How to Make an Easy Canned Refried Beans Recipe

Do you have a favorite Mexican restaurant dish, but want to make it at home?

Try this delicious cheater restaurant style dish!  This recipe begins with a can of easy refried beans!  “How to Make an Easy Canned Refried Beans Recipe”

Change up those boring tacos and burritos to a Taco Casserole!  This Taco Casserole is a layered taco or burrito without the taco shell or tortilla.

There are 8 layers in this casserole with the bottom layer beginning with refried beans. Then, you add sour cream, picante salsa, seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, green onions, black olives and tomatoes.

On top of this casserole I did sprinkle some broken tortilla chips. When I baked this casserole for dinner one night some of my kids crushed up more chips and added this casserole to the top of their chips.

Also, I had some of the family that spooned this casserole inside a tortilla. So, my Taco casserole was also ate as a burrito, which is great! How ever the kids want to eat it is great!

“How to Make an Easy Canned Refried Beans Recipe”

Taco Casserole Ingredients (scroll down for printable version)

Gather the following ingredients:

• can of refried beans
• sour cream
• picante salsa
• ground beef
• taco seasoning mix or make your own with simple ingredients of chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder and garlic powder
• shredded cheddar cheese
• chopped onions
• black olives
• tomatoes
• fresh cilantro
• crushed tortilla chips or homemade tortillas
• optional:  favorite hot sauce, 

Y’all may already know this, but I also create keto and low carb recipes. And, this recipe could very easily be a keto recipe. For this recipe to be keto the refried beans would have to be replaced, because beans are a high carb food. So, I would replace the refried beans with either sliced avocados or guacamole.

Of course, you could always just leave the refried beans out of the casserole. The tomatoes and onions on top have some carbs, so I would add those sparingly to lower the carb count.

“How to Make an Easy Canned Refried Beans Recipe”

How do I make a taco casserole?  (scroll down for printable recipe card)

1. Place a medium size skillet over medium heat.  Add a teaspoon of olive oil or vegetable oil to the skillet and add the ground beef to the pan.
2. Cook the ground beef or medium heat or medium-high heat and with a spatula crumble up the meat until it is brown.
3. Once the meat is brown add the taco seasoning and mix well (remember to drain excess grease off of the meat)
4. In a medium size baking dish (my pan is a 13×9, any size close) take a spatula and spread a can of refried beans or homemade refried beans into the bottom of the pan.
5. With a spatula spread the sour cream over the refried beans
6. With a spatula spread the salsa or picante sauce over the sour cream
7. Add the ground beef to the top of the sour cream
8. The last step before you place your casserole into the oven is to add the cheese, green onions, black olives, tomatoes and crushed tortilla chips to the top of the ground beef. These ingredients can be placed on top in any order and feel free to add extra. The pic below only shows the cheese and that is because I forgot to get the last pic before placing my casserole into the oven
9.  Place your taco casserole into the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes

If next time you decide to not use the canned stuff and want to make your own creamy refried beans you will need to prepare your beans the day or night before.  You will need the following ingredients and supplies from your local grocery store.  How to make a pot of pinto beans for the best refried beans?

• large pot or crockpot – I love the make my pinto beans in a crockpot over night.  The night before I will place all my ingredients into a slow cooker, turn on high and the beans will be done by the next morning.
• another option is to make your dry beans in a pressure cooker
• choose between potato masher, immersion blender or food processor to get a creamy consistency to your refried bean recipe
• ingredients:  dry pinto beans, salt, sugar, cups of water and most important is BACON FAT or BACON GREASE

HUGE TIP to making the best frijoles refritos!

***ADDING BACON GREASE, BACON FAT or what I call BACON DRIPPINGS!!

*Everyone time that I cook bacon I will pour the extra grease (once cooled) into a mason jar with a lid and place the jar into the refrigerator.   Then, when I cook a pot of pinto beans or green beans I will add some of the bacon grease to them.  

*Another tip is to add bacon grease to canned beans to give them some extra flavor.  Just add the can of refried beans to a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.  

Add about 1-2 teaspoons of bacon grease to your canned beans for a creamy texture and you will have the perfect side dish for your favorite Mexican recipes.

