Slow-Cooked Black Beans & Poblano Pepper Baked Taquitos (v, gf)

Slow-Cooked Black Beans & Poblano Pepper Baked Taquitos (v, gf)

I know a recipe is good with these three things come out of AJ’s mouth one after another:

1. “Hey, this is really good, hon!”

2. “Yeah, you can make these whenever you want.”

3. “Man, these are really good! Are there any more?”

#Win.

If there is one thing you should know about me, it is that I love beans. I could eat them for every meal for about a month before I got sick of them. That becomes about two months if they are of the refried variety. I.LOVE.BEANS. But for some reason I don’t make them at home all that often. But after this, that is going to change. Because I learned today that making beans at home is: 1) infinitely more satisfying; 2) tastier than any canned beans; and 3) SO EASY! All you do is throw them in a slow cooker with some spices, set it on low, and let ’em cook all day. Donezo.

The kicker with this recipe is that you take your home-cooked beans and mash them up and turn them into quick refried beans. Double the tasty! And then you roll them up with some charred poblano poblano peppers and cook ’em in the oven til they’re nice & crispy and then do a little happy dance because these things are good. So good, I’m allowed to make them every day, according to AJ.

If you want to be lazy (like I am most of the time) and just use canned beans, that’s totally fine! You can mash them and re-fry them yourself, or just buy refried black beans from the store. Simple. BUT! If you’re feeling remotely motivated, make the beans yourself.

I found out when I made these that taquitos are actually a real thing in Mexico. I feel like a lot of the things that we think of as Mexican food actually have no roots in Mexico… like burritos and chips, for instance. If you ever wonder what people really eat in Mexico, the answer is tortillas. All day, every day, with every meal and probably when they sleep – tortillas. They’re kind of like wheat here – abundantly everywhere and in everything. I think I want to move to Mexico, because my love for tortillas almost surpasses my love for beans. Almost.

And when you combine both tortillas and beans and package them up into cute little rolls of deliciousness? Heyyyoo. Dinner. Win. Serve these with some salsa and sour cream on top and you’ll be in heaven. Another benefit? If you cook the beans while you’re away at work, they’ll be ready to go when you get home. The taquitos only take a few minutes to throw together, and they bake for 20-25 minutes. So that makes this an awesome weeknight meal! Does it get any better?

Slow-Cooked Black Beans and Poblano Taquitos

An easy recipe for baked taquitos with homemade slow-cooked black beans and charred poblano peppers.
  • Author: Raquel
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 6 hours 25 mins
  • Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes
  • Yield: 8 large taquitos

ingredients

for the slow- cooked black beans:

  • 1/2 lb (about 1 heaping cup) dry black beans, rinsed
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 – 1 1/2 tsp salt

for the taquitos:

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 3 small (2 medium) poblano peppers
  • 2 Tbsp-ish canola oil
  • sour cream, vegan or otherwise, optional
  • salsa, for serving, optional

instructions

for the slow-cooked black beans:

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the beans except the salt and cook on low for 6 hours. When done, the beans should be nice and tender, and the skins should peel back a bit when you blow on them.
  2. Turn the slow-cooker off and stir in the salt – 1 tsp if you just want to eat the beans, 1 1/2 if you are planning on making the taquitos. Let the beans sit and soak in the salt for 30 minutes.

for the taquitos:

  1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
  2. Measure out 2 cups of drained black beans. Place in a medium skillet and mash with a potato masher until only some small chunks remain.
  3. Push the beans to the side of the pan and add the 2 Tbsp olive oil to the center. Turn the heat to medium and let the oil warm up (just about 30 seconds or so). When the oil is hot, begin to stir the beans into the oil until it is all homogeneous. The beans should get nice & creamy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  4. Remove the tops and seeds of the poblano peppers (wear gloves if you are sensitive to the heat!). Cut them in half, then slice into about 1 cm wide strips.
  5. In another pan, heat a bit of olive oil and toss in the poblanos. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until they begin to blister and blacken.
  6. Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat. Add the tortillas one at a time and cook, flipping once, until hot & pliable. Remove the tortilla to a plate and spread with about 2 Tbsp of the beans, top with a small handful of the peppers, and roll it up. Set it on a greased baking sheet and brush with a bit of the canola oil.
  7. Repeat for all the tortillas, placing them an inch or so apart on the baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are nice and golden on the edges. Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired. Enjoy!