Serve these easy refried bean wraps for lunch with with stone-ground natural tortilla chips and some fruit! Or whip up this recipe for dinner and serve the wraps with baked potatoes or sweet potatoes. (Tortilla chips and salsa are welcome, too.) These wraps are also a good companion to soups, like our Potato, Corn, and Green Chile Soup, for example. Photos by Evan Atlas.
Using organic refried beans makes this a snap, but if you're a DIY kind of person, follow the link at the end of the recipe to make your own from scratch. To feed more people, the recipe doubles easily. If you're eating solo, you might as well make two, as these keep well.
Make one for dinner, and pack the second one for lunch the next day. What to do with the remaining half can of refried beans? Make Easy Hot Bean Dip, which also calls for half a can. Or, you can freeze the rest for future wraps.
Cool Refried Bean Wraps
Makes: 2 wraps
Ingredients
- ½ (16 oz) can spicy or green chili organic vegan refried beans (or see Note if you want to make them from scratch)
- 2 (10 inch) round wraps, lightly warmed if desired
- thinly shredded romaine lettuce, as needed
- ½ medium ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sliced pitted briny olives or sliced sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-cured)
- fresh or pickled jalapeño pepper slices, optional
Instructions
- Combine half of the refried beans in a bowl with ¼ cup of water, and work together with a fork until smooth, to thin the beans out a bit (most canned refried beans are too dense to spread.
- Divide the refried beans between the two wraps and spread evenly.
- Arrange a mound of lettuce down the center of one wrap. Arrange half of the avocado slices over it, then a layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle with olives or dried tomatoes, and finally the optional jalapeños. Repeat with the second wrap.
- Fold ends over the row of avocado and tomato, then wrap snugly. Cut each in half crosswise. Serve at room temperature and eat out of hand.
Note: If you prefer to cook your own beans, here's a from-scratch recipe for Refried Pinto Beans. Once they're done and cooled, spice them up with chili powder, cumin, and fresh or canned chilies.
- Here are lots more recipes for vegan sandwiches and wraps.
N Shah says
Hi Nava,
Being a strick vegetarian I will have to soak the beans and than cook them. Any suggestions for spices that would go well with the bean in this wrap.
Thank you.
N Shah
Nava says
Hello-- though you can find vegan refried beans in a can, it's admirable that you'd like to cook your own. You can use chili powder, cumin, oregano, and minced fresh chilies or dried hot red pepper flakes, the last two if you like the mixture spicy!
vego says
won't they get soggy by lunch time
Nava says
Vego, I made these a number of times for my kids as they were growing up for their lunches and they seemed to hold up fine. Let me know if you try it!
Reese says
I am at home and my family cooks lots of meaty meals and I am vegetarian. I need a quick easy non bake recipes for myself, any ideas??
Nava says
Reese, these topics list some super-easy recipes (some are actually non-recipes, just ideas for putting together emergency dinners!)
http://www.vegkitchen.com/category/recipes/super-quick-and-easy-meals/3-ingredient-entrees/
http://www.vegkitchen.com/category/recipes/super-quick-and-easy-meals/keep-it-simple/
http://www.vegkitchen.com/category/recipes/super-quick-and-easy-meals/nearly-instant-meals/
Also check out the page for kid and teen-friendly recipes; lots of ideas there! - http://www.vegkitchen.com/kid-friendly-recipes/
Linda says
I like that you add serving suggestions. I suffer from being creative that way. Thanks!
Nava says
We aim to please, Linda!
Linda says
Why are these so high calorie?
Nava says
Linda, you're right that this seems kind of off. I will have my analyzing person go over this again. Stand by ...
b says
Not a vegan, like meat to much, but I love the recipes. So inventive.
H.G. says
Hello,
I'm considering going vegetarian, do you have any posts with tips for how to make the transition?
Nava says
Here's a post on transitioning to a healthy vegan lifestyle, but if you're going vegetarian first, you'll be able to glean some tips here as well. Good luck!
http://www.vegkitchen.com/nutrition/more-transition/