This post is sponsored by La Morena. All opinions my own.
Bite into these mouthwatering Garlicky Mushroom and Chipotle Refried Bean Tortas ... these delicious Mexican sandwiches are bursting with flavor and simple to make!
I have a favorite neighborhood restaurant, El Mitote, that serves mouthwatering Mexican food.
The tortas are my favorite menu item. Although they have other tasty treats, I can never resist their amazing tortas!
In an effort to eat as many of these yummy sandwiches as possible, I created a Garlicky Mushroom and Chipotle Refried Bean Tortas recipe inspired by the one El Mitote!
Garlicky Mushroom & Chipotle Refried Bean Tortas
Have you ever had a torta? They're Mexican sandwiches served on crusty, white sandwich rolls (typically birote, bolillo, or telera). Tortas can be served hot or cold and filled with everything from eggs to ham. Most importantly, they're delicious!
For this vegetarian torta recipe, I put a twist on the traditional torta, while still incorporating authentic ingredients. I'm lucky enough to have an amazing Mexican grocery store within walking distance of my apartment called Las Palomas. This petite store only has one aisle but somehow manages squeeze in all the Latin food you need to create a Mexican feast.
Las Palomas is where I shop for my favorite La Morena products, first choice when cooking Latin food. The quality is amazingly fresh and authentic ... perfect for infusing my recipes with a true taste of Mexico.
How to Make Mushroom and Refried Bean Tortas
To make these tortas, you'll browned fresh mushrooms in olive and then added lots of garlic and cilantro (so good!).
In a separate pan, saute another garlic clove and stir in La Morena Refried Bayo Beans with Chipotle and Adobo. I'm super picky about refried beans and usually make my own, but La Morena's homemade taste had me eating these beans straight from the can!
I love chipotle peppers, so I enhanced the beans' already-existing chipotle flavor with an extra pepper and a little adobo sauce.
If you don't enjoy spicy foods as much as I do, skip the chipotle but keep the adobo sauce. It will add a great smoky flavor without raising the heat level too much.
Traditional torta rolls can be difficult to find unless you have access to a Mexican bakery, so feel free to substitute a baguette. Remove a little bread from inside the bread, making more room for the tasty filling, then layer on the beans, mushrooms, and some Oaxaca cheese.
After a quick toasting, the tortas are ready to be layered with red onions and La Morena Sliced Jalapeños. These addictive jalapeños taste just like the pickled peppers you'll find at your favorite Mexican restaurant. They're spicy, so add as many as you dare!
Finish your Garlicky Mushroom and Chipotle Refried Bean Tortas with a few leaves of peppery arugula and a drizzle of chipotle crema.
The result is a messy, finger-licking good sandwich that will have you craving each bite more than the last!
Garlicky Mushroom & Chipotle Refried Bean Tortas
Ingredients
For Mushrooms:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 (1-pound) package sliced mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
For Refried Beans:
- 1 (7-ounce) can La Morena Chipotle Peppers
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can La Morena Refried Bayo Beans with Chipotle and Adobo
For Tortas:
- 1 large baguette (or 6 crusty rolls)
- ½ pound Oaxaca cheese
- ⅓ cup Mexican crema
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- 1 (7-ounce) can La Morena Sliced Green Jalapeño Peppers
- 2 cups arugula
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare mushrooms:
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat to medium and allow pan to cool for a few minutes, continuing to stir often.
- Add garlic to mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
- Remove pan from heat. Season to taste with salt and stir in cilantro. Set aside.
Prepare refried beans:
- Remove 1 chipotle pepper from the can (reserve the rest for another use). Chop pepper and set aside.
- While mushrooms are cooking, heat 1 teaspoon olive in a small frying pan over medium heat.
- Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
- Stir refried beans, chopped chipotle pepper, and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from chipotle pepper can) into the garlic.
- Cook refried beans until just heated through. Remove pan from heat.
Assemble tortas:
- Cut baguette into 6 equal pieces, if using. Slice baguette or rolls in half and remove a little bread from inside each piece.
- Cover the bottom of each baguette/roll with refried beans.
- Top beans with mushrooms. Then cover mushrooms and the top half of each roll with Oaxaca cheese.
- Put sandwiches on a large baking sheet, keeping tops and bottoms separate. Bake until cheese is melted and bread begins to crisp (about 5 minutes).
- While sandwiches are baking, combine crema with 2 tsp. adobo sauce (from canned chipotles). Set aside.
- Remove sandwiches from oven, top the mushroom side of the sandwich with red onions, jalapeños, and arugula to taste.
- Drizzle sandwich with crema and top with the other sandwich half.
- Serve sandwiches hot. Enjoy!
Notes
What is your favorite Mexican meal? Do you enjoy spicy foods as much as I do?
I made this for dinner a couple of nights ago, and it was a huge hit! So delicious, and very filling - and the Oaxaca cheese was amazing!
I'm drooling right now! Pinned. Lou Lou Girls
Oh my goodness! I want that sandwich now! thanks so much for the inspiration! Pinning for dinner next week!
Thanks so much for sharing your awesomeness at Show Me Saturday! Please join us again this weekend!
~ Ashley
Love original, tradictional recipes.. #client