Bean and Cheese Taquitos

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Bean and Cheese Taquitos

Crispy bean and cheese taquitos filled with a smoky chipotle bean mixture and melty cheese. Fry, bake, or air fry!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: taquitos

Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
2 cups pinto beans (with a little cooking liquid), homemade or canned
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
24 corn tortillas
1 ½ - 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
Optional toppings for serving: pico de gallo, sour cream or Mexican crema, salsa or hot sauce, shredded lettuce, cotjia cheese, guacamole

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add in the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
Add the pinto beans and their cooking liquid, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cumin, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes to combine all the flavors.
Using a hand masher, mash the bean mixture until it's smooth with some chunks. If the beans are too liquidy, keep cooking them until the liquid reduces. If they’re too runny, the beans may ooze out of the taquitos.
Warm the corn tortillas in a nonstick skillet, microwave, or comal and store in a tortilla warmer as you assemble the taquitos.
Pour 1 heaping tablespoon of the bean mixture onto the corn tortilla and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese on top. Roll tightly and secure the seams with a toothpick.
To fry: Pour enough oil into the bottom of a deep skillet or frying pan so that the oil reaches ¼ of the way up the taquitos. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 350°F. Cooking in batches, add 3-4 taquitos and fry for about 1-2 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown. Transfer them to a large plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
To bake: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the taquitos on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Generously brush or spray the tops with cooking oil, and bake for 15-17 minutes on the bottom rack or until they're crispy and golden brown.
To air fry: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Place the taquitos in a single layer in the basket seam side down. Spray the tops with cooking spray, air fry for 5 minutes, flip, and spray again, then air fry for an additional 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining taquitos.
Remove and discard the toothpicks. Serve on a plate with desired toppings.

Notes

To keep the corn tortillas from cracking during assembly, make sure to warm them up so they become soft and pliable. You can warm tortillas in the microwave, on a skillet, or on a comal. Keep them warm and pliable while assembling the taquitos by storing them in a tortilla warmer or a zip-lock plastic bag.
Storage and reheating. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat, bake at 350°F for 10–15 minutes or air fry at 390°F for 5–6 minutes until warm and crispy again.

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