I think every family has a handful of recipes that are aptly dubbed “weeknight meals.” They’re the dishes that can be thrown together in no time flat and magically satisfy everyone sitting at the table. Without fail, they appear on the menu at least every other week because they’re just that easy and just that good. Sometimes, if they’re lucky enough, they even get their own night-of-the-week designation (think “spaghetti night” or “meatloaf night”). I’m pretty sure that’s the sign that a quick-and-easy meal has truly arrived.
Growing up, my family had a few of these throw-them-together-in-a-flash kind of meals like spaghetti and tacos, but it wasn’t until somewhat recently that my mom started promoting the Super Burrito (yes, the capitalization is entirely necessary). Super Burritos are sort of like a homemade version of Chipotle deliciousness. Refried black beans, whole black beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream — basically anything and everything you can fit into one gigantic flour tortilla is fair game. Hence, the title Super. I think it’s mighty fitting.
But here’s the problem with Super Burritos; their size is super as well, which means that you better have a pretty big appetite to put away such a generous dish. Most of the time, this isn’t a problem. But sometimes, the little tummy that could just couldn’t. While trying to figure out a smaller meal that still packed all flavor powers of the Super Burrito, I came across an unbelievably simple taco recipe at This Week for Dinner. As it turned out, TWFD’s Easy Peasy Tacos had a lot in common with my mom’s beloved Super Burritos. And with a little tweaking of my own, they were exactly the meal I was looking for.
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Easy Bean and Cheese Tacos
Adapted from This Week for Dinner
• small flour tortillas
• cheddar, Colby and/or Monterey jack cheese, grated
• refried beans (refried black beans are a great option, too)
• taco toppings: tomatoes, olives, green onions, salsa, sour cream, etc.
Preheat oven’s broiler setting (on high). Lay tortillas on a large baking sheet, and sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of grated cheese on each.
Place baking sheet in the oven, and bake tortillas for 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
In the meantime, heat beans until they’re fully cooked. Spread a few tablespoons of beans on one side of each tortilla. Fill tacos with whatever other toppings you choose, fold in half, and enjoy!
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So there you have it! An easy peasy weeknight meal that Jared and I have been noshing a little more often than I care to admit. But they’re yummy to the extreme, so I suppose there’s no shame in that.
Are you planning a Mexican-inspired dish for Cinco de Mayo? Or maybe you have a favorite place in town where you go to celebrate? Let’s hear it!
XO,
Katrina
KT says
That looks delicious! I would never think to broil the cheese first–great idea 🙂 We have some tortillas laying around from last night’s fajitas and I will be trying this recipe out soon!
Katrina Tauchen says
Ooo, I looooove fajitas! That’s on my must-make-soon list for sure!
Kranbox says
Yum! This looks so easy and delicious! Definitely going to make this soon. The broiled cheese is the best! I have done the cheese thing before, but with bread.. I broil some Mozzarella cheese on sourdough bread, then fill the sandwich with veggies like tomatoes, onions, and spinach. mmm good 🙂
Katrina Tauchen says
That sandwich sounds delicious! I love meals like that — especially in the summer when I don’t want to stand around a stove all day. 🙂