Homemade Healthy Refried Beans

I've made this recipe a number of times for my family, they really like it.  I usually make a double batch and freeze the rest for later use. I'm not sure where I got the recipe but I've had it for years.

Refried Beans

1 onion, peeled and halved

3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
9 cups boiling water

Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, 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. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature on the slow cooker is too high.


Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.