Mains · By James
Black Bean Refritos — Veggie Taco/Enchilada Filling, or Dip
I've always loved black-bean refritos — maybe the only one in the family until Megha arrived. After having enjoyed the basic version of them for years in Mexican resorts, it was time to begin playing around with how to make them more flavorful, and improve the somewhat pasty texture, with a more moist and chunky textural appeal. Clearly there were many working to make refried beans more widely appealing, because two years ago (2023) I saw the La Costena black bean refritos in our San Jose del Cabo La Comer grocery store with added onion and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. During our 2024 family holiday in Mexico, Megha and I were the only ones dipping into the refritos one evening (made using this basic recipe), until our evident enjoyment brought others into the mix — it became the dip and taco filling of choice! They're also an excellent enchilada filling! At our recent Mexican cooking night with library staff, one of the staff was vegetarian and I suggested she make her enchiladas with a refried bean filling instead of a chicken substitute like shredded tofu. She was thrilled that refried beans could be made into something so texturally appealing, with vibrant flavor, vowing that these were the best veggie enchiladas!
Ingredients
- 1 can of black-bean refritos, 546 ml — La Costena are a good Mexican brand
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4–5 cloves garlic
- 3–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp Jugo Mexican sauce (made by Maggi)
- 15 cherry tomatoes, diced or sliced
- 1 big serrano chile or jalapeno chile, finely diced
- 2 chipotle peppers with some of their adobo sauce, finely chopped
- ½ cup tomato salsa (SuperStore black-label salsas are great for not having tomato paste added, so they are a natural thin consistency, perfect for thinning out the thick bean paste)
- ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- Very finely diced white onion — garnish
- ½ lime — juiced
Method
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan and sauté the onion and garlic.
- 2
Add the cumin and Jugo sauce, stir fry a minute, and add the diced cherry tomatoes, frying for several minutes.
- 3
Add the diced serrano and the chipotles with their sauce, and fry for a minute.
- 4
Add the tomato salsa, and the can of refritos, mixing it all in and heating through. Simmer for a few minutes to blend flavors.
- 5
Add the cilantro leaves, mix in, and sprinkle the finely diced onion on top. The onion should be very finely diced — wonderful edge and texture for the refritos.
- 6
Just before serving squeeze the lime juice all over the top of the diced onion.
- 7
Serve as a tortilla chip dip, a taco filling, or as an enchilada filling.
A note from James
Drink/wine pairing: Cerveza.
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