molletes pati jinich

breadOaxaca cheeseMonterey Jack

Grilled Cheese and Bean Heroes

Grilled Cheese and Bean Heroes

Molletes

Recipe Yield

4 to 6 servings

Cooking time

13 minutes

Rate this recipe

4.80 from 5 votes

Ingredients

  • 4 teleras, bolillos, Portuguese buns, or baguettes cut into 5- to 6-inch pieces
  • 2 cups refried beans homemade or store-bought
  • 2 cups (about 8 ounces) shredded Oaxaca cheese, mozzarella, Monterrey Jack or mild cheddar
  • Traditional pico de gallo or other salsa of your choice

Optional extra toppings:

  • Mexican-style chorizo crumbled and fried
  • Crisped bacon
  • Turkey or ham
  • Sautéed mushrooms
  • Sliced avocado

To Prepare

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Spread each piece with 3 to 4 tablespoons of refried beans and top with 3 to 4 tablespoons of grated cheese. Arrange the molletes on a baking sheet as you make them. If you want to add more toppings like ham, turkey, bacon or chorizo, sprinkle them on top of the cheese.
  • When they are all assembled, bake until the cheese has melted and the bread has a nice toasted crust on the bottom and around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Eat while hot. Serve with pico de gallo, or your favorite salsa, on the side.

Comments

47comments inGrilled Cheese and Bean Heroes

  1. Marilee H.

    Aug 26

    I was first introduced to really tasty re-fried beans when I was a child living with my family in the Washington DC suburbs. We would drive into downtown once a month or so from Bethesda, to eat at a what we called foreign restaurants. There was a favorite Mexican restaurant my parents liked, but sorry, I don’t remember the name as this was 65 years ago! I’m 80 now. Anyway, I recall as if yesterday we were served a hot platter of refried beans with cheese melting on top. One bite and I knew I’d found my favorite food. My mother told me I’d tried some Mexican food as a toddler living in south Texas for 2 years, but I don’t remember. In any case, I’ve been eating frijoles refritos ever since.

    Today, there are Mexican and Southwestern restaurants almost anywhere one goes in the USA, including to our surprise, in a small town in central Alabama where my grandson just started college. One would think that town of less than 20,000 would have more simple American and southern food places, but no, there are 5 Mexican type restaurants in town, more than in his home community of 65,000 here in Florida. He’s in heaven, as he loves nothing better.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 04

      Thanks for sharing Marilee, makes me really happy to confirm that these days you can find excellent Mexican food everywhere, yay!

  2. Denise Hurst

    Aug 24

    Dear Patti:
    Thanks for sending me your delicious recipes and I am glad they are in English. Since you are a fabulous cook, I will be trying these wonderful receips very soon, but there are some things that I cannot eat since I have diabetes and Kidney problems. Thanks again Denise Hurst

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 04

      Thanks to you for following Denise, glad you enjoy my recipes. Take care of yourself 😉

  3. Betty Izquierdo

    Aug 24

    Easy, fast, and delicious
    Good for a last minute snack

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 04

      Absolutely! So glad you liked this recipe Betty 😉

  4. Johna Wrzosek

    Aug 24

    I always thought beans were always Pinto. Also for refried beans, do you add a little milk when frying. We always do.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 04

      I don’t but sounds like a great idea for creaminess Johna 😉

  5. Carolyn

    Aug 24

    I love your recipes. I will injoy your email. 💕

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 04

      Thanks so much for following Carolyn, un abrazo!

  6. Donald Williams

    Aug 24

    That is what on the menu tomorrow night, Thank you Pati, I do appreciate all of your recipes, and kindness sharing all of the ideas that you help me/all of us with ,
    God Bless You ❤️

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 04

      Thanks so much Donald, I hope you enjoyed the molletes, yum!

  7. Guadalupe Nypaver

    Feb 26

    /this molletes are very similar to the ones I used to order at Sanborn’s after a long day at work are the Latinamerican Tower downtown Mexico City.
    Delicious. Thanks Pati. Great memories.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Mar 07

      Si! Love molletes from Sanborn’s Guadalupe, hope you will like these ones as well 😉

  8. Mark

    Sep 14

    Winner winner mollettes dinner!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 16

      😄

  9. Yolanda Ferrer

    Sep 14

    I love these molletes on “bolillo bread. Or I make a large French bread loaf and share. Great recipe Pati.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 16

      These are perfect for sharing….thank you, Yolanda!

