Frida Kahlo’s Refried Beans

Refried beans is one of the first dishes painter Frida Kahlo learned to make for her husband, the legendary Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, when she was a newlywed. Diego loved them sprinkled with cheese and served with crispy totopos, reports his daughter Guadalupe Rivera in her cookbook written with Marie-Pierre Colle, Frida’s Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo.

Who taught young Frida to cook? None other than the writer/model Lupe Marín, Diego’s second wife before he left her to marry Frida. Lupe, in addition to being a most understanding ex-wife, was a great cook and passed on her techniques and recipes to Frida and her daughter, Guadalupe. 

Let’s Cook Like Frida in Honor of Her Art

We are celebrating favorite traditional Mexican dishes loved by Frida like these refried beans in honor of her many exhibitions this year. One of the most famous and recognizable artists of all time, Frida Kahlo is extra everywhere right now. Thanks to a seven-city Immersive Frida Kahlo show, the Mexican painter’s work and larger-than-life vida are being celebrated in light, sound and immersive visuals in: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.immersive-frida.com.

And if you happen to live or be in the Chicago area, catch more Frida at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Home to one of the largest Mexican art collection in the United States, the museum is hosting two shows about the artista this year. The first is Surrounding Kahlo: Works from the Permanent Collection, March 5, 2022 to January 15, 2023. The second is Frida Kahlo, Her Photos, a powerful exhibition of her own photography, open April 1 through August 6, 2022. We plan to go to all three shows here at Familia Kitchen. And then come home and cook like her!

And now, to Frida’s famosos frijoles. May we suggest you serve them alongside this classic Mexican rice recipe submitted by one of our favorite Mexican abuela cooks, Gollita González?

Ready to Make the Refried Beans Frida Served Diego?

Frida Kahlo’s Refried Beans

Recipe by Guadalupe Rivera, Frida’s Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb lard (or cooking oil of your choice—see notes, below)

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 3 cups cooked pinto or other beans

• 1 cup cooking liquid from the beans

• salt, to taste

• grated añejo cheese (or parmesan), as garnish

• totopos (fried tortilla chips)

Directions

• Heat lard (or your cooking oil of choice) in a skillet.
• When it starts to smoke, add onion and sauté until golden.
• Add the beans and their cooking liquid.
• Mash beans to make a puree.
• Season with salt to taste.
• When the beans are well fried and pull away from the bottom of the pan when stirred, remove from heat.
• Place the fried beans on a serving platter.
• Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with totopos.

Notes

• Like many traditional Mexican recipes, this one calls for lard. If you prefer to substitute a more readily available or healthier alternative fat source, one option is using butter (just make sure it’s 100% butter). A good rule of thumb is to use 3 Tbsp of butter for 2 Tbsp of lard. You can also replace it with olive oil in a 1 to 1 ratio—we do.
• Fridas Fiestas suggests shaping these beans into a log when serving.