Hatch Green Chile Refried Beans
Hatch green chile season is here(!) and these Hatch Green Chile Refried Beans are one of the easiest Mexican side dishes you can prepare and just what you need to complete your next meal from south of the border.
Southwestern Cuisine
New Mexico has some of the most delicious Southwestern cuisine. They are known for their enchiladas, tamales and huevos rancheros, just to name a few. But, we also have to thank them for hatch green chiles, which are grown in the Hatch Valley. If you’ve wondered what those long, pale green peppers are that show up in grocery stores every August to September, this is them!
Are hatch chiles hot?
Hatch green chiles (hatch chilis) range from mild to medium and the heat lives in the white vein inside, not the seeds. Another simple way I use them is to make a simple but flavorful New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe to top my tacos with.
Refried beans are one of the most notable and popular Mexican side dishes that are gluten-free and vegan. They are simple to make and taste best made with dried pinto beans. You can use canned if you’re pressed for time or cannot find the dried variety.
This is a healthier refried bean recipe as they are traditionally made with lard and most canned varieties contain lard as well. As a healthier alternative, of course, mine are made with light flavor cooking oil instead. Topping them with crumbled queso fresco cheese is the traditional way to serve them but you can omit if you want to keep them vegan.
Cooking dried beans
When it comes to cooking the beans, they do have to boil for 1-2 hours. The time does depend on the beans as sometimes they have cooked as fast as 1 hour for me. It is best to soak them in water for 6-8 hours before cooking, this helps to soften them. If you don’t have time to soak, just cook them longer until they are tender.
When it comes to timing, there’s no tried and true time as all beans are different. You’ll know when they’re done as you should be able to mash them easily, that is when you know they are ready.
As a side dish to tacos, tamales, or even my Mexican Style Hot Dogs or Southwest Sonoran Hot Dogs. With another classic side dish of Mexican Rice.
You can also serve this as a New Mexico hatch chile bean dip! Add some delicious toppings like chopped tomatoes, green onions, olives and hot sauce. Then grab some tortilla chips and dig in!
Hatch Green Chile Refried Beans
Pinto beans are cooked with onions and hatch green chiles for a delicious and easy Mexican side dish.
Ingredients
- To cook the beans:
- 1 pound (453 grams) dried pinto beans, cleaned and sorted
- ½ white onion
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- For the refried beans:
- 3 ½ cups 402 grams Hatch green chiles (3-4 large peppers) chopped and seeds removed
- 4 tablespoons light flavor oil of your choice * see note
- ¼ cup finely chopped white onion
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped Salt to taste
- Queso fresco cheese (optional)
Instructions
- To cook the beans (if using canned pinto beans, skip this step):
- Add the dried beans to a large bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak for 6-8 hours. After soaking, drain and discard the water. Add the beans to a large pan along with the 1/2 onion and 6 cloves of garlic. Cover the beans with water (about 6 inches above the beans). Do not add salt yet as this prevents the beans from cooking. Bring to a low boil, cover and cook for 1-2 hours (or more) until tender and a bean mashes easily between your fingers. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking water and discarding the onion and garlic.
- Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chiles and onion, cook until softened and you see some browning, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the beans and a little of the bean broth. Start mashing the beans using a potato masher. Continue to mash and as liquid as needed to make them as thick or as saucy as you like. Taste for saltiness and add salt to taste, if necessary.
Notes
Lard is traditional, but you can use any oil you like.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 320Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 19mgSodium 191mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 8gSugar 6gProtein 14g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
