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+ servings
2 finished baleadas on a plate
Dennis

Honduran Baleadas

5 from 1 vote
A recipe for baleadas, a Honduran soft taco with refried beans, cheese, crema, and avocado on a homemade tortilla. Chorizo and pickled onions optional.
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Soaking Beans 9 hours
Total Time 10 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Honduras
Calories: 1029

Ingredients
  

Homemade Tortillas (Optional)
  • cup all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • cup olive oil
  • ½ cup warm water
Refried Beans
  • 1 lb red beans (or black)
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • salt
  • pepper
  • cayenne pepper
  • 6 cups water
Pickled Onions (Optional)
  • 2 red onions thinly sliced
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
Other Stuff
  • 2 avocados
  • 1 cup crema (or sour cream)
  • 1 cup queso fresco (or queso duro)
  • ½ lb chorizo (optional)

Method
 

The Night Before
  1. If you are using dry beans instead of canned, make sure to put them in a pot with water and soak them overnight, at least 8 hours.
    Soaking black beans in a pot
Beans
  1. Skip this step if using canned beans. Dump out the bean water, rinse and put beans in a pot with 6 cups of water, or however much the package specifies. Simmer on medium low heat for at least 1 hour, or according to package. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste once beans are tender. Allow the beans to simmer another 8 minutes to absorb the flavor.
Tortillas
  1. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle, add water and olive oil. Stir thoroughly until well combined.
    Mixing wet and dry tortilla ingredients
  2. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes with your hands. Add flour or water to get the right consistency as needed, shouldn't be too sticky or dry. Form the dough into a ball and cover the bowl with a moist towel. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. During this time you can make the pickled onions if you like.
    A ball of tortilla dough
Pickled Onions
  1. Add the vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and pepper flakes to a small pot and bring to a boil.
    Pickling liquid in a pot
  2. Put sliced onions and garlic in a heat safe container and pour pickling liquid on top of them until they are completely covered. Leave uncovered and they will be ready to eat in 30 minutes.
    Pickled onions in a container
Refried Beans
  1. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a skillet on medium heat. Saute garlic for 2 minutes, then add drained beans (save some of the boiling liquid to add later). Fry the beans for about 5 minutes.
  2. Either mash the beans with a spoon in the skillet, or but them in the blender. Both methods will require a little of the liquid from earlier to get the desired consistency of refried beans, otherwise they will be a little dry.
    Mashing refried beans with a spoon
  3. Taste beans and adjust if desired.
Finish Tortillas
  1. Divide the dough into 8 sections, flatten them into a disc in your hands.
    8 portions of tortilla dough, flattened
  2. Heat up a skillet on medium heat.
  3. Flour workspace and a rolling pin. Roll each disc as flat as you can, about 6 inches in diameter.
    A rolled out tortilla, hand for scale
  4. 1 at a time, cook the tortillas. About 30 seconds after adding the tortilla to the skillet, you will see some bubbles on the top of the tortilla. This is the sign to flip. Wait another 30 seconds and take off heat.
    A cooking tortilla, done on one side
  5. Check doneness of tortilla and adjust time if needed. Continue process until all are made.
    A cooked tortilla
Assemble the Baleadas
  1. If using it, quickly fry your chorizo in a skillet on medium heat, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add a big scoop of refried beans to the middle of your tortillas, then crumbled cheese on top. Next, as much crema as you want. Then, a few slices of avocado. If desired, some pickled onions. Finish on top with chorizo or scrambled eggs for the full street food experience. Enjoy!
    2 finished baleadas on a plate

Nutrition

Calories: 1029kcalCarbohydrates: 88gProtein: 34gFat: 60gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 2988mgPotassium: 1230mgFiber: 17gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1112IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 379mgIron: 8mg

Notes

Sodium values are inflated by the pickling liquid, just don't drink that and you're fine.

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