Caroline's Cooking

Internationally inspired recipes for everyone to enjoy - mostly healthy, always tasty

  • Recipe index
    • Breakfast/Brunch
    • Appetizer/Starter
    • Main
      • 30 minute meals
      • Seafood
      • vegetarian meals
    • Side
    • Lunch
    • Snack
    • Dessert
    • Drink
  • International recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About Caroline’s Cooking
You are here: Home / Breakfast/Brunch / Mexican molletes

Mexican molletes

April 12, 2018 by Caroline's Cooking 4 Comments

Pin
Tweet
Share
+1
Stumble

Breakfast (or any meal, to be honest) can hardly get more comforting than this easy and delicious Mexican creation. Molletes loads cheese, beans and salsa on bread and is as tasty as it sounds.

Mexican molletes - bean, cheese and salsa sandwichWhen I first went to Mexico years ago, my parents came to visit at the end and we spend a few days based in Mexico City, seeing the sights there and going out of town on day trips. We packed a lot in to a few short days and there were so many great things we saw. We also had some pretty great food, including chicken mole and ice creams/sorbets such as avocado paletas and watermelon sorbet.

Mexican molletes - bread with beans, melted cheese and topped with salsaI particularly remember some delicious breakfasts, which before then had never really been my thing. Since childhood, I was lucky if I had as much as a banana or slice of toast, apart from the occasional eggs and bacon if we had them on the weekends.

In Mexico, though, alongside huevos rancheros, a favorite was molletes. It’s a pretty simple dish, but so comforting. It’s nothing fancy, being simply beans, cheese and salsa on bread (not to be confused with a mollete in Spain which is a kind of bread). But it’s a combination that both satisfies your hunger and the flavors work well together.

making Mexican molletes - hollowing out bread, filling with beans and melting cheese under grillHow it’s made

Traditionally you’d make molletes with bollilos, which are small French baguette-style rolls. However I for one don’t ever see them here and for whatever reason, my local stores weren’t cooperating with anything particularly similar when I looked to make this. Here I used a smaller country-style roll which worked just fine, as would most white rolls that aren’t too dense or too full of holes.

I’ve given two versions of the recipe since you have the option of making it almost from scratch, or with minimal effort using ready-made salsa and refried beans. Once you have those two components, however you do it, then all you do is slightly hollow out the two sides of the roll, toast a little then fill with beans, top with cheese and pop under the broiler/grill. Top with salsa and serve.

Molletes might not be as well known as some other Mexican dishes, but I think it might just be because it’s so simple, it’s kind of a national secret comfort food. Who knows, but it’s definitely one cheesy sandwich you want to try!

Mexican molletes - bread with beans, melted cheese and topped with salsa

5 from 1 vote
Mexican molletes - bean, cheese and salsa sandwich
Print
Mexican molletes - (nearly) from scratch
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 3 or more
Calories: 630 kcal
Author: based on Saveur recipe
Ingredients
For the salsa
  • 1 tomato a large tomato, diced relatively small
  • 2 tbsp onion (quantity once finely diced)
  • 1/2 chili diced small (or more/less to taste)
  • 1 tbsp cilantro coriander (quantity once finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp lime juice
For the refried beans
  • 3 tsp vegetable oil or a little more as needed
  • 14 oz pinto beans 400g, ie 1 can/tin
  • 1/2 onion finely diced
  • 3/4 cup stock vegetable or chicken, depending on what you need/dietary requirement
To make dish
  • 3 rolls see notes
  • 3/4 cup Oaxaca cheese grated
Instructions
For the salsa
  1. First make the salsa by dicing the tomato, onion and chili all pretty small and mixing them with the chopped cilantro/coriander. Add the lime juice and a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the beans
  1. Next make the beans by warming the oil in a small pan and adding the diced onion. Cook for a couple minutes until it is softening then add the beans and stock. Cook for around 5 minutes until the beans become very soft and it starts to thicken. You can mash the beans to help them on their way. Once it has thickened a bit, set aside to stay warm.

To make up molletes
  1. Meanwhile, warm the broiler then cut the rolls in half through the middle and scoop out a bit of the middle doughy part of each side so you have a slight hollow. Broil the cut sides of the rolls a minute to gently crisp.

  2. Fill the hollow in each side of the rolls with refried beans and top with some grated cheese. Put under the broiler and cook for a minute or two until the cheese melts. Serve warm, topped with some salsa. 