  10. William Theroux

    Jan 04

    My name is Bill. I have watched ur show since u started. Love your recipes. I just found ur web site, now we can try them out. I’m from Colorado and love Mexican food. Looking forward to trying them out🌶

    1. Pati

      Jan 07

      Thanks for giving the recipes a try, Bill!

  11. Gretchen

    May 28

    Hi Patti!
    I made this today for dinner and paired it with a green salad. So delicious! My son Ioved it!

    1. Pati

      Jun 01

      Yay! I’m so glad your son and you loved it!

  12. DianaQ

    Jan 02

    Los molletes son de lo mejor! Por pura curiosidad, porque les llamaron “Heroes” en ingles? No entiendo, jaja.

  13. Terrianne

    Mar 30

    I love refried beans. I’m cooking pintos now for refried beans and I’m going to make homemade Bahn mi especially for this recipe. My nearly 4 yr. old doesn’t like refried beans on store-bought flour tortillas, but I think he would really enjoy them this way. Thank you.

  14. Tammy

    Feb 22

    I made these appetizers with mini bagels and monterrey jack cheese. I also smashed my own black beans for the refried bean part of it. Delicious

    1. Pati

      Feb 23

      Great idea, Tammy!

  15. Alex

    Oct 16

    In Mexico we call this Molletes.

    1. Pati

      Oct 16

      Yes, Molletes!

  16. Melissa

    May 11

    I wonder if we can make this into a Mexican style Philly cheese.At fist glance that’s what I thought it was!looks delicious

    1. Pati

      May 11

      Of course you can!

  17. Lydia

    May 04

    Hi Pati, I justed watched the episode with you and your three boys, I can’t wait to cook the recipes especially the mexican cheesecake! All of your boys are handsome, JuJu is a little cutie! I see a future chef in him! I am aTex-Mex Latina, I always watch your show for authentic mexican recipes!! Sus recetas miren tan sabrosas! I will be purchasing your cookbook!

    1. Pati

      May 04

      Gracias Lydia!!! For watching the show and getting the cookbook! I will pass on what you said to Juju…. 🙂

  18. Eric

    Apr 24

    Me encanta el programa. Me trae muchos recuerdos de mi estancia en Cuernavaca, México, donde viví por casi dos años. Espero poder cocinar muy bien alún día.

    I love the program. It brings back a lot of memories of my time in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where I lived for almost two years. I hope to able to cook very well one day.

    1. Pati

      Apr 25

      Of course you will and of course you can!

  19. Lesa Bird

    Apr 24

    Hi Pati, I cannot begin to tell you how much I love your show. I just watched the episode with your three favorite boys and it is by far my most favorite. I can’t wait to make all the dishes in that episode especially the cheesecake. I’ve never had Mexican cheesecake before. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.

    1. Pati

      Apr 25

      Thank you for watching Lesa, and thank you for trying the recipes.

  20. Juliet Valdez

    Mar 16

    Pati, me fascina to programa!! Me gustaria ser tu vecina! 🙂 I do have a question, however. I’m curious about why you translate the names of the dishes to English instead of leaving them with their Spanish names or a reference to both. I love that your introducing so many in the world to our culture. Shouldn’t that include the language when related to the food?

    1. Pati

      Mar 16

      Yes! I include their names in Spanish and English, whenever I can.

  21. Michelle

    Feb 22

    Correct email addy

    1. Pati

      Feb 23

      Gotcha!

  22. Michelle

    Feb 22

    Hola Pati! Thank you for the wonderful recipes. I modified the Alphabet sopa by adding chicken. My family loved it! Your personality really comes through on your show and it’s so very welcoming!

  23. melissa

    Jan 31

    Hello Pati, I just wanted to say I’m excited to try your delicious snack. What better place to try it out then Super Bowl Sunday! Thanks again. Your show and food are great.

    1. Pati

      Feb 01

      Gracias Melissa!!

      1. Tanya

        Nov 04

        Pati, Buenos dias. I absolutely adore when you cook with your boys, especially JuJu. And the JuJu show is out of this world. We are missing your husband. Will you please cook with him, we would love to see your interaction with him or even the whole family. I can’t wait to make the alphabet soup and the Molletes, my husband loves beans so I will have to make this for him. Keep up the good work, muchas gracias.

        1. Pati

          Nov 05

          Hola Tanya, Thank you so much for your comments! Keep watching…I have one with my husband.

  24. diane

    Jan 26

    Thank you for all your recipes. The ABC soup was wonderful. I now have a new favorite soup. Do you have a cookbook? Your wonderful.

    1. Pati

      Jan 29

      Hi Diane, thank you for your message and for trying the soup! Yes, I have a cookbook, more info here: http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/book/

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