Black beans are delicious prepared with lots of garlic. This is a great accompaniment to vegan quesadillas or soft tacos that don’t themselves contain beans; it’s also a fantastic filling for soft tacos. These also go nicely with most kinds of simple meals that needs a little protein boost.
Serves: 6
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
- Two 16-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed,
or 3 to 4 cups cooked black beans (from about 1 2/3 cups raw) - Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon or lime, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 to 2 small fresh hot chile pepper, seeded and minced, or 1 medium milder chile
(like poblano) or dried hot red pepper flakes to taste (see note) - 2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley, or more, to taste
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and sauté until over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until both are golden.
Add the beans, 1/2 cup of their cooking liquid or water, and lemon or lime juice. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer.
Mash some of the beans in the skillet with a potato masher until there’s a nice thick base. Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro. Simmer gently for 5 to minutes longer. Stir in the cilantro, and serve.
Note: For hot chilies, choose jalpeño or serrano; poblano is a perfect mild chili. Or, you can use a 4-ounce can mild chopped green chilies.
Varation: Add a medium bell pepper (any color), finely diced, after the onion becomes translucent
- Here are more easy bean main dishes.
4 Comments
Glenda
December 8, 2013 at 1:34 amTried this recipe. Very nice indeed..
Nava
December 8, 2013 at 4:12 pmGlad you enjoyed this, Glenda. I’m going to make this again very soon myself — it’s great in soft tacos.
Sally
December 9, 2013 at 12:20 pmtrying this tonight, I’m excited! Wanted to tell you website looks FANTASTIC.
Nava
December 10, 2013 at 8:56 pmThank you, Sally! Hope you enjoyed this.