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Quick salsas, pressure cooker pozole, simple guisados, smoky frijoles, and other low-effort classics fit for a weeknight.
By
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
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Updated January 29, 2024
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Some of our favorite Mexican dishes are also the simplest to make—many come together in a flash, while others involve minimal prep and a lazy, no-hassle simmer. Some, like our pay de queso and homemade mangonadas, feel like a special occasion treat, but most are everyday favorites worth keeping in your weekly meal-planning repertoire.
Classic Guacamole
For the tastiest guacamole, we start by pounding (or processing) the serrano chile, onion, and cilantro with salt, which draws out their flavor. Once the avocados are added, we keep them nice and chunky for the best texture.
Classic Guacamole
Classic Pico de Gallo
Also known assalsa frescaorsalsa mexicana(because of its resemblance to the colors of the Mexican flag), this classic dish is made by combining chopped tomatoes, onions, and chiles—but our version is ever-so-slightly optimized for better flavor and texture.
Classic Pico de Gallo
Mangonada
The secret to this bracingly spicy, sweet, tart, salty, icy, and refreshing Mexican drink is to use the most flavorful mango and chamoy possible.
Mangonadas
Elotes (Grilled Mexican Street Corn)
The best way to prepare corn on the cob? We're partial to this recipe, where shucked ears are grilled until lightly charred and then coated with a blend of garlic, cilantro, chile powder, mayo, and Cotija cheese, plus a final squeeze of lime. For a tidier, forkable alternative, try whipping up a batch of esquites instead.
Elotes (Grilled Mexican Street Corn)
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Perfect Frijoles Refritos (Mexican Refried Beans)
This master recipe for making refried beans at home goes through all the options at your disposal: what bean types add to the equation, the best aromatics to cook the beans with, mashing techniques, as well as the different fats you can use to "refry" your beans.
Perfect Frijoles Refritos (Mexican Refried Beans)
Frijoles Charros (Mexican Pinto Beans With Bacon and Chiles)
This simple pot of creamy, brothy beans is flavored with bacon, onion, tomato, garlic, and fresh chiles. Serve with rice, maybe a few warmed corn tortillas, and a scattering of cilantro for a soul-soothing lunch.
Frijoles Charros (Mexican Pinto Beans With Bacon and Chiles)
Spicy Chicken Quesadillas
Shredded chicken, kicked up with jalapeño and pepper Jack cheese, makes a hearty filling for these flaky quesadillas.
Spicy Chicken Quesadillas
One-Pot Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)
Making pozole from scratch can be a time-consuming affair, but this streamlined recipe from Kenji can be prepared on a weeknight. The result: a delicious, one-pot pozole that doesn't skimp on flavor.
Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)
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The Best Carne Asada
The best carne asada combines dried chiles, citrus, spices, and skirt steak, which is then grilled over ripping-hot heat. A fair amount of prep goes into the marinade, but the rest is easy-peasy.
The Best Carne Asada
Easy One-Pot Chicken Tinga (Mexican Shredded Chicken Stew)
For this classic guisado, bone-in chicken breast is stewed in a mixture of onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomatillos, chicken stock, and smoky chipotle chiles. Once shredded, the saucy pulled chicken is one of our favorite fillings for tacos, burritos, and enchiladas.
Easy One-Pot Chicken Tinga (Spicy Mexican Shredded Chicken)
Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
Turn time-intensive enchiladas into an easy meal by multi-tasking with your pressure cooker.
Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchiladas
Quick and Easy Huevos Rancheros With Tomato-Chile Salsa
You're less than 30 minutes away from a smoky, spicy, super-satisfying breakfast of huevos rancheros.
Quick and Easy Huevos Rancheros With Tomato-Chile Salsa
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No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas With Salsa Verde
Our carnitas recipe is easier than the traditional bucket-of-lard method, and produces results that are juicy and flavorful with plenty of browned crispy bits.
No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas With Salsa Verde
Bolis de Pay de Limón (Mexican Key Lime Pie Ice Pops)
Here, creamy, tart ice pops with vanilla cookie crumbs swirled in emulate the classic key lime pie.
Bolis de Pay de Limón (Mexican Key Lime Pie Ice Pops)
Pay De Queso (Mexican Cheese Pie)
This Mexican cheesecake doubles down on the dairy: cream cheese, evaporated milk, queso fresco, and condensed milk all find their way into the filling. This recipe is easy, as it only takes 15 minutes to prep for the oven and does not require a spring-form pan or a water bath setup. (Waiting for the filling to firm up in the refrigerator might be a little difficult though!)
Pay De Queso (Mexican Cheese Pie)
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