Mexican-inspired refried beans with pickled onions

Creator notes

Why I love this: I love refried beans, and though I typically see them made with pinto beans, cranberry beans act as an excellent substitute. Cranberry beans are slightly milder in flavor but still yield a delicious result. I took inspiration from Mexican Made Meatless’ version but added a few additional, completely optional flavorings. For a non-vegetarian version, you can use lard.

–Karishma Pradhan, founder, Home Cooking Collective

As seen in 1 pot of beans, 5 tasty meals.

Featured bean: Cranberry

Take 'em from dried to cooked with our guide!

Print recipe here

What you’ll need

Limes
Red onion, thinly sliced
Oil or lard
Yellow onion, diced
Garlic, minced (optional)
Whole dried red árbol chiles
Ground coriander (optional)
Ground cumin (optional)
Cooked beans (and broth)
Salt
Fresh cilantro, minced

Preparation

Pickle the onions: In a small bowl, add enough lime juice to submerge the red onion. Set aside while you prepare the re-fried beans.

Make the refried beans: Heat oil (or lard) in a sauté pan, and sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Add chilies and spices (if using), then stir in beans, and some bean broth. Simmer the beans, and mash into a creamy puree until it reaches your desired consistency. You can puree in the blender too, for a super-smooth sauce (just make sure to remove the whole chile). Add more broth as needed and season with salt.

Remove from the heat, then top with pickled onions and cilantro.