BBQ Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Rosa and Carlos and the two kids came up for the whole weekend. First real visit with Andrés (nine weeks old, starting to smile, holding his head up at tummy time) overnight at my house since the birth. They stayed in the guest room. Camila slept in the pack-and-play in the little office. Andrés slept in a bassinet in the guest room next to Rosa's side of the bed.

I cooked a week of meals for them in forty-eight hours. Sopa de pollo. Carne guisada. Pernil. Habichuelas. Ensalada de coditos. Rosa said, "Ma, we are not moving in." I said, "Mija, the freezer does not care." I sent them home Sunday afternoon with six containers. Rosa said, "Ma, this is too much." I said, "Mija, you have a newborn and a toddler. This is not too much. This is exactly enough."

Camila spent most of Saturday afternoon with me in the kitchen. She is two and eight months now. She is a real helper. She wiped the counter. She brought me spoons from the drawer. She told me which pot was "big" and which was "small" and she was correct every time. I had her help me fold empanadilla dough — I was making a batch for the freezer — and she pressed the edges with a fork with great seriousness. Her empanadillas did not hold their shape perfectly. That was fine. They went into the freezer anyway. Some of the meat leaked out during frying. That was fine too. I ate one of hers. It tasted exactly like a Camila empanadilla should taste: a little wonky, filled with her intention.

Andrés slept most of the weekend. He is a calm baby — similar to Mateo at this age, though Andrés is a little more alert and Mateo had been more floppy — and he ate and he slept and he smiled at me once on Sunday morning when I was holding him in the kitchen while Rosa showered. The smile. The first smile from Andrés at me. I wrote it in the notebook. "Andrés first smile at Abuela, 4/21/2024, in the kitchen, while I was stirring sofrito." The archive grows.

Mami came Sunday for dinner. She held Andrés for fifteen minutes. She whispered to him. She said, "Andrés. You have your grandfather's mouth." She meant Miguel Sr. — Rosa's grandfather, my father. I looked at Andrés. I could not tell. But Mami could. She had seen that mouth a hundred thousand times. She knew. She gave Andrés back to Rosa. She said, "He will be a good boy." Blessing. The seventh one from her. Wepa.

I spent forty-eight hours making pernil and carne guisada and six containers of sopa de pollo, and I would do it again without blinking — but come Tuesday, when it is just me and the quiet house that still smells a little like sofrito, I want something I can put together without thinking too hard. Habichuelas were already on my mind all weekend, beans always are, and these BBQ bean tacos with pineapple salsa have that same sweetness-meets-savory that Camila kept reaching for every time I opened the pot. It is not a Sunday cook. It is the meal you make for yourself after the Sunday cook, and it is enough.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4 (2 tacos each)

Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (your preferred brand or homemade)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 small corn or flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, diced small
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt (for salsa)
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage (for topping)
Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Make the pineapple salsa. In a medium bowl, combine the diced pineapple, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine and set aside at room temperature while you prepare the beans. The flavors come together as it sits.
Cook the BBQ beans. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the drained black beans along with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cumin. Stir to coat and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the BBQ sauce. Pour in the BBQ sauce and stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and clings to the beans. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. If the mixture gets too thick, add 2–3 tablespoons of water and stir.
Warm the tortillas. Heat tortillas one at a time directly over a gas burner or in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, about 30 seconds per side, until lightly charred and pliable. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm until ready to serve.
Assemble the tacos. Spoon a generous portion of BBQ beans into each tortilla. Top with a spoonful of pineapple salsa, a pinch of shredded red cabbage, and a drizzle of sour cream if using. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

BBQ Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa — The Everyday Weeknight After a Weekend of Feeding Everyone I Love