Instapot Refried Beans
I've had an Instapot for about a year and a half now. Over that time, I've experimented with many things which I've concluded I'd rather cook by a more conventional method. However, the Instapot continues to shine cooking dried legumes which is exactly what you want to do when you make refried beans. This recipe is from Cris, who has spearheaded all things Instapot in our family.
There's a lot of potential shortcuts for this, but if you have time, starting with actual cloves of garlic and minced onion upgrades the end product. Here I'm using 3-4 cloves of garlic and half a minced onion. This is not mandatory, however and you could just as easily use a teaspoon (or more) each of garlic powder and onion powder with the beans and cooking water/stock.
Set the Instapot to sautee, add about a tablespoon of your favorite oil - olive oil, canola oil, or a suppose a purist could use pork lard, if you have that around. Sautee till onions are transparent, then add a tsp of cumin and stir that around a bit. Add 6 cups of water or stock (add 1 tsp of salt if you're using water) and 2 cups of rinsed pinto beans.
Turn off the sautee function, then use the manual setting to set the pot on high pressure for 45 minutes. I am usually asleep shortly after this point, so I always let the pressure release naturally. However, if you are in a hurry, I would suggest waiting at least 10-15 minutes before venting the pressure valve.
I then scoop out and save the extra liquid, leaving just enough to cover the cooked beans, and whip it up with a stick blender. This makes for fairly runny beans, which is my preference, but you could drain the beans even further, and if it become too thick, add some of the saved liquid if you need thin it out.
It can be served as a side, as here, alongside Mexican style pulled pork
But I'm also pretty happy using it as a main filling for a soft taco. Normal people would at this point add cheese, which I can't digest, but I'm told it's pretty good.
This makes a good 3-4 cups of refried beans depending on how runny you make them, and it freezes really well so feel free to do that if this batch size is too much for your household.
2 cups pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 -1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder
OR 3-4 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 minced onion, plus 1 Tbsp oil of choice
6 cups water + 1 tsp salt
OR 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Rinse and pick over pinto beans.
If using garlic and onion, sautee in instapot in oil or lard till transparent. Stir in 1/2-1 tsp cumin.
Add pinto beans and liquid.
Cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. After cooking is complete, wait 10-15 minutes before releasing pressure. Or, wake up from your nap and just remove lid.
Drain (and save some of) the excess bean water, then stick blend or mash to desired consistency. Add saved bean water if needed.
There are a lot of variations you could include to taste: chili powder along with (or instead of) cumin, a little dried oregano, and for cooking liquid, that Knorr bouillon powder with tomato and chicken works surprisingly well if you're OK with that much sodium. It's also possible to re-heat cold beans in a frying pan with more seasonings so that they're actually FRIED at some point, at least once.
There's a lot of potential shortcuts for this, but if you have time, starting with actual cloves of garlic and minced onion upgrades the end product. Here I'm using 3-4 cloves of garlic and half a minced onion. This is not mandatory, however and you could just as easily use a teaspoon (or more) each of garlic powder and onion powder with the beans and cooking water/stock.
Set the Instapot to sautee, add about a tablespoon of your favorite oil - olive oil, canola oil, or a suppose a purist could use pork lard, if you have that around. Sautee till onions are transparent, then add a tsp of cumin and stir that around a bit. Add 6 cups of water or stock (add 1 tsp of salt if you're using water) and 2 cups of rinsed pinto beans.
Turn off the sautee function, then use the manual setting to set the pot on high pressure for 45 minutes. I am usually asleep shortly after this point, so I always let the pressure release naturally. However, if you are in a hurry, I would suggest waiting at least 10-15 minutes before venting the pressure valve.
I then scoop out and save the extra liquid, leaving just enough to cover the cooked beans, and whip it up with a stick blender. This makes for fairly runny beans, which is my preference, but you could drain the beans even further, and if it become too thick, add some of the saved liquid if you need thin it out.
It can be served as a side, as here, alongside Mexican style pulled pork
But I'm also pretty happy using it as a main filling for a soft taco. Normal people would at this point add cheese, which I can't digest, but I'm told it's pretty good.
This makes a good 3-4 cups of refried beans depending on how runny you make them, and it freezes really well so feel free to do that if this batch size is too much for your household.
2 cups pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 -1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder
OR 3-4 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 minced onion, plus 1 Tbsp oil of choice
6 cups water + 1 tsp salt
OR 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Rinse and pick over pinto beans.
If using garlic and onion, sautee in instapot in oil or lard till transparent. Stir in 1/2-1 tsp cumin.
Add pinto beans and liquid.
Cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. After cooking is complete, wait 10-15 minutes before releasing pressure. Or, wake up from your nap and just remove lid.
Drain (and save some of) the excess bean water, then stick blend or mash to desired consistency. Add saved bean water if needed.
There are a lot of variations you could include to taste: chili powder along with (or instead of) cumin, a little dried oregano, and for cooking liquid, that Knorr bouillon powder with tomato and chicken works surprisingly well if you're OK with that much sodium. It's also possible to re-heat cold beans in a frying pan with more seasonings so that they're actually FRIED at some point, at least once.
Added by Cris - Tex Mex refried beans.
These are very savoury and moderately spicy if you use the listed amount of chiles. Adjust to your spice tolerance.
Follow general instructions as above, but use the following for seasonings:
5-8 slices of bacon, diced
1 medium to large onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 tsp oregano
7 cups water
Using the saute function, cook the bacon until fat is rendered but still soft. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and spices and cook until fragrant. Add about a cup of water and scrape and deglaze the bottom of the pan so you don't get a burn alert on the instant pot. Then add the rest of the water.
Using the saute function, cook the bacon until fat is rendered but still soft. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and spices and cook until fragrant. Add about a cup of water and scrape and deglaze the bottom of the pan so you don't get a burn alert on the instant pot. Then add the rest of the water.
Now add in:
1 lb package of pinto beans (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon tomato or chicken Knorr
3-5 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes and let pressure release naturally. Check and stir. I found that even if the water level is quite high, the beans on top aren't as cooked as the ones on the bottom. Recook under pressure for another 20 minutes. Ladle out most of the broth to a separate container then blend, adding the saved broth to your preferred consistency. Taste and adjust salt level if needed.
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