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Marvelous Molletes

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Simple, but satisfying – that’s exactly how I would describe these delicious little morsels. I had no idea what molletes even were until about six months ago, but once I discovered them, I knew that I’d found a new favorite. If you also have no idea what a mollete is, I’ll help you out – it’s a type of Mexican open-faced sandwich featuring refried beans and cheese. In other words, it’s majorly yummy.

In other good news, making molletes doesn’t require any type of culinary expertise – if you can follow a recipe and have a working knowledge of what to do with a skillet on a stove, you’re in business. Sounds good so far, right?

All we need is a can of refried beans, an onion, a couple cloves of garlic, a few slices of bread and some cheese. Then, if we really want to get fancy with a topping (yes please!), we’ll also need some chiles, some cilantro, and a jar of roasted red peppers.

Here’s how we make this happen: first, we’ll finely dice the garlic and the onion. Heat some olive oil in a pan and sautee the garlic and onion for a few minutes, until the onion is softened. Then add the beans, stir ’em around, and season with salt and pepper. Let everything cook together for a few minutes, and then remove from heat.

Meanwhile, you’ll want to get your bread nice and toasty and crusty. Once the beans and the bread are ready, spoon the bean mixture onto the toast. (Make it a nice, generous scoop!) Top them all with cheese and pop them in the oven for about 7 minutes, until the cheese is nice and melty.

Then, for the piece de la resistance, spoon your lovely, colorful red pepper, chile and cilantro concoction over the top of each mollete. And there you have it – a simple, delicious meal you’ll want to make again and again. Enjoy!

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Marvelous Molletes

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bread
  • 1 can refried beans
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 chiles
  • 1 jar roasted red peppers
  • cilantro
  • pepperjack cheese
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Finely dice the garlic and onion (or, if you prefer larger pieces, you can do that too. But either way, chop ’em up.) 

  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Saute until the onion is softened, about 5-7 minutes.

  3. Reduce the heat a touch and add the refried beans to the pan. Sprinkle in a little more salt and pepper and stir to combine. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for about three minutes.

  4. Meanwhile, finely dice whatever chiles you’re using (dealer’s choice, depending on how spicy you like your food). Drain the red peppers and rinse them, then dice those up too. 

  5. In a small pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chiles and the the diced red peppers and saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

  6. While the beans and the peppers are cooking, toast the bread. 

Assembly

  1. Once the bread is toasted, the beans are cooked, and the red peppers and chiles are nicely sauteed, we’re ready to get going with assembly.

  2. First, preheat the oven to 350.

  3. Then put a generous scoop (or two) of the bean mixture on each slice of toasted bread. Spread it out enough so that there are beans all the way to the edge of each slice.

  4. Next, sprinkle some pepperjack cheese over the top (if you have slices instead of grated, just tear up the slices and use them that way). 

  5. Pop them all in the oven and let them get nice and toasty. Once the cheese is melted, take them out. (They’ll only need to be in there for about 5-7 minutes).

  6. Once they’re out of the oven, top them with the chile/red pepper mixture and some torn cilantro. 

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