Refried Cuban Black Beans w/Extra Veggies

I’ve made “refried” beans with other recipes, but this one is the best. And it’s freezer and prep-ahead friendly! I also love that I can get in a lot of extra veggies this way! Black beans seem to work best for hiding a lot of extra veggies, but I’ve used pinto beans as well. Both options are delicious. I use my Instant Pot all the time, and pressure cookers and beans are a perfect match! My kids are gluten and dairy free so I topped these with dairy free “cheese” and avocados. Serve hot or cold with corn chips for dipping.

Forgot to soak your dried beans last night? No problem! Just rinse your beans and toss them in the Instant Pot. I think technically “cuban black beans” need the addition of sugar, but I prefer to have my sugar in sweet treats so I leave it out. These refried beans are the perfect way to get your picky kids to eat more vegetables.

I throw in whatever I happen to have in my freezer: 3 pepper blend, broccoli and cauliflower, california blend, seriously I have yet to find a veggie that doesn’t work! Once everything is blended up, you don’t even realize the vegetables are there! To make it easy I use my hand blender and it works great! I add twice the veggies to the beans, but you can always experiment and start with fewer veggies.

They make a great snack or packed in a lunchbox.

Now onto the recipe!

Refried Cuban Black Beans

 

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Ingredients

• 1 lb (2 cups) dry black beans
• 2-4 cups chopped bell peppers, onions, or other veggies (I use frozen!)
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp cumin
• 8 cloves garlic (more or less to taste)
• 4 cups chicken broth (if I use a lot of extra veggies, I add water to make sure everything is covered)
• dash of organic kelp granules (optional)
• *1/2 to 1 tbsp kosher salt (to taste, AFTER beans are cooked)
• *1/2 cup olive or avocado oil

Instructions

1. Sort and rinse the black beans.
2. Add beans, veggies, and spices to the Instant Pot with chicken broth.
3. Seal IP and set to manual for 35 minutes, NR (natural release.)
4. When the pin drops, open the IP and ladle out and reserve much of the cooking liquid.
5. Using a hand mixer, blend the bean mixture until smooth, adding back liquid as necessary to achieve a consistency you like.
6. Add the salt, olive oil, and sugar, and blend again.
7. Put lid back on and cook on manual for an additional 10 minutes, NR.
8. Garnish with cheese, avocado, sour cream, or whatever you like with refried beans.
9. Enjoy!

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**Freezer Directions**
To prep ahead, put the veggies and spices into a freezer bag. On serving day, add the dry black beans and chicken broth and proceed according to directions above. I haven’t tried cooking the beans and freezing because it’s so easy to cook the day of serving.

PS. Here’s an article that talks about why we add kelp to beans.

Tools used for this recipe:

Instant Pot

Hand Blender

Glass bowls – I love these pyrex bowls!

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