Did I mention that kids are 200% more likely to eat a pan of beans and vegetables when it’s covered with cheese and comes with a bowl of chips? Because let’s be honest, this was a motivator, just as it was in 2017 when I encouraged us to bake large beans as if they were ziti and scoop it onto garlic bread. I want my kids to eat more beans and lentils so that I get to eat more beans and lentils, but they’re resistant. In the last couple years, I’ve doubled down, cooking lentils as if they were French onion soup, chickpeas as if they were brisket, and black beans as if they were queso fundido as often as I can get away with it. It’s essentially a large pan* of my favorite bean burrito filling and it’s highly flexible. Use the beans you’re craving and the vegetables you have. Add meat, if you’d like it, and more heat, especially if you’re not cooking for my offspring.

Black Bean and Vegetable Bake

Heat your largest ovenproof skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil, and once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and bell pepper and cook until the the ingredients begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, first 2 teaspoons chili powder, and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and let simmer for 1 minute, then add the beans and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Taste the mixture and add salt; I find I need between 2 to 3 teaspoons of kosher salt (Diamond brand) to get the level right but adjust it to your taste. Add last 1 teaspoon chili powder if needed for your desired heat level. Add the corn and spinach and stir until the spinach has wilted and everything is warm. Taste for seasoning again and adjust as needed. Squeeze juice of half a lime over.

Meanwhile, heat your oven’s broiler, and if it doesn’t have a broiler, heat it as hot as it goes.

If your skillet isn’t ovenproof, pour mixture into a baking dish. Mix jack and cotija cheeses and sprinkle mixture over the beans. [The smaller amount of jack cheese covers the pan less thickly than shown here, and allows more sauce to bubble through. The larger amount is never unwelcome.] Transfer to broiler and cook until cheese is melted and browned on top. Eat right away with tortilla chips, hot sauce of your choice, and if you’re me, a squeeze of juice from the second half of the lime.

Do ahead: While the whole dish reheats well in a 350°F oven, if you’re planning to eat it later, I’d wait to put the cheese on until right before you serve it because cheese is at its most stretchy/gooey the first time it melts.