Refried beans are my love language. I don’t know when in my life I started loving them the way that I do, but I have an unhealthy weakness for refried beans. Almost 20 years ago I spent some time in South America, namely Guatemala, and lived with a host family in a little town called Antigua, for the purpose of learning Spanish. (Turned out my “mom” wanted to learn English too, so we mostly ended up speaking English!) Every single meal was served with refried beans and a crema that I have never been able to find in Canada. Every. Single. Meal. I think I felt indifferent to them at that time. I didn’t love them, but I certainly didn’t hate them. I did find it strange that the same pot of beans sat on the counter for more than a week unrefrigerated (next to the raw chicken hanging from the window sill for more than what AHS would deem appropriate…) but my personality allows me to accept things without putting too much thought into the consequences. And that’s the way they do things there.

Fast forward til now, and I have taken countless trips to Mexico, visited different cities, and gone to Authentic Mexican restaurants all over North America. Because I know I can’t get them right from scratch at home, and canned refried beans are a little unappetizing, I order refried beans with my food every opportunity I get. And I have tried to make them! I don’t know if I’m not patient enough for them, but I just can’t.

Well guys! Thanks to my beautiful sister and her knowledge of the Instant Pot, here is the easiest way to make the BEST refried beans from scratch. I’m not even attempting to use descriptive words to entice you. You gotta just make ‘em. BUT - I am not stopping there! In an attempt to make the the longest blog post known to man, I will also give you our favourite Mexican rice recipe (with pictures obviously) and THEN a quick little write up on making Chicken Burritos that are freezer friendly. Lori and I preach how amazing freezer meals are so try it for yourself! Make these, freeze them, and now you’ve got yourself a filling, easy supper that’s ready when you are. Best part? You can do each step in the instant pot! Okay, without further ado…

Instant Pot Refried Beans

1 lb dry pinto beans

2 cups water

2 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 onion, large dice

1 jalapeno, seeds removed

Put all ingredients in instant pot, and set on high pressure for 35 minutes. Natural release and let cool for 15 minutes in pot. Dump into a blender or food processor and blend until desired consistency. Dare you not to stick your finger in for a taste!

You can stop there and just eat your beans with tortilla chips OR you can carry on and put together some FABULOUS chicken burritos for now or for the freezer. After washing your instant pot insert, we are on to the next step: Mexican Spicy Rice. You can certainly make this as mild or as spicy as you want by adjusting the spices. But here’s what we do:

Mexican Rice

1 cup brown rice

1.5 cups water

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp garlic powder

1⁄2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

Place spices and water in instant pot with water. Rinse rice and mix in with spices. Set IP on high pressure for 20 minutes. QR and voila!!

And finally, the last thing you need for your burritos: chicken. You can use leftover chicken from supper last night, a deli chicken, OR you can put fresh or frozen chicken in your instant pot. Here’s how:

Place 1 cup of water in bottom of Instant Pot. Add trivet and place chicken breasts in a single layer. season with taco seasoning or your own blend of spices. Close lid and seal. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes and let pressure natural release for 12-15 minutes. Remove with tongs and shred. TIP: If you’ve never shred chicken with your stand up mixer, you’ve got to try! I find that it works the best when your chicken is hot. Using the regular paddle from your mixer (the one you use for cookies) mix your hot chicken on the slowest setting. It shreds like a dream! Or you could spend half hour shredding it with two forks - up to you.

Assemble your burritos! Place about 2 tbsp of rice, 2 tbsp of refried beans, and 3 tbsp shredded chicken on each tortilla. Add some shredded cheese if you like. You can get creative here if that’s who you are! Change up the cheese, try white rice, use black beans instead of (or in addition to) the refried, get crazy and add salsa! (Salsa will freeze well here, just not fresh tomatoes). Pull in each end of the burrito and roll up into a burrito. This recipe made my family 18 burritos which I froze for another day - probably one full of hours at the hockey rink!

This is where you decide if your family wants to eat them now, or save them for later. I, personally, like to wrap mine in foil so that you can take out just a couple at a time. If you put them loose in a freezer bag or pan, they may freeze together and make life a little difficult.

To cook from thawed: bake at 350 for 15 minutes. To cook from frozen: bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes.

These can also be reheated in the microwave (please unwrap first! and wrap in a paper towel) or put in the frying pan (also unwrapped).

If you’ve read this far, you’re obviously committed, so here’s a simple printable of all the recipes .

I do hope that you give this a shot! And then give us some feedback! You’re not going to be disappointed. If you need help with your instant pot, send us a message on any social media platform or by emailing us at hello@ supperstudio.ca

Gimme ALL the Mexican...