Homemade refried beans (frijoles negros)
A tasty and healthy mexican inspired side-dish
10 mins
25 mins
213 kcals
serves 4
HOMEMADE REFRIED BEANS (FRIJOLES NEGROS)
I’ve always been a big fan of refried beans, even when I was a very fussy eater as a child! I love Mexican food, and spent a summer travelling around Mexico 13 years ago. The food was just as good as I had hoped- everywhere are street food stalls selling amazing little soft tacos with different fillings. The restaurants were amazing- if you ordered fajitas often the meat/prawns would be charcoal grilled and it would come out sizzling on a skillet. So so yummy! It was also the first time that I had come across chicken mole- which is chicken cooked in this amazing chocolate chilli sauce (click here to see my healthy version).
The refried beans in Mexico were actually a bit of a shock to me- I had expected the pinky bean paste that you get from Old El Paso which is made with pinto beans (which I still love by the way!) but in Mexico you would get black turtle beans which were literally refried with different spices and chillies- absolutely gorgeous!
So these refried beans are a bit more authentically Mexican, although I have made my own interpretation of a recipe so I’m not saying they are completely authentic! But they are made with ingredients readily available in the UK.
Homemade refried beans (frijoles negros)
Ingredients
- 2 cans pre-cooked black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 small onion very finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic very finely chopped
- 1 green chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1/3 of a green pepper deseeded and finely diced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- low calorie cooking spray/ spray oil
Instructions
- Using low calorie cooking spray or spray oil, stir-fry the onion, garlic, green pepper and green chilli for a few minutes
- Add in the oregano, cumin and paprika, stir through, and then add in the red wine vinegar.
- Stir through the black beans to coat and season with salt and pepper.
- Fry gently for about 20 minutes, stirring fairly regularly, and adding a little water if the mixture starts to get too dry and sticks to the pan.
- Serve warm with chopped, fresh coriander and lime juice if you have them.
