These Mexican black beans are the perfect side dish or main ingredient for tacos, enchiladas, or any Mexican inspired meal. They’re a low fuss recipe that’s quick and easy to assemble. You’ll love how flavorful and delicious they are!
Mexican Black Beans
This Mexican black bean recipe is one I make all the time. This recipe transforms plain black beans into a deliciously, saucy, flavorful dish. All you need are simple spices and staple pantry ingredients. The best part is it comes together in one skillet pan in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients For Mexican Black Beans
You only need a few basic ingredients and spices to make these delicious Mexican black beans:
- Black beans- We’re using canned beans instead of dried ones for quicker preparation.
- Aromatics- I use garlic and onion
- Tomato paste- to add depth to the flavor
- Spices- add warmth and spice to the dish by using chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and onion powder
- Chicken or vegetable broth- cooking the beans in broth adds more flavor than simply cooking with water.
- Cotija cheese- this Mexican cheese is a delicious garnish.
- Cilantro- used as a garnish
Are Black Beans Healthy?
Yes, they are very good for you! Not only are black beans a nutritional powerhouse, they’re also a budget friendly plant-based protein. Black beans contain about 7 grams of protein per half a cup serving.
While black beans are high in carbohydrates, they’re in the form of fiber and resistant starch, which provide numerous health benefits. Black beans contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, which is great for reducing cholesterol, supporting gut health, and keeping the digestive tract regulated. Resistance starch doesn’t get broken down in the small intestine and helps to regulate blood sugar, feeds our healthy gut bacteria, increases fullness, and helps reduce cholesterol.
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More Health Benefits
Black beans also contain high amounts of iron, magnesium, folate, phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. They are also rich in antioxidants which help reduce inflammation, fight harmful bacteria, and reduce your risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer.
For all these reasons, black beans should be a part of both vegetarian and meat-eaters diets in order to obtain all the amazing health benefits.
Serving Suggestions
These black beans can be served as a side dish or use them as an ingredient in so many recipes. Here are some serving suggestions:
- Serve them on their own or with tortilla chips
- Use as filling for black bean tacos or burritos
- Top nachos with the black beans
- Use them in a rice and bean burrito bowl
- Heat with cheese and salsa for a dip
- Toss them over a bed of lettuce for a taco salad
Variations And Substitutions
- Squeeze lime juice in the beans before serving
- Turn up the heat- add a jalapeño, chipotle in adobo, or your favorite chili sauce. In addition, you can simply add more chili powder
- You could make these with dried black beans, but they’d need to be fully cooked before starting this recipe
- Substitute the cotija cheese with queso fresco or feta cheese
- Taco seasoning can replace the seasonings in this recipe. I would start with 1-2 Tablespoons and adjust by taste to your liking.
More Mexican Food Recipes To Love
- Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos
- Black Bean Dip
Mexican Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- ¼ medium Onion diced small
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 (15.5) oz cans black beans drained rinsed
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh cilantro chopped
- 2-3 Tablespoons Cotija cheese crumbled, to garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and stir 1 minute.
- Add the drained black beans and tomato paste and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add all the spices (chili powder to black pepper) to the pan and then 1 cup of the broth and stir well. Bring to a low simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes to allow the bean sauce to thicken.
- Add an additional ½ cup broth and simmer for another 7-9 minutes until liquid is mostly absorbed leaving creamy and thick black beans.
- Continue to cook, adding more liquid to thin the sauce or cooking longer to thicken the sauce. Once it is to your preferred consistency, remove from heat and garnish with cilantro and cotija cheese.
Nutrition Facts
193 Calories, 4 gram fat, 13 gram protein, 37 gram total carbohydrate, 15 grams of fiber, 1 gram sugar, 640 mg sodium Notes
The bean sauce thickens as the beans cook and creates a creamy, flavorful base for this black bean side dish. As they cook add more liquid to thin the sauce or simmer longer to thicken the sauce until it’s to your liking. I prefer the sauce to be on the thicker side, coating the beans nicely. Substitute queso fresco or feta cheese for the cotija cheese. To make this dish vegetarian use vegetable broth. To make it vegan, use vegetable broth and omit the cheese or use vegan cheese substitute. Turn up the heat- add a jalapeño, chipotle in adobo, or your favorite chili sauce. In addition, you can simply add more chili powder You could make these with dried black beans, but they’d need to be fully cooked before starting this recipe
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