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When it comes to eating cheap, beans and rice are the obvious go to. Buying canned beans can be easy too, but the sodium in those is ridiculous! So what is the solution? Taking forever to boil beans to make a side from those dry things that come in the bag?
That may have been the answer before we got our Instant Pot. I cannot sing the praises of this electric pressure cooker enough! There are so many recipes you can simplify by using one of these! Though they seem like they can be pricey, they go on sale all the time and are TOTALLY worth it!
This week, we used ours to make some refried beans. We bought the dry beans in bulk and they were soooooo cheap! Those plus a few spices we had on hand and BAM!
My sister-in-law compared them to Taco Bell’s discontinued beans. We used them in a yummy Layered Chicken Enchilada Dip (recipe coming soon!) and the whole family loved them!
While soaking the beans before hand makes them cook up faster, it isn’t necessary.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of black beans
- 2/3 cup pinto beans
- 1/3 cup kidney beans
- 6 cups of water
- 4 TBS butter
- 1 TBS garlic powder
- 1 TBS onion powder
- 1 TBS sea salt
- 1 TBS lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix dry beans in a large bowl. Cover beans in water up to 2 inches above them. Soak overnight, or at least 12 hours*.
- Drain beans and place them in the electric pressure cooker. Add in 6 cups of clean water. Place lid on cooker, making sure vent is in sealed position. Cook on manual high pressure mode for 8 minutes*. Allow pressure to release manually.
- Drain excess liquid from beans. Using an immersion blender, begin breaking up the beans.
- Break butter into 8 1/2 tablespoon pieces. Add butter gradually, using the immersion blender to blend beans into a chunky texture. Add in garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and lemon juice. Blend until desired texture and spices are completely combined.
Notes
*If you don’t want to soak the beans overnight, cook them on high pressure for 35 minutes, allowing pressure to release naturally.
Serve this up with chips, or use it as a side for your next taco night! Or, use it like we did in a dip or casserole! (recipes coming soon!)
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