Mexican bean and potato bake

This Mexican bean and potato bake is a hearty, satisfying one pot dinner with plenty of fresh veg!

If you asked me what my ideal meal would be, it would be something hearty and cheesy, but still with plenty of fresh veggies. Basically – this Mexican bean and potato bake. It’s exactly the sort of thing I love.

Potato bake can be a balanced meal!

I absolutely love a good potato bake, but I generally think of it as a side dish, rather than a main course.

Think of something like potato dauphinoise – wonderfully delicious, but not exactly packed with nutrition. You definitely need to serve something else alongside it to make a full meal (assuming someone else is watching… if you’re alone, I say go for it…).

This Mexican bean and potato bake, on the other hand, is unquestionably a meal in its own right. It’s got carbs, protein, and plenty of fresh veggies, all cooked up in one big pan – easy, fuss-free, and delicious!

Roasted potatoes

This bean and potato bake starts with one of my favourite things in the world – roast potatoes! A lot of potato bakes have layers of thinly sliced potatoes, but this version is much heartier, with big chunks of roasted potato instead.

Just roast the potatoes in a big dish until they’re starting to get crispy.

Plenty of vegetables

Next up, the veggies! You could add all sorts of vegetables at this stage – I went for peppers, mushrooms and courgette (zucchini!), plus a tin of tomatoes to make everything nice and saucy, and some of my favourite Mexican-inspired spices.

As we’ve established many times before, roasted vegetables are the best kind of vegetables, so pop them back in the oven to cook right down.

And don’t forget to add a tin of beans as well – I used kidney beans. The beans are what elevate a simple potato bake into a full, balanced meal!

Last but not least – the cheese!

And finally, what potato bake would be complete without plenty of gooey cheese? Once the veggies are all nice and roasted, just sprinkle some grated cheese on top, and pop the dish back in the oven until everything is hot and melty.

The end result is irresistible – just get a big spoon and dig right in!

How should I serve this Mexican bean and potato bake?

As I said, this bean and potato bake is designed to be a full meal in its own right – you don’t really need to serve anything at all alongside it.

But, a bit of variety is always nice, so if you want to serve something different on the side, go for it! Here are a few ideas:

• crusty bread or garlic bread
• a big green salad
• dollops of sour cream, guacamole or salsa (Mexican food is all about the toppings!)
• a few crunchy tortilla chips
• fresh veggies, e.g. avocado, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, etc.

I simply served some salad on the side, and it was an amazing meal – so hearty and comforting, but pretty healthy too!

One pot dinner

I’ve been on a bit of a roll with the one pot dinners lately – I think as I get more and more pregnant, my patience for cooking gets more and more thin. So anything that is quick and straightforward to prepare really calls my name.

Although there are a few stages to this recipe, it actually requires very little effort – the oven pretty much does all the hard work for you. Just dig out your favourite big casserole dish, and get roasting!

How would you serve your Mexican bean and potato bake?

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4.89 from 17 votes

Mexican bean and potato bake

This Mexican bean and potato bake is a hearty, satisfying one pot dinner with plenty of fresh veg!

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 3 fairly large potatoes, cut into bitesize pieces
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 bell pepper (I used red), cut into bitesize pieces
• ~ 8 medium mushrooms, quartered
• 1 medium courgette (zucchini), cut into bitesize pieces
• 400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes (~ 1 1/3 cups)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 75 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 3/4 cup when grated)
• Fresh coriander (cilantro), to serve (optional)

Instructions

• Toss the diced potatoes in a dash of oil, and spread them out in a large casserole dish or baking dish. Roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 45 minutes, tossing halfway, or until mostly cooked and starting to crisp up.
• Add all of the vegetables to the dish, along with the kidney beans, tinned tomatoes, and spices. Season generously, and mix to combine. Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the tomatoes have formed a rich sauce.
• Top with the grated cheese, and bake for 15 more minutes, until the cheese has melted. Serve topped with fresh coriander if desired.

Video

Course: Main meals

Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex

Author: Becca Heyes

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/4 of the recipe.

Here’s another of my favourite Tex-Mex-inspired potato recipes – vegetarian chilli cheese fries!