Bean & Cheese Burritos with Crock Pot Refried Beans

Lovely refried beans from scratch, made in the crock pot no less, and a delicious bean and cheese burrito perfect for lunch.  Easy, delicious, and wholesome, knowing everything that's going into these recipes, what's not to love?  Super filling and full of flavor, this a is a great recipe.  You can make it in two parts, starting the beans a head of time and either freezing or refrigerating them until you are ready to make the burritos.  Or make just the beans and use them for some other fun recipe, like a warm bean dip or as a side for enchiladas or some other fun dish.

Through a weird twist of fate, I was again assigned to Heather from Fit Mama Real Food for this month's Secret Recipe Club.  Since I posted Heather's hummus in May, she has welcomed her beautifully adorable Hunter.  But before he came along, Heather loaded her freezer full of quick meals for her and her husband to help keep them fed and happy while caring for their new little bundle.  While I thought about going back to some of Heather's recipes that caught my eye last time I spun through her blog for Secret Recipe Club, I stopped at Heather's post on stocking her freezer because she posted a refried beans recipe.  Not only that, but she posted something to do with the great big quantity of beans (freezer burritos!) and I knew Dave and I would love these.  You know our devotion to Mexican food and I thought these burritos would be perfect lunches for me to take to work or easy for Dave to grab and heat up when he has a busy day working from home.  So it's a two-for-one post thanks to Heather's perfect bean recipe and her excellent way to consume those beans!  I thought these were perfect as is, but definitely adapt the burritos to your liking (maybe a little less beans and toss in some shredded chicken). 



For more information on Secret Recipe Club, visit the website and be sure to check out the rest of the recipes in this week's reveal through the blog hop below.


Crock Pot Refried Beans

Ingredients

5 cups dried pinto beans
1 large onion

2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
13 3/4 cups water

Pick through beans for any broken pieces, rocks or other inedibles. Rinse and drain.

Transfer beans to a large crock pot (Note: I used a 6 quart).  Dice onion and add to beans.  Then add cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne.

Cover with water and stir to combine.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Place a strainer over a large bowl and drain out excess water.  Reserve water.

Transfer beans to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher, adding reserved water, about 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency.

Transfer mashed beans to containers, allow to cool completely and freeze.  Or put in refrigerator until ready to make burritos.

Makes about 10 cups.

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Bean & Cheese Burritos

Ingredients

6 cups refried beans
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
12 8-inch tortillas

Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons shredded cheese in the center of a tortilla.

Spread 1/2 cup refried beans on top of cheese.

Fold in the top and bottom parts of the tortilla, then the sides, into a burrito shape.

Place face down on a tray or baking sheet.

Repeat until all 12 burritos are made, then freeze in a single layer.  When completely frozen, transfer to a zip top bag.

To reheat, microwave on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

Makes 12 burritos.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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