Recipe Background
Molletes are Spanish, open-faced bean and cheese sandwiches that are very popular in Mexican cuisine and are actually very easy to make yourself. A savory bean purée and a melty cheese topping, are accented with fresh, homemade pico de gallo for extra vibrancy, all of which is served on crispy toast. Molletes might become a new lunchtime favorite!
Molletes are Spanish, open-faced bean and cheese sandwiches that are very popular in Mexican cuisine and are actually very easy to make yourself. A savory bean purée and a melty cheese topping, are accented with fresh, homemade pico de gallo for extra vibrancy, all of which is served on crispy toast. Molletes might become a new lunchtime favorite!
Ingredients
For the black bean purée:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 onion roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 chipotles in adobo plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup water or stock of your choice
For the pico de gallo:
- 2 plum tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño seeded and deveined, chopped
- 15-20 sprigs cilantro chopped
- juice of 1/2 lime
- salt to taste
For the sandwiches:
- 3-4 bread rolls
- butter optional, to taste
- 1-2 cups cheese such as cheddar, shredded
Directions
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
- Add 1/2 of the onion and the garlic and sauté until the onion is tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the black beans, the chipotles, the adobo sauce, the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the freshly ground pepper, and the water and simmer until heated through, about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour the bean mixture into a blender or food processor and process until well-combined.
- Taste for seasoning and add more of the salt as needed.
- Add the tomatoes, the remaining onion, the jalapeño, and the cilantro to a mixing bowl.
- Add the lime juice and the salt, to taste, to the tomato mixture and mix to combine.
- Taste the tomato mixture for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the bread rolls in half.
- Toast the rolls in the oven until crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the butter to each roll.
- Top each roll with the bean purée and the shredded cheese.
- Bake the rolls again until the cheese is thoroughly melted, about 3-5 minutes.
- Top with the pico de gallo and serve immediately!
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