Enfrijoladas are similar to enchiladas, except the sauce is made out of beans instead of a chile pepper sauce.
“Frijoles” translates to “Beans” in English. That’s where the word “en-frijol-adas” comes from, just like “en-chil-adas” means that the sauce is made out of chile peppers, and “en-tomat-adas” means that the sauce is made out of tomatoes.
Basically, enfrijoladas are corn tortillas dipped into a bean sauce that you can fill with cheeses, meats, vegetables or any other ingredients you can think of, then topped with more ingredients like additional cheese, cream, cilantro, onions, or you can get creative and add anything you like.
In this recipe, my bean sauce is kept simple but still very tasty: Beans, the bean broth, chipotle peppers, and salt or chicken bouillon, or a combination of both. In my opinion, the chicken bouillon adds a very nice flavor to it. Although it’s not the healthiest ingredient, if you don’t mind using it, I highly recommend it.
That being said, you can play around with many flavors to make an amazing custom bean sauce just for your own taste buds. Some people add cream, others cream cheese, and others like dried chiles like guajillos or anchos.
Here are some tips, no matter how you wish to customize your enfrijoladas:
- Always heat up the tortillas in a pan first, either with or without oil. I make them both ways, depending on how health-conscious I want to be that day 😉 I’m not going to lie- the oil adds more flavoring.
- The consistency of the bean sauce should be “pourable” – not too watery and not too thick. The sauce can also be fried in a pan with or without oil just like the tortillas. Depending on how thick you like it, you may wish to keep some extra water or chicken stock nearby to add to the pan as needed to maintain your preferred consistency.
I hope this inspires you to be creative and make your own personal take on enfrijoladas!
Enfrijoladas with Mexican Style Eggs
Ingredients
Tortillas
- 6 corn tortillas
- 2-4 tbsp oil (or more as needed)
Mexican Style Eggs
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, without seeds and veins, chopped
- 1 roma tomato
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Bean Sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup beans (black or pinto)
- 1 cup bean broth or chicken stock (SEE NOTES)
- 1/4 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1-3 chipotle in adobo (adjust quantity to taste)
- 1 tsp salt or chicken bouillon (or more to taste)
Toppings and Garnish
- cilantro
- Mexican cream or sour cream
- Mexican fresh cheese
- pickled onions
Instructions
Bean Sauce
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Except for the tablespoon of oil and the tablespoon of butter, blend all sauce ingredients until smooth consistency.
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Heat up a skillet over medium heat and add the tablespoon of oil.
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Carefully add the bean sauce to the skillet. Watch out for jumping bean sauce when pouring. This can happen if the skillet and oil are way too hot.
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Let simmer in low heat until you are ready to assemble your enfrijoladas. keep warm chicken stock on hand in case you need to add more liquid to the sauce to adjust consistency.
Prepare the Tortillas
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Heat up a skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and fry the tortillas for about 30 seconds. There is no need to fully crisp the tortillas, just heat up until warmed through but still pliable.
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Transfer to a plate with paper towels to absorb the extra oil. Reserve until you are ready to use them. Cover them to keep them warm. (Easier clean up tip: I do this step before the eggs and use the same pan to cook the eggs to avoid an extra dirty skillet).
Mexican Style Eggs
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Heat pan over medium high heat and add the tablespoon of oil, chopped onion and jalapeño. Cook and stir until onions are translucent.
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Add the chopped tomato and stir for about 1 minute until they start to soften.
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Add the 4 eggs and scramble until cooked to your liking.
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Turn the heat off and reserve.
Assemble the Enfrijoladas
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At this point you might have to check for the consistency of the sauce and adjust to your liking. Dip the tortilla in the bean sauce. Immediately transfer to a plate and fill with 1/6 of the Mexican eggs. Fold the tortilla over like a folded taco.
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Repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
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When you are done assembling. Pour the leftover sauce over the enfrijoladas.
Garnish
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Garnish with cilantro, Mexican cream, fresh cheese, and pickled onions. Add as much of these ingredients as you like.
Recipe Notes
If you are using canned beans you might have to adjust the quantity of the liquid.
Start with less and adjust with 1 tablespoon at the time.
