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, preferably something protein-rich, 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?
Mexican bean and potato bake
If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 3 fairly large potatoes, cut into bitesize pieces
- 2 tablespoon 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 ¼ cups, when drained)
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes (~ 1 ⅓ cups)
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 75 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ ¾ 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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Here's another of my favourite Tex-Mex-inspired potato recipes - vegetarian chilli cheese fries!
Al says
Giving this a go, when you say "3 fairly large potatoes" is that 450g or 750g or something else entirely?
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
It doesn't really matter, just however many you'd usually use to serve 4 people! Depends on your appetites :)
Marg says
This was delicious. Will be making it forever!! Chucked in broccoli and cauliflower as well. Yum!!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Sounds good, glad you enjoyed it Marg!
Georgie says
This was so delicious! So hearty and filling too. My partner ALWAYS leaves something on his plate no matter how much he likes it but he actually went back for seconds so that's a big win in our house, will be making this regularly!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Oooh thank you! Glad you both enjoyed it :D
Moll says
I loved this recipe, thanks for sharing it! I particularly liked the fact that it doesn't have an onion as the starting point (an aspect I really appreciate in some of your other recipes), I like them but I can't always be bothered with the prep. Also I'm inclined to disagree with an earlier comment on not seeing the point of roasting the potatoes. I found that roasting them minimised the faff and post cook clean-up!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Moll! You could totally add onion to this but I'm like you, I really don't like chopping onions haha. Glad you enjoyed it!
Felicity says
Made this last night after wondering what to do with a surplus of potatoes... You had my attention with the words 'Mexican' and 'cheesey'; surely the best two words in the world of food?! I loved how simple it was to make but I must admit I struggled to see why roasting the potatoes was necessary as once they had cooked in the tomato sauce the consistency felt very similar to boiled potatoes. I didn't have any mushrooms but put bite-sized carrot pieces in instead, which seemed to work fine. The balance of spices and tomatoes is similar to what I do when I make a bean stew to put over jacket potatoes or rice or in a tortilla wrap, although it probably is thicker in texture because I simmer it on the stove for a while.
Thanks for the recipe. It was certainly hearty and cheese is ALWAYS good! :D
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Glad you enjoyed it Felicity! Potatoes just take longer to cook than the other veg in the recipe, so they need to be cooked a bit beforehand :)
Ellen Derry says
I made this tonight after cheaking you list of store cupboard recipes. It was very good! I used cauliflower for the veggies, and black beans. I added marinated black olives cuz I love them. You are my first choice when I'm looking for something to make. Thank you
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Ellen, that's lovely to hear! Black olives sound like a great addition :D
Mel says
This was so delicious and easy. Always nice to have a vegetarian main meal for a change and I love Mexican. Thanks for sharing.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Mel, glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah says
This was really yummy! Can it be frozen for later?
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
I haven't tried but I don't see why not! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Alanna says
This was so good! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great. I will be adding this to our regular rotation and may add a bit of garlic and some onions next time for a bit more of a kick! Thanks so much!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Alanna, glad you liked it :D
Dale says
This was my main plate. My 14-year-old daughter loved it! My wife (working on being more vegetarian) loved it too. Muchas gracias for this Mexican bean and potato dish.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Awesome! Thanks Dale :)