CHEESY, SPICY BLACK BEAN BAKE

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Cheesy, Spicy Black Bean Bake image

Whether or not you've fallen for this cheesy white-bean tomato bake, we'd like you to meet its bolder counterpart, smoky and spiced, with lots of melty cheese. Black beans shine in a deep-red mixture of fried garlic, caramelized tomato paste, smoked paprika and cumin. The whole skillet gets coated in a generous sprinkling of sharp Cheddar or Manchego cheese, then baked until melted. The final result is what you hope for from a really good chili or stew, but in a lot less time. For a spicier rendition, add a pinch of cayenne with the paprika, or douse the final skillet with hot sauce. Serve with tortillas, tortilla chips, rice, a baked potato or fried eggs.

Provided by Ali Slagle

Categories     dinner, easy, weekday, beans, main course

Time 15m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup boiling water
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar or Manchego cheese (from about a 6-ounce block)

Steps:

  • Heat the oven to 475 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Fry the garlic until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, red-pepper flakes and cumin (be careful of splattering), and fry for 30 seconds, reducing the heat as needed to prevent the garlic from burning.
  • Add the beans, water and generous pinches of salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top then bake until the cheese has melted, 5 to 10 minutes. If the top is not as browned as you'd like, run the skillet under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

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