Two ways to make refried beans

Why use canned refried beans? Here's two ways to make them yourself:

You start with dried pinto beans. Cook them overnight in a crock pot.

From here, the simple, healthy way is to just mash them up. That's what I do.

Or the slightly more complicated, unhealthy way is to fry them up in lard, in a cast iron skillet. Crisco will NOT do; It's got to be lard.

Butter might also work, but I haven't tried it.

You could cook down chopped onions and minced garlic before adding the beans. Add chicken broth or bean juice to thin if necessary.

See my recipe for bean dip.