I’m not always a fan of refried beans (especially when made with lard) but I am a fan of dishes involving bacon! When I found this recipe on the Pinch My Salt blog, I knew it had to be good… and easy too. This makes for a great side dish and it can even be used in other Mexican inspired dishes such as quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas or been dip.
6-8 strips of bacon, diced
3 T. bacon drippings (or vegetable oil)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans (15 oz) pinto beans
Salt
In a large skillet, fry up the bacon. Once crispy and you’ve rendered about 3 tablespoons of drippings, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute or two. Add the beans with their liquid and start smashing them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Keep stirring and mashing until you get the texture that you like then continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Yummy! This is one of my favorite go-to recipes for refried beans. I've never actually used the bacon before, so I can't wait to try this! Helpful tip: save the bacon drippings and pour into 2-3 ice cube trays. When they're frozen, I run hot water underneath the tray to dislodge them and then freeze them individually for later use in the refried beans.
These sound delicious and are probably way better than canned refried beans.