Everyone likes to enjoy a side dish in the evening after coming home from work. If you want a healthy option for a side dish, serve refried beans with hot tea or coffee. It is one of the best snacks to try during snack time. You can prepare it in no time and serve it with any hot or cold beverage.
You can pick either canned or dried beans to make these beans. Refried beans are very simple to make in the slow cooker. They are also used in many Mexican restaurants. We will further discuss the tips to store refried beans and the ways to cook them.
What are refried beans?
The name Refried beans come from the Spanish name – frijoles refritos. The meaning of Refritos is “well-fried”. You have to soften the refried beans by cooking them in water. Now, we will discuss what refried beans contain.
Refried beans are mainly made from pinto beans in different parts of the USA. One can enjoy refried beans with Tex-Mex restaurant dishes and side dishes. Apart from that, you can also serve refried beans as a dip while enjoying corn tortilla chips.
Many chimichanga recipes and pupusa contain refried beans. You can also use black beans and kidney beans to prepare refried beans at home.
Can I freeze canned refried beans?
Yes, you can freeze refried beans but with certain tips. Beans will expand in the freezer when you keep them open. One of the best things you can do is to store refried beans in a plastic Tupperware container.
You can add a few drops of oil or water to prevent beans from thickening. Then store the beans in the container and keep them at room temperature. If you have a deep freezer, store the refried beans in it. Frozen refried beans can be stored for 3 to 6 months and even for a long time in a deep freezer. You have to the refried beans overnight to use in any cuisine or dish.
How long do refried beans stay fresh in the fridge?
Refried beans can stay fresh for many days if you keep them in an airtight container. Freezing is the best option for people who want to use refried beans within a week or 15 days. Storing refried beans is a good option for people who want to enjoy eating them fresh.
How to cook refried beans?
It is very easy to cook refried beans by following some easy steps such as:
- The first thing you must do is wash the beans and remove any unwanted particles. Then soak the beans well.
- Then you have to boil the refried beans. Now, you have to drain the beans and add them to the saucepan. You must then cover the beans with clean water.
- The next step is to take a skillet and put oil. Let the oil heat for some time. Then you can fry the beans.
- The next step is to mash the beans with the help of a potato masher or fork when you fry them.
- You can serve the refried beans with any side dish.
Tips to store refried beans
Refried beans can be prepared within a few minutes. You can store them in a fridge. Hikers and backpackers can choose this option. Any leftover refried beans can be stored in the fridge to use in any recipe.
Benefits of freezing refried beans
There are many benefits of freezing refried beans such as:
- You can use frozen refried beans easily in any recipe for a side dish.
- Refried beans will stay fresh for a long time in an airtight container.
- These beans can be used in various dishes and cuisines.
- It is very easy to cook refried beans after freezing them.
- It is a cost-effective task to freeze refried beans.
- Beans can stay fresh for a long time and you can get them ready while making any cuisine.
How to make refried bean dip?
Refried bean dip is the best recipe that you can make by using refried beans. Let us have a look at the ingredients and recipe in the below section:
- Cooked pinto beans – 4 cups
- Olive oil – ¼ cup
- Onion powder – ½ tsp
- Garlic powder – ½ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Chilli powder as per your taste
Recipe of refried beans dip
- Cover pinto beans with water. Then boil these beans for around 1 hour.
- The next step is to take a pan and add oil. Let the oil heat for some seconds and add onion powder, garlic powder, beans, salt, and 1/4th cup of boiled water to the pan.
- Then take a potato masher to mix all the ingredients during the cooking process. Keep mashing the mixture until you get a perfect consistency.
Finally, you can serve refried bean dip with homemade chips, tacos, or tortilla chips. You can prepare this dip even by soaking dry beans for around 8 hours.
Refried beans FAQs
Cooked beans can stay fresh for 5 days in the fridge. You can store them in the fridge after cooking them. Storing the beans in the fridge will stop the growth of the bacteria.
Refried beans will stay good for 4 days in the fridge.
You can use leftover refried beans in salads, side dishes, and appetizers. All you need to do is to warm the leftover beans and serve them with chicken dishes or steak.
Homemade beans can be kept for a week in the refrigerator. After cooking homemade beans, you can store them in the fridge for 2 days.
Conclusion
Preparing refried beans and storing them are very easy tasks. You can prepare refried beans easily at home by using canned or homemade beans. They can also make any side dish more delicious.
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