These Crispy Cheese Bean Tacos with a Creamy Cilantro sauce are a must-try vegetarian taco recipe. The tacos have delicious mixed refried beans filling with cotija cheese and then cooked on a griddle with melted cheese and serranos. The melted cheese crisps up and forms a crust on the tacos giving it a delicious bite and cheese pull. All of this is served with a creamy cilantro sauce. Everything together these tacos are soo tasty and full of flavor. They have so many textures making everything so delicious. Add this to your list of recipes to make for Taco Tuesday and you can meal prep it.

Happy Cooking!

Servings: 13-15 tacos

Prep Time: 10-15 mins

Cooking Time: 30-40 mins

Total Time: 45-60 mins

Ingredients: 

Creamy Cilantro Sauce:

• 2.5 tbsp Cilantro chutney

• 1/2 cup hung yogurt or greek yogurt

• 1 tbsp sour cream

• 2.5 tsp Pineapple habanero sauce or a tangy hot sauce of your choice

Mixed Beans:

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

• 15.5 oz canned black beans; check notes for dried beans

• 1.5 oz canned dark kidney beans; check notes for dried beans

• 3-4 scallions, both whites & greens chopped

• 1 tbsp garlic paste 

• 1.5 tsp ginger paste

• 1/2-1 tsp Salt as per taste

• 1/4 tsp Pepper

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp chili flakes

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1.5 tbsp tangy hot sauce of your choice

Assembly:

• 1.5 cups shredded cheddar or Colby jack Cheese

• 3/4-1 cup crumbled cotija cheese

• 2-3 Serranos or jalapenos cut into thin slices

• 13-15 small street-style corn Tacos 

Directions: 

1. Creamy Cilantro Sauce: In a bowl add yogurt, sour cream, cilantro chutney and hot sauce. Mix it and keep it aside.

2. Mixed beans: Open the bean cans and do not drain all the liquid. Keep about half of the liquid.

3. In a pan add olive oil and when warm, add the beans.

4. Mix it together and let it come to a slow simmer.

5. Add garlic paste, ginger paste, and scallions & spices- salt, pepper, cumin powder, paprika, turmeric, and red chili flakes and mix.

6. Cook it for 6-10 mins. Start mashing the beans as you cook. Mash about half of them.

7. Add hot sauce and mix. Keep cooking it while mashing some of it as you go. Cook for about 3-4 mins.

8. Cook it as it thickens. If you like it thicker you can mash more beans. You want it thick as it is a filling.

9. Once it comes together to the consistency you like, let it cool for at least 20 mins.

10. Assemble: Slightly warm the corn tortillas so they fold easily.

11. Spread a good amount of beans in half the tortilla and top it with crumbled cotija cheese. Do not fold it yet.

12. Put a cast iron griddle or non-stick griddle on low-medium heat till it warms up.

13. Place the sliced serranos in groups of 2-3 on the griddle. Place them far apart so that each group can fit under one tortilla.

14. Place some of the shredded cheese over the serranos to that it could cover most of the tortilla.

15. As the cheese starts melting place the tortilla over it with the beans facing up.

16. When the cheese starts browning, fold it close. Flip it over till both sides are crispy.

17. Serve with the prepared creamy cilantro sauce and hot sauce of your choice.

Notes/ Tips:

• Make sure to smash some beans down as you cook.

• Keep half of the liquid of the canned beans, it adds flavor to it.

• These beans taste better the next day.

• You can keep it in the fridge for a week in an airtight container.

• Freeze it for up to 3-4 months.

• You can use dried beans. Soak them for a few hours and boil them till soft. Save some of the water you boiled it in.

• I prefer corn tortillas you can use flour if you want.

• Creamy Cilantro sauce: The sauce will thicken the longer it sits in the fridge. You can keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 10 days.