A simple, classic Mexican-style plate of fluffy tomato rice and creamy refried pinto beans topped with melted cheese and salsa. Serve it with warm tortillas or tortilla chips.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 5–6

Ingredients:

Mexican Rice

2 cups long-grain white rice

3 tbsp vegetable oil

¼ medium white onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 tbsp tomato sauce or tomato paste

4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp chicken bouillon

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt, or to taste

Homemade Refried Beans

3 cups cooked pinto beans

¾–1 cup bean cooking liquid or broth

2 tbsp lard or vegetable oil

¼ medium white onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt to taste

For Serving

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, or Mexican-blend cheese

Homemade red salsa

Tortilla chips or warm corn/flour tortillas

Pickled or fresh jalapeños, optional

Instructions

1. Make the Mexican Rice

Rinse the rice under cool water until the water runs mostly clear. Drain very well.

Blend the tomatoes with about ½ cup of the chicken broth until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until some grains become lightly golden.

Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

Pour in the blended tomato mixture, remaining broth, tomato sauce, bouillon, cumin and salt. Stir once and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to very low, cover tightly and cook for 18–20 minutes without stirring.

Turn off the heat and leave covered for another 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork.

2. Make the Refried Beans

Heat the lard or oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook until soft and lightly golden, about 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add the cooked pinto beans along with about ½ cup of their cooking liquid.

Let them simmer for several minutes, then mash them directly in the skillet with a potato masher. Leave a few small pieces of beans for a more authentic homemade texture.

Continue cooking over medium-low heat, gradually adding more bean liquid until the beans become thick, creamy and spoonable.

Season with salt.

3. Add the Cheese

Spoon the hot refried beans onto the plate and immediately scatter shredded cheese over the center.

Allow the heat from the beans to partially melt the cheese. For a more melted restaurant-style finish, cover the beans briefly or place them under the broiler for about 1 minute.

Add a generous spoonful of red salsa in the center.

Homemade Red Salsa

Blend together:

4 Roma tomatoes

1–2 jalapeños or serrano peppers

¼ white onion

1 garlic clove

Small handful cilantro

Salt to taste

Squeeze of lime juice

For deeper flavor, roast the tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic on a dry skillet until blistered before blending.

Serving

Pile the fluffy Mexican rice on one half of the plate and the creamy refried beans on the other. Top the beans with melted cheese and a spoonful of salsa.

Serve immediately with warm tortillas, crispy tortilla chips and extra salsa.

Authentic homemade tip: If available, cook dried pinto beans from scratch and use a spoonful of lard when refrying them. The bean cooking liquid plus the browned lard and onion gives the beans much more of that traditional home-style Mexican flavor.