Enfrijoladas are made in the same manner as Enchiladas are but instead of dipping the tortilla in a red or green sauce, you dip it in saucy, yummy refried beans. Great for kids and adults alike who prefer to stay away from hot sauces. Plus it's Vegetarian and Vegan friendly!
Enfrijoladas are my favorite! I make mine similar to this recipe except I put the beans in the blender instead of using the bean smasher. –Ruby Carpinteyro
One of my earliest childhood memories was sitting in the kitchen while my mom made us Enfrijoladas. She took so much pride in her saucy, mouthwatering refried beans. There was nothing like fresh, homemade saucy refried beans! She had a pot full of them on the stove and carefully dipped each tortilla, folding it perfectly to resemble a traditional enchilada. My sisters and I would top them with hot sauce, and/or Ketchup. My mom and dad topped theirs with hot sauce, sour cream, chopped onions and tomatoes. I preferred Ketchup myself but as I got older my tastes also grew up. I still can't bite into a fresh onion, but I do love topping them with our Mountain Screamer green salsa and cheese! We never filled them as you would a traditional enchilada but feel free to fill them with cheese, ground beef, chicken, potatoes, spinach or anything you can dream of! They are so convenient, cheap and easy to make! (As long as you have beans handy, if you don't please follow this recipe first: Mom's Simply Delicious Beans)
Enfrijoladas, (Bean-based, enchilada-like comfort food made with beans!)
Ingredients
You will need pre-made beans for this recipe, best in my opinion to use are: Mom's Simply Delicious Beans but feel free to use your favorite recipe. Recipe makes about 10 enfrijoladas.
3 cups of cooked beans including the bean broth. (If your beans are dry, you can substitute the bean broth with water, milk or both.)
10 yellow, white or blue corn tortillas (any brand.)
Enough oil to lightly fry the tortillas and beans, (about 2 cups.)
You don't need to stuff them but if you would like them stuffed try- cheese, ground beef, chicken, potatoes, spinach or anything you prefer.
Try any of these toppings- Mountain Screamer Green salsa, ketchup, cheese, sour cream, chopped onions and tomatoes
Directions
You will need a small - medium pot and a frying pan, a potato/bean smasher (or a blender,) and a plate covered with a few paper towels to capture the oil from the tostada chips.
In an empty skillet or pot pour about half cup of oil and heat at medium heat. You can test to see if it's ready by putting in 1 bean. The oil will be ready once the bean starts to quickly fry. Add the beans in their broth and grab a bean/potato smasher and begin smashing the beans as they fry, continue smashing the beans until they come to a creamy, saucy consistency. If you prefer to use a blender, blend the beans in their broth and pour them over the heated oil.
Evaluate the beans making sure they are saucy enough and salted to taste, they should resemble a creamy soup. If they are too dry, add water, milk or both gradually, mixing it in as you keep checking the consistency. You can test their sauciness by dipping a chip or piece of a tortilla into it. The tortilla should drip with saucy beans instead of gripping them, once they do, they are done. Set to the side.
Place the frying pan on the stove at medium heat and add the remaining oil. Have the tortillas ready. To test the readiness of the oil, pinch a piece of tortilla and place it in the oil. If the tiny piece starts frying the oil is ready and you can start placing the tortillas in it. Depending on how large or small your frying pan is, you might only be able to fit 2 to 4 at a time.
Fry the tortillas just enough to heat them up, not to get them crispy. They will still be soft or semi-soft, about 10 seconds on each side. Quickly take them out and place them on the plate lined with paper towels so they can suck up the oil.
Once all tortillas are fried, using your fingers or tongs dip each tortilla in the saucy beans so that both sides are fully saturated with the bean sauce. Position them on each serving plate in the form of traditional enchiladas. If you will be stuffing them, you can fold them over the fillings then top with Mountain Screamer green sauce, cheese, sour cream, chopped onions or any other toppings you prefer.
Leave a comment if you made it! How was it? What modifications did you use to make it your own? Enjoy!