with rice and pretty much any stewy mexican dish or as a side for tex-mex like tostadas etc and they are wonderful. My favorite use for them is simply home-made refried beans (from canned or dry bagged beans) and some bagged tortillas and assemble into burritos and FREEZE them! These are so economical when you are at a loss of what to serve for dinner and are too tired/ busy/ whatever to cook. Just pop them in the microwave for a few minutes or put them in the oven til heated and serve.
For these I'll use whatever I have on hand, tomato, black beans, pinto beans, onion, green and/ or sweet bell pepper, mushroom, small cuts of broccoli etc. Cheese and meat are options as well of course. Try ground beef or shredded turkey, chicken or pork (not ham) from last night's leftovers. If I have jarred salsa I'll put some of that in too before wrapping the burritos. If not I'll add it over the top after reheating.
I usually eat whole pintos, but those from the bottom of the pot usually get mashed and eaten as a leftover snack.
What I do is mash them with a pat of lard as I warm them, adding water as necessary for my desired consistency, then put them in a bowl with some shredded cheese.
Then I pour some heated red chile sauce on them, hot enough to melt the cheese, and garnish with iceberg lettuce and chopped tomato. Eat with a fork.
You could add onion, cilantro, green chile, jalapanos, or whatever as well. If you are very decadent, put a handful of Fritos in the bowl before adding the beans.
From the can, as a dip for tortilla chips. Or as a filling for tacos, with cream cheese.
In Guatemala, my house-mother would cook beans for rice-and-beans, and just reheat them every day. The texture of the beans changed from whole to refried over about five days, and was always used thed samed, aside the rice. Refried are very nice on rice. I actually liked them better refrfied, than on the first day when the beans were discreet and entero in the sauce.
I eat refried beans almost daily, they are my favorite food! I live in NM where I can get fresh pintos in fall right from the farm that grew them...good fresh beans elevate refried to a divine level. I cook the dry pintos in the oven in a clay pot, this gives a wonderful evenly-cooked yet firm texture that I can't get in a metal pot or a pressure cooker, especially not at my altitude. Then I refry them with lard from pastured pigs and also black pepper (the beans are already salted, and the flavor concentrates as the liquid cooks down.)
I buy the sprouted corn tortillas at Sprouts, and crisp them in the oven. Then spread refried beans and top with cheese (I like raw sharp cheddar). If I have salad greens, I sometimes chop those up and make a big mound, then eat with salsa.
I also love to eat them with scrambled eggs at breakfast. I was raised in CA and Mexico and beans for breakfast with eggs is as standard as the midwest cornflakes and milk.
So very good! I am cooking pintos right now and can't wait to have them for dinner in a couple of hours! It sounds like a lot of work, for beans...but it's just so worth it.
Nachos or Chalupas. Crispy corn tortilla with beans and cheese. Lettuce and tomato is usually added to chalupa. The bean and tomato combination is unique.
Bean and cheese tacos in flour tortilla. Salsa.
Mexican side dish with a side of rice. Salsa on both or either (if the flavor goes well). I always like salsa over crispy or puffy tacos too, if they are part of the dinner. If there is extra lettuce and tomato I eat it with the beans.
4 pages in & I'm surprised no one has mentioned using refried beans for Mexican style sandwiches, cemitas. Get a roll or hero roll & spread the hot refried beans on both sides. Add hot meat of choice, queso fresco cheese , shredded lettuce & tomato & your choice of pickled peppers, onion, cilantro &/or hot sauce. The beans hold everything nicely together in the roll. I prefer not to have the condiments cold ie., cheese, salsa, lettuce, etc... so that the sandwich stays warm. Yum...
Make bean & cheese burritos with them, add them to burritos with meat, rice & pico de gallo, serve them as a side dish with an entree & rice.
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