Sunray Refried Bean Dip

by Christa Upton
(South Dakota)

Recipe 13 in the Solar Hot Pot

Sunray Re-fried Bean Dip

This one’s only about 2 or 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, and it’s easy and such a hearty, savory dip! Would work great for an appetizer for your next patio party, or as a fun lunch for the kids!

3:00 pm—1 T. butter: put in Hot Pot, cover, set up facing the sun, set timer for 30 minutes.

Then prep:

1/2 onion (chop finely)
1/2 sweet pepper (chop) (our sweet pepper was orange, but you can use green, red, or whatever you have)
1/2 small hot pepper if you want it hot! (chop finely; leave ribs and seeds in if you want it even HOTTER!)
1 clove garlic (smash and finely chop)
1 T. cumin (sprinkle on veggies)
1 t. paprika (sprinkle on veggies)
1/4 t. cayenne (optional) (another way to get it hot if you don’t have fresh hot peppers) (sprinkle on veggies)
salt (and pepper) to taste (sprinkle on veggies)


3:30 pm—veggies and seasonings: add, stir into butter, cover, set timer for 30 minutes.

We got a little SIZZLE when the veggies went in! (smile) And the butter didn’t even really take 30 minutes to melt.

30 minutes later...oh, my, the veggies and spices smell GOOD already!

4:00 pm—2 cans (32 oz. total) refried beans: stir quickly into butter and veggies, cover, adjust to sun, set timer for one hour.

Prep toppings, your choice of:

green onions (slice)
red onions (chop or grate)
tomatoes (chop)
black olives (slice)
avocados (slice or chop, toss with lemon juice to keep from browning)
baby corn (roughly chop)
cheese (any kind, grated or crumbled)
sour cream (to ‘dot’ on top of dip)

Prepare dippers, your choice of:

tortilla chips
baked pita bread triangles
pretzels
carrot sticks
celery sticks
flat bread (made in your Hot Pot earlier in the day! smile)

5:00 pm—if not hot enough, keep checking every 15 minutes or so. Around 5:30, you are hitting the 2 hour mark for the veggies. Be aware of food safety—either eat (this is probably pretty good ‘luke-warm’!) or check temperature for food safety. Ours was perfect—wonderfully warmed—about 5:30. (Probably wouldn’t even take that long if the sun is higher in the sky—if you make this earlier in the day!)

Stir thoroughly, sprinkle with toppings, and eat with dippers!