I love making vegetarian pâté, and this Mexican bean version is one of my favourites yet - so much flavour from just a few simple ingredients.
My go to base for vegetarian pâté is always walnuts with some kind of bean or chickpeas. It gives a fantastic thick, spreadable texture that's full of protein. I suppose you could experiment with different kinds of nuts too if you fancy it, but for this spicy Mexican bean vegetarian pâté I stuck with my tried and tested combination. This time I used kidney beans, which gave the pâté a slightly pink colour.
I also added garlic, coriander (cilantro), lime juice, and a few of my favourite spices. It has so much flavour!
I could honestly eat this stuff straight from the bowl with a spoon, but if you want to be a bit more creative, you could try using it to make a spicy mushroom wellington, a tasty vegan sandwich, dolloping it on top of a burrito bowl, or smearing it on toasted slices of baguette, like I did. Just brush a few slices of crusty bread lightly with olive oil and pop them under a grill (broiler) or into a hot griddle pan for a couple of minutes. Smear them with the Mexican bean pâté, and serve with an extra squeeze of lime juice - soo yum.
This vegetarian pâté keeps really well in the fridge, so feel free to make a double batch to use for lunches through the week. It's a relatively healthy lunch option (especially served with a nice big salad on the side), and definitely the kind of thing you'll look forward to day after day! I might make another batch today, actually - it only takes a couple of minutes.
Mexican bean vegetarian pâté
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 70 g walnuts (~ ¾ cup)
- 400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 ¼ cups, when drained)
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled
- Few sprigs fresh coriander (cilantro)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or a little less, to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor, and blitz thoroughly. Serve lightly chilled.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for ¼ of the batch.
Gloria says
Excellent with just 1/4 tsp of cayenne.. 1 tsp would be a brutal spice attack on the mouth, stomach and esophagus.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
I think a 'brutal attack' is a little harsh, but everyone has different tastes!
Philippa Clarke says
Absolutely wonderful recipe! Simple, fast and finally, something delicious I can scoop up on a cracker or pack into a pitta! Thank you!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thank you so much! :D
dannie says
Lovely meal.
rosie says
Hi
i have a nut allergy are they necessary or is there an alternative?
regards
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
The nut + bean combination is what gives it the pate-like texture. You could definitely skip the nuts altogether, as long as you're happy to end up with more like a bean dip rather than a firm pate. It will be yummy either way :)
Sheila says
This is good. We had it yesterday and everyone loved this vegetarian pate. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Fab! I'm so glad you all enjoyed it! :)
Marinette Khan says
Sounds good! Will try tonight.
CAROL says
I make a vegetarian 'chopped liver'. I put into a food processor, 5 hardboiled eggs, a cup of chopped walnuts, 2 onions, sliced and sauteed. Any oil left from sauteeing gets added. Whizz in processor, add salt and pepper to taste.
Delicious.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Sounds really interesting! Must try that :)
Vera says
@CAROL, Um, that sounds interesting, try it too !
Nicola says
Brilliant! I have all the ingredients in my pantry so I'm doing this tonight. Thank you!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Nicola, hope you enjoyed it!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I am drooling over this right now and was just thinking after looking in the supermarket I should make some. I shall take inspiration from you and throw some beans and spices in my blender and give it a whizz. Yum!
Shared xx
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Enjoy! :)
Lizzie says
This looks yummy, I mostly do variations on hummus, I love your walnut idea
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
The walnuts make it feel a bit firmer and more substantial, so it's thicker and more like a pate than hummus :)