Pressure Cooker Refried Beans 

Printed from healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

*6-8 Servings

2 Cups dried pinto beans

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 Cup chopped onion

2 Tbsp. minced garlic (no, this is not a typo...) 

1 4-oz. can diced green chiles

1 tsp. salt

sour cream, for serving

sliced green onions, for serving

Sort dry beans by removing rocks and impurities. Then put them in a colander and rinse well to remove all the dirt.  Put beans in pressure cooker with enough water to cover by 1 to 1-1/2 inches. The exact amount of water is not important but a little too much is better than too little. Add 1 T olive oil to cooker, then lock lid, bring to high pressure, and cook 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn off heat and use a quick pressure release.

When pressure has released, add chopped onion, minced garlic, canned green chiles, and salt to pressure cooker. Lock lid again and pressure cook 10 to 20 minutes more, depending on how old the beans are. For newly purchased beans start with 10 minutes. Older beans will take longer to cook, so start with 15 minutes. You want the beans to be fairly soft and starting to crack open. If you get open the pressure cooker and the beans are not quite soft, just re-lock the lid, bring up to pressure and cook another 5 to 10 minutes. They don’t have to look pretty, they’re just getting mashed anyway.

When pressure has released the second time, remove lid and without draining, mash or puree beans to desired consistency. You can use an immersion blender, a potato masher or a regular blender. The trick is to get the consistency right and it kind of depends on how your tastes. If you like whole beans in your refried beans, make sure you don't blend or mash all the beans. If you like them really smooth, blend more. Personally, I like my refried beans somewhere in the middle, some parts chunky, some parts smooth. I put about half of the bean mixture in the blender and pulse a couple of times - so it's still chunky. Then I put the other half in a pulse it until it's a little smoother. Then I combine the two parts and that's how I like it. The mixture may still be runnier than you like. That's fine. Don't worry about draining any liquid off, it will thicken up in the next step.

When beans are as smooth or chunky as you prefer, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy, nonstick pan. Add beans and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, until beans have thickened to desired consistency. It should only take about 10-15 minutes. Serve hot, topped with sour cream and thinly sliced green onions, if desired. Other serving ideas include: over Navajo tacos, with chips, in a bean burrito, in taco salad, in tacos, or in tostadas; the possibilities are endless.

Recipe Source: Recipe slightly adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen