Easy Eats: Mexican Bean Toasties with Grated Salsa

2:20 pm on 28 August 2024
Mexican Bean Toasties with Grated Salsa by Sam Parish

You can't beat a toastie, especially one dripping in chipotle butter, says Sam Parish. Photo: Sam Parish

Toasties for dinner? Why not? Not only are these easy to prepare (the kids can jump in and help), but they can also be amped up with extra spice for all the dads who need a little extra oomph this Father's Day.

You just can’t beat a toastie – oozy cheese, golden bread - and these ones are even better, dripping in chipotle butter and served with a salsa for dipping.

Serves 4 / Prep time: 10 minutes / Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the toasties:

  • 60g butter, softened
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • ¼ tsp chipotle powder (or more to taste)
  • 8 slices bread
  • 1 can Mexican baked beans
  • 100g mild cheddar cheese, sliced
  • ¼ cup finely grated parmesan
  • Avocado, jalapeños, and coriander to serve

For the grated salsa:

  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 small red onion
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 Tbsp chopped coriander
  • ½ tsp each of salt and white sugar

Method

Preheat a sandwich press.

To make the chipotle butter, combine the butter, vegetable oil, tomato paste, and chipotle powder.

Place the slices of bread on a clean work surface and divide the butter mixture evenly across the bread.

Flip the slices, then add the cheese and a spoonful of beans to half of the slices. Fold over, ensuring the buttered side is on the outside.

Place the sandwiches in the press and close the lid. Cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Scatter with parmesan and slice in half, then stack on a plate.

Meanwhile, for the grated salsa, use a box grater to coarsely grate the tomatoes into a bowl, then finely grate the onion. Add the lime juice, coriander, salt, and sugar, and season to taste.

To serve, slice the avocado and wedge it between the toasties. Top with jalapeños and serve with the salsa for dipping.

 

An image of Christchurch-based food writer and chef Sam Parish. Sam is wearing a brown and white checked jumpsuit and sitting next to a stack of cookbooks.

Photo: Sam Parish

Sam Parish is a Christchurch-based chef, writer and food stylist. She's all about cooking smarter, not harder. She’ll be sharing delicious, fast, family-friendly food ideas every Wednesday (after road-testing them on her own whānau, of course). Sam’s first book, Cook Me is out now.