Slow Cooker Refried Beans

This is a great way to use/rotate your food storage. I typically make a big batch and freeze in 1-2 cup containers for future use.

Ingredients
1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
5 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
9 cups water

Directions

1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine,. Cook on high for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Do not let it run dry! Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking turn down the temperature.

2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with an immersion blender or some other device, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. I usually add all the reserved liquid. You want them pretty wet, especially if freezing for later use because they dry out easily when reheated.