Green chile pineapple black bean chilaquiles

Twice baked in the oven with melty cheese this dish makes a perfect meal for one.

Have you ever had chilaquiles before? No? Let me enlighten you. I’d honestly never had them before either, but I’ve hear various references recently (like in TV shows, and then Alanna posted these which led me to these and I was done for) and finally knew I had to take the plunge. I knew I wanted something with pineapple, and I always love black beans… and I was feeling too lazy to make red enchilada sauce, but had a can of green chiles in my kitchen: So I made green sauce! I’m not sure if you can define it as a real “chili verde” or something, but … it tasted good. It was super easy. All I did was blend it up with some other goodies, and pour it over the chips.

We should talk about the chips. I fully intended to make a big ol’ pan of these. I was like “oh yeah, I love this kind of thing, I’ll make a normal sized-recipe!” But then I started making the chips. I mean, I finished making the chips … and then I kept eating them. Just straight off of the pan. No toppings, no nothin’ — straight up delicious homemade tortilla chips (with salt, of course). I couldn't stop. It because pretty obvious, pretty quickly, that a full-sized pan of chilaquiles was just not in my future. That’s OK though, because it would have been hard to finish them by myself anyways. So, this recipe turned into an unintended single-lady chilaquiles recipe! Perfect!

Here’s what you do for chilaquiles: make chips (do it. make your own. DO IT), smother/coat them in a sauce (like enchilada sauce, or this weird green concoction I made), and bake them with whatever other goodies you want. Then you add cheese! The chips get all soft and soaked with the sauce, then the edges crisp up as you bake them, everything gets hot and melty and cheesey and so so so good! Then I topped mine with some pico (onion, lime, tomato), more cilantro and a fried egg. The egg is totally optional, but highly recommended. Then I ate it up with a fork like the best darn bowl of cheesy tortilla goodness e.v.e.r.

Green chile pineapple black bean chilaquiles
Serves 1

4 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into small wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
1 plum tomato, diced
1/2 cup diced white onion (divided)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (divided)
1 4.5-ounce can of green chiles
1 garlic glove
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
1/4cup pineapple tidbits
1/4 cup cooked black beans
1/3 cup shredded Colby jack (or other melty cheese)
Cojita, for serving
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 egg (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the tortilla wedges with the olive oil, coating them as evenly as you can. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. They should be pretty crispy! Remove and let cool.

2. While the chips are baking, mix together the diced tomato, at least half of the diced onion, and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice. Set aside.

3. In a blender, combine the green chiles, the rest of the onion and lime juice, the garlic glove, and the 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves. Blend until smooth.

4. When the chips have cooled substantially, pour the green sauce over them. Use your hands to get each piece well coated.

5. Mix in the pineapple and black beans, then transfer everything to a small baking dish. I arrange them so some chips are sticking up (so when I add the cheese it'll sink down in there!).

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are getting nice and crispy, then remove and sprinkle the Colby jack on top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has fully melted (4 to 5 minutes).

7. Remove and serve topped with the salsa, extra lime and cilantro, crumbled cojita, green onion, and a fried egg if you want! (Avocado makes a great addition, too!)

Related post on The Kitchen Paper: Steak tacos with cherry pico de gallo