Tips!

• For a keto or low carb Taco Casserole you will need to replace the refried beans or leave them out of the recipe. A delicious replacement would be sliced avocados.
• The casserole can be eaten alone or the casserole can be added to a flour tortilla or spooned over crushed tortilla chips.
• Serve with a side of Spanish rice (Mexican rice) or pinto beans. I linked our “Super Easy 2 Ingredient Spanish Rice” recipe, my daughter , Kylee, created this easy recipe and it would be a delicious side dish for this taco casserole.
• To save time you can brown the ground beef ahead of time and then when you are ready for the meal you can assemble the casserole and bake.
• To lower the calories in this casserole you could replace the ground beef for 2 cans of white chicken breasts.
• A variety of cheeses can be used. Usually, I use whatever cheese that I have on hand, but a Pepper Jack cheese would taste good.
• Add different toppings, for example: jalapenos, different types of olives, sliced avocados, guacamole, pico de gallo, more sour cream…..

“How to Make an Easy Canned Refried Beans Recipe”

Refried Bean Q&A’s!

Can I make refried beans like the Mexican restaurants?  Yes!  The key ingredient to delicious refried beans is FAT!  Your favorite restaurant that serves Mexican food ADDS some kind of FAT to their beans.  For example:  bacon grease, bacon fat or butter.

Are refried beans only for Mexican dishes?  No, refried beans go with other foods like steak and chicken, however refried beans are eaten mostly with tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taco salads and Mexican rice.  

Can I eat refried beans the next day?  Yes, you will need to add any leftover can of beans to an airtight container.  Then place the container into the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.  

Do refried beans go in breakfast tacos?  Yes!  Besides the normal breakfast taco filling of eggs, meat and cheese, you can add refried beans, avocado and salsa.  

What is a great side dish to Mexican cuisine?   Refried beans, Mexican beans, tortilla chips, flour tortillas, corn tortillas, guacamole, avocado and salsa.

Is bean dip and canned refried beans the same?   No, refried beans are cooked, mashed and then cooked more with added fat and bean dip is cooked and then mashed (no more cooking)

What are creamy refried black beans?  A refried black beans recipe is almost the same as a refried bean recipe, but with a different type of bean.  The black beans are cooked, mashed and cooked again with added fat, like bacon grease or butter.

Are delicious refried beans a pantry staple?   Yes!  You need to always have a can of refried beans in your pantry.  Refried beans are a great side dish or they are a delicious filler for tacos and burritos.

What does a side of refried beans go with?  Any Mexican cuisine like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, Mexican rice, taco salad or even breakfast tacos.

Can I use canned pinto beans to make refried beans?  Yes, add your canned pinto beans to a medium saucepan, cook the beans, mash the beans then add a little bacon fat until you reach desired consistency and taste of the beans that you like.  

What can I add to cans of refried beans to make them restaurant quality?  BACON GREASE or BACON FAT!   This makes the difference.  You can always add garlic cloves, chicken broth, or squeeze of lime juice, but the best ingredient is the bacon fat.

How do I make Instant Pot refried beans?  An Instant Pot is always an easy way to make pinto beans.  Add beans, water or chicken broth, salt and any seasonings that you like then cook on high for 30 minutes.  

What gives cooked beans or canned version of refried pinto beans a smoky flavor?  Liquid smoke added to your pot of beans will give it a smoky flavor. 

How much liquid smoke to add to beans?  Liquid smoke goes a long ways, just a couple drops to your pot of beans is plenty.   

Are refried beans a main dish or side dish?  Both, you can have bean burritos which are refried beans and cheese rolled up in a flour tortillas (any other toppings that you would like). Plus, refried beans can be a side dish to any Mexican dish, like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taco salad and Mexican rice.

Try some of our other recipes!

• Super Easy 2 Ingredient Spanish Rice
• Ground Beef and Bean Enchiladas
• Easy Dorito Chicken Casserole
• Savory Brown Sugar Meatloaf
• Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Creamy Mozzarella & Tomato Pasta with Italian Chicken
• Ginger & Pineapple Chicken

“How to Make an Easy Canned Refried Beans Recipe”