Healthy Refried Beans and Tortillas – Cut the fat, not the flavour!
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These healthy refried beans are our take on the traditional Mexican dish, with a health-conscious twist!
Authentic refried beans consist of a bean paste which is then fried or baked. We have taken that simple principle and stripped everything down to create a recipe that is the healthiest and easiest version of the traditional dish.
A fun fact for you: the English word ‘refried’ is actually quite misleading, as the beans are not in fact fried twice!
The English language took the word ‘refried’ from the Spanish name for this dish, ‘frijoles refritos’. However, ‘Refritos’ in this case does not mean fried again, it means well fried.
Usually, Mexican refried beans are served as a side dish or included in tortillas and enchiladas. In Tex-mex cuisine, they are also eaten as a dip with tortilla chips!
Simple but effective: making healthy refried beans at home
If you’ve tried this dish before, it has probably been from out of a can – now we can show you how to make refried black beans from scratch, a much healthier and cheaper option!
It’s a pretty simple method: all you have to do is blend up your black beans, fry some garlic in a frying pan, then add the black bean paste!
Then comes the fun part – toppings. Although refried black beans make a great side dish, we think that, with a bit of jazzing up, they can be incorporated into a main meal.
That’s why we suggest eating them with corn tortillas, avocado, onion, red pepper and low fat sour cream. A sort of DIY lunch, full of veggies and goodness.
You could also serve them with the delicious radish pickle we usually serve alongside our huevos rancheros recipe.
To make the pickle, mix 3 tbsp white vinegar, ¼ cup water, 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp salt with 2 sliced radishes, then leave it in the fridge until everything else is ready.
And there you have it: easy refried beans with all the trimmings!
You could also enjoy them alongside these vegetarian tacos, or with any one of these vegetarian Mexican recipes!
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What the HEALTH makes these beans so healthy?
The reason we can claim that this is a healthy refried beans recipe is because we have made sure to minimise the amount of salt and fat it contains and suggest only healthy toppings to serve it with, such as veggies and low fat sour cream.
Furthermore, we have chosen to use just 1 tbsp of olive oil, a healthy unsaturated fat, instead of lard, which is traditionally used!
However, refried beans are already fundamentally a pretty healthy dish, thanks to their staple ingredient : beans!
Reaping the bean-ifits!
We make our refried beans from canned black beans, but you can use any kind of bean – they all have a similar nutritional profile and flavour. Traditionally, pinto beans are used, but we opted for black beans for their dark colour and sweet, nutty flavour.
But what’s so healthy about beans anyway?
Beans are an excellent source of protein and fibre for vegetarians, alongside many other benefits. One ½ cup serving of black beans contains 8g protein, 7g fibre and 0g fat!
Protein is important for maintaining muscle mass, along with plenty of other functions in your body. As a minimum, it is recommended that you consume around 0.36g protein per pound of body weight daily. Overall, this means a minimum recommended daily intake of around 48g of protein a day for women and 56g of protein a day for men.
One serving of our healthy refried beans contains 18g protein, a good chunk of your daily intake!
Fibre is important because it helps us feel fuller and aids digestion. A high fibre diet is also associated with lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. It is recommended that you consume around 30g fibre per day.
This dish contains 14g fibre per serving – perfect!
Wondering about weight loss?
If you’re looking to lose weight as a vegetarian, bean-based dishes are a good place to start.
The high protein and fibre content we have already mentioned are part of the reason that our healthy refried beans could be a good dish to incorporate into your weight loss meal plan.
Both protein and fibre are vital for keeping you feeling full and healthy.
Therefore, eating meals that are high in both these things is the perfect way to ensure that you stay full for as long as possible, reducing the need to snack between meals on empty calories.
If you’re interested in learning more about weight loss as a vegetarian, check out our weight loss e-book, which contains everything you need to know!
Well, now you know how and WHY to make healthy refried beans, all that is left to do is try out what we think is the very best refried bean recipe for health conscious vegetarians! Right this way:
Ingredients
Beans
- 1.5 cup black beans (~1 can, 15oz/425g)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- 1 oz cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1 chili pepper (sliced)
- ½ small red onion (sliced)
- ½ red bell pepper (sliced)
- 2 radishes (sliced)
- 2 sprigs cilantro/coriander, fresh
- 4 tbsp low fat Greek Yogurt (or Skyr)
- 4 corn tortillas (small)
- Chipotle or Tabasco sauce (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- Process the beans in the food processor until they are a homogenous bean paste. This will require some water so that it becomes smooth and creamy. Add small amounts bit by bit.1.5 cup black beans
- In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the minced garlic cloves and cook until the edges are golden brown. Add the black bean paste and spread over the garlic and oil base.1 tbsp olive oil, 3 cloves garlic
- Fry the bean paste without moving it for about two minutes. Add the salt and black pepper to taste and mix the refried beans until you have a creamy bean puree that doesn’t stick to the sides or bottom of the pan, if needed add a little water to make it extra smooth.Salt and pepper to taste
- Heat the tortillas according to package instructions. Serve the refried beans with warm tortillas, chili pepper, cheese, red onion, bell pepper, radishes, cilantro leaves, low fat greek yogurt, and chipotle or tabasco sauce (optionally).1 oz cheddar cheese, ½ small red onion, ½ red bell pepper, 2 radishes, 2 sprigs cilantro/coriander, fresh, 4 tbsp low fat Greek Yogurt, 4 corn tortillas, Chipotle or Tabasco sauce, 1 chili pepper
NOTES
- Tips: You can use up lots of leftovers with the Refried Beans.
- Make-ahead? Yes, works nicely. You’d have to add some water to the refried beans, when reheating.
- Freezable? Refried Beans can be frozen.
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 radishes, sliced
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