Cheesy, Spicy Black Bean Bake

Even quicker (and more energy-efficient) to make on the stovetop - add the cheese, cover the skillet, and the cheese will melt. For browning run it briefly under the broiler.

Delicious. Easy. Great dip for a football game party, and Easy to double in quantity if needed. I would add sautéing a diced onion at the beginning next time.

We enjoy beans as a diet staple. This can be a main dish served with tortilla chips or used as a side with tacos, burritos or enchiladas Try adding a can of spicy enchilada sauce in addition to the tomato paste in this recipe. Try blending whole beans with refried beans. I like adding onion and also a little minced garlic, perhaps some sauteed jalapeno or serrano peppers. Never wrong to sprinkle in a liberal dose of freshly cracked peppercorns. I will pour a few squirts of habanero sauce on top.

I really liked this and so did my kids (they are the true arbiters of whether something will be made a second time), though I thought the cheddar was a little too sharp - I'll probably make it with a mix of cheddar & jack next time. I left out the red pepper flakes (because kids) but adults added hot sauce at the table, and served with rice, avocado, lime-cabbage-carrot slaw, and sour cream, and tortilla chips to scoop it all up. I used 4 cups of beans I had previously cooked from dry.

Wow wow ...great easy dish. A keeper. Black beans are one of my favs and loads of flavor. I appreciate everyone’s input. Did follow the recipe with the exception of including onions. Had thoughts about when to add the onions...started the process of browning the garlic and then threw in the onions, and realized immediately that it was wrong. It needs the unadulterated browned smoky garlic taste. i started over, added diced onions with the beans.Used Manchego. EXCELLENT EASY. 5 stars !

I made this with dried beans (so good, cheap and easy in a pressure cooker), but it was a little too runny with added water. Might omit or add a quarter cup next time. Served over tortilla chips (like Frito pie!) and topped with cilantro, scallions, radishes, jarred jalapeño, and sour cream.

This was excellent as is- and with tweaks! I added one chopped chipotle pepper, 1 tsp adobo sauce, and cream cheese to the bean mixture before popping in the oven. Two people finished this in one sitting AND asked for more right after, which I see as a mark of a fantastic recipe!

@Jennifer - Google is very happy to help you with your conversion from imperial to metric. You’re welcome.

Thought this was great; very easy and quick. Had no tomato paste so substituted TJ's Harisa, which was a great addition. I might add a third can of beans next time.

Delicious. Served as an easy dinner with wheat berries and a salad (thumbs up from kids 8 and 10). Will mix the cheese in next time to avoid the top coming off.

For those of us who don't care to use canned beans, it would be good to know the quantity of unsoaked dried beans to start with. I'm guessing one cup--but I'm just guessing.

My sweetie doesn't care for beans all that much so I made this while he's away. Half the recipe fits nicely in an 8 inch cast iron skillet. I found a hunk of cornbread in the freezer, heated that up, split and buttered it. Went together well. Leftovers will make a nice breakfast with an egg, as someone already suggested.

Excellent dish. I followed the recipe precisely. I always think you should do that first thing out before you try to tweak the recipe. I'm not sure I will tweak this one, because it is pretty darned perfect as is. I did use Manchego, which really married nicely with the other flavors. I served this over a baked potato. It made four really good sized portions.

Please try this recipe again! It's terrific! Just maybe needs a bit of changing for you. So: Reduce the heat. It may take a bit longer for the garlic to caramelize but the splatter will be less. You could also sub peanut oil for olive oil, which is a notorious splatterer, or corn oil. Both peanut and corn oils will splatter, but are less likely to do so than olive oil. Again, reduce heat to avoid mess.

Quick and easy vegetarian dinner! As others have suggested, I sautéed onion along with the garlic. I also squirted a little harissa in along with the tomato paste. I served it with a green salad and tortilla chips. Yum!