Refried Beans in a Crock Pot

I have a 6 quart (oval) Crock Pot. I am not sure how to make them in another size Crock Pot...so if you have something smaller (or bigger) you may need to do some adjusting.

3 bags/boxes (16 oz. each) refried beans - I use 2 pinto and 1 black, but you can use any combination you want as long as it comes out to the same total amount
1-2 sticks butter, unsalted
4 tbsp (1/4 cup) ground cumin - I buy it at Trader Joe's or Cost Plus/World Market...they have the best prices I've found on bottled spices. If I don't feel like measuring I use an entire bottle of ground cumin from one of those places...it's just a bit more than 1/4 cup
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt (or more - to taste)
4 tbsp (1/4 cup) parmesan cheese
2 tbsp lime juice

Add rinsed, dried beans to Crock Pot.
Add water to approximately 1" below the Crock Pot line (Crock Pot line = where the lid rests).
Cook on high for 5-6 hours, until they are as tender as canned beans.

{If you want a canned bean substitute, just bag and freeze the beans at this point. You can freeze them in their liquid or just as drained beans. Thaw in the fridge before use.}

Add 2 sticks of butter. (You can use only 1 stick if you like...but the more butter, the better, in my opinion!)

After the beans are cooked you may need to remove some liquid. Since I use an immersion blender the beans get thicker easier than hand mashing, so I keep all the water. I am not sure how it would go with hand mashing...you may want to remove and reserve a lot of liquid and add some back as you need it.
Stir in spices (cumin, salt, parmesan cheese, and lime juice).

Enjoy!

{You can easily freeze any refried beans that you'd like to save for later.}