crunchy refried bean tacos

with magic green sauce!

I was over at my friend Jillian’s house earlier this week, and while I was bopping around her kitchen, I noticed a massive box of canned refried beans on the shelf.

“What’s the deal with this?” I asked, never one to let a friend’s bulk purchases go unquestioned. She explained that her family does Taco Tuesday every single week, and she basically uses it as a chance to purge the fridge. Whatever meat and veggies are laying around get sautéed or grilled with Mexican spices, then loaded into tortillas with refried beans and cheese. The meat and veggies are always a little different, but the refried beans are the non-negotiable — they’re everyone’s favorite part.

As a fellow refried bean lover, this got me thinking. Why not just make refried beans the star? Why are they always just the *side dish* at Mexican restaurants? They are creamy and flavor-packed and an excellent source of plant-based protein. They are a fantastic food. They deserve to be the leading lady, not some side piece!

Thus, these creamy, crunchy refried bean tacos with magic green sauce were born. Since we have a creamy main component, we are busting out the old-school crunchy taco shells for contrast. And man, crunchy taco shells are SO GOOD! I had kind of forgotten about them!

Refried beans, shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded Mexican cheese, and a ridiculously tasty, creamy green sauce. Loaded into crunchy taco shell. It’s nostalgic, it’s delicious, it’s shockingly good for you. There’s no meat, but there’s just as much protein between the beans and the Greek yogurt. It’s budget-friendly. These tacos check all the boxes.

PS: Make it a 10-minute meal by using canned refried beans like Jillian instead of making them from scratch. But I will say, they’re damn good from scratch.

PPS I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: when tacos contain all of the components of a balanced meal within the tortilla, there is simply no need for side dishes. Just eat more tacos!

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crunchy refried bean tacos

Serves 4

Cook time: 30 minutes