Nutrition Facts
Mexican molletes - (nearly) from scratch
Amount Per Serving
Calories 630 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 37%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 1060mg 44%
Potassium 700mg 20%
Total Carbohydrates 74g 25%
Dietary Fiber 13g 52%
Sugars 7g
Protein 30g 60%
Vitamin A 9.3%
Vitamin C 10.9%
Calcium 10.8%
Iron 75.1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
5 from 1 vote
Mexican molletes - bean, cheese and salsa sandwich
Print
Mexican molletes - super quick version
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
2 mins
Total Time
7 mins
 

Molletes are a super-easy, tasty breakfast or snack - so comforting!

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 1 -2
Calories: 429 kcal
Author: Caroline's Cooking
Ingredients
  • 1 white roll (see notes below)
  • 1/2 cup refried beans
  • 1/4 cup Oaxaca cheese grated/torn
  • 1/4 cup salsa
Instructions
  1. Cut the roll in half through the middle and scoop out a bit of the middle doughy part of each side so you have a slight hollow. 

  2. Preheat the broiler and gently toast the inside of the rolls until just crisp. Meanwhile, warm the refried beans.

  3. Fill the hollow in each side of the rolls with refried beans and top with some grated cheese. Put under the broiler and cook for a minute or two until the cheese melts. Serve warm, topped with some salsa. 

Recipe Notes

Traditionally the roll is a Mexican bollilo - a smallish French-style roll. You can also use most other medium-dense rolls eg kaiser rolls, dinner rolls. 

Note most refried beans are not vegetarian as it will be cooked in lard, traditionally - if this is important to you do check label or make your own, as in other version. 

You can use any salsa, to taste - mild, spicy or a simple pico de gallo is ideal too.

Nutrition Facts
Mexican molletes - super quick version
Amount Per Serving
Calories 429 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 1923mg 80%
Potassium 234mg 7%
Total Carbohydrates 41g 14%
Dietary Fiber 7g 28%
Sugars 5g
Protein 22g 44%
Vitamin A 8.2%
Vitamin C 1.5%
Calcium 13%
Iron 13.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Are you a grilled cheese fan? Try these other tasty ideas (it’s both grilled cheese month and grilled cheese day today!)

  • Bacon Brie Paninis by Bear & Bug Eats
  • Butter Poached Lobster and Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
  • Cajun Tuna Grilled Cheese by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
  • Grilled Cheese and Pepper Sandwiches by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
  • Grilled Guacamole and Cheese by Palatable Pastime
  • Mexican Molletes by Caroline’s Cooking
  • Open-Faced Grilled Caprese by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • Pear and Taleggio Grilled Cheese by The Redhead Baker
  • Three Cheese Bacon and Jalapeno Grilled Cheese by Daily Dish Recipes

 

Remember to pin for later!

Breakfast (or any meal, to be honest) can hardly get more comforting than this easy and delicious Mexican creation. Molletes loads cheese, beans and salsa on bread and is as tasty as it sounds. Here there's a super quick way to make them, plus almost from scratch to suit the time you have. #Mexicanrecipe #vegetarian #breakfastsandwich

Pin
Tweet
Share
+1
Stumble

Filed Under: Breakfast/Brunch, International flavors, Mexican food Tagged With: beans, cheese, sandwich, vegetarian

« Keema curry (keema matar)
Vietnamese banh mi pork #SundaySupper »

Comments

  1. Camilla at Culinary Adventures says

    April 12, 2018 at 10:28 am

    I was so curious when I saw the title in the preview. I had never heard of molletes. These look right up my alley. Can’t wait to try them.

    Reply
    • Caroline's Cooking says

      April 15, 2018 at 8:05 pm

      Thanks, it’s a shame they’re not better known, but definitely one to try. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Christie says

    April 12, 2018 at 5:14 pm

    These look so good! I love the hidden center in there. You can’t see it from the top.

    Reply
    • Caroline's Cooking says

      April 15, 2018 at 8:06 pm

      Thanks, that’s a sign of having enough cheese on 😉 It’s all delicious, though!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Caroline's Cooking

Welcome! I'm Caroline and this is where I share recipes inspired by travels, places I want to go, or just ideas from feeding the family. Most recipes are easy to make and healthier, but there are treats too! Read More…

Subscribe to Caroline’s Cooking’s newsletter and receive an e-book of favorite sauces – it’s all FREE!

Recent Posts

  • Shrimp ceviche tostadas
  • Meyer lemon zucchini muffins
  • Vietnamese banh mi pork #SundaySupper
  • Mexican molletes
  • Keema curry (keema matar)

Search for more recipes:

More on Caroline’s Cooking

  • About Caroline’s Cooking
  • As featured…
  • Blogging resources
  • Eat the world! International recipes
  • Instagram
  • Language and measurements
  • Privacy policy
  • Recipe index
  • Subscribe

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2018 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress