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!
Mandy P says
We really loved this, was a huge hit with hubby who loved the crispy bits of cheesy potato on the top. Request to make it again was made after a few mouthfuls. I even enjoyed preparing it as the recipe was a one pot wonder, with easy to follow instructions and a modest amount of ingredients combined to make a very tasty and satisfying meal. Used our home grown chocolate bell pepper, courgette and yellow squash, which made it a bit special.....I added half an onion, not because I thought it needed it but because I had half an onion that needed using up. It still tasted fab so will probably keep the onion in as I'm onion mad anyway! Thanks for this great recipe.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Aw what a lovely comment, thank you so much Mandy! So glad it ticked all the boxes for you :D
Annabel Smyth says
This looks delicious! You can totally have a gratiné dauphinoise as a main dish - just add a side salad or some plain steamed veg on the side, and there you have a full meal!
Jen says
Delish!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
:D
Andrea says
Really easy and really good! I used vegan cheese to make it a vegan dish. And black beans. Highly recommend! I would make this again, always looking for something interesting with potatoes.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Andrea, glad you like it!
Lucia Fedorchuk says
I made it for my son and he loved it. Thank you 🙂
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Lucia! :)
Shelley says
Thank you for sharing your receipe, I was struggling to find what to cook for our dinner tonight, having loads of veggies in the fridge I thought I would give it a go, I added onion, sweets corn, cauliflower and broccoli as well as the kidney beans, serving it with some nachos 😋 it looks and smells amazing can’t wait to taste it...
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Ooh sounds great with some nachos for scooping :) Enjoy!
A238 says
looks delicious, I'll try it for iftar because it's ramadan and I'm fasting!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Ramadan Mubarak! Hope you enjoy it :)
Jo says
Was so glad to find this recipe, as I was struggling with ideas for the ready supply of kidney beans I seem to have acquired. Swapped up some of the veg and the end result was delicious. OH and I fought over the leftovers. Definitely will be making again and adding some nachos and sour cream. Many thanks
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Haha that's great to hear, thanks Jo!
Susan says
Just made this and it was absolutely delicious!! My husband and my son loved it. Recipe is easy to follow and comes out perfectly without any tweaking. My son wants to put the leftovers over nachos tomorrow. Yum!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Susan! Really happy that you all enjoyed it! :)
Mike S. says
Made this last night. My girlfriend and I really liked it. I ended up using 3 plum tomatoes cut into small cubes instead of the tinned tomatoes (didn't have any in our pantry) and went with 5 smaller potatoes (red and white) and overall it went great. Going to give it a try next time with the full ingredients to see how that works, but it was a fun new dish!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Mike, glad you liked it! :)