Baleadas Hondureñas are a popular street food made with fluffy flour tortillas topped with beans, cheese and sour cream. This tasty dish is enjoyed as a snack, breakfast, lunch or even dinner, and comes together in just minutes to take on the go!
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Baleadas are a popular, simple Honduran dish. Just like garnaches served in Belize or pupusas in El Salvador, each region seems to have their own version of a dish so simple, tasty and versatile that it is enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Baleadas are made with fluffy warm tortillas, topped with beans, sour cream, cheese, pickled onions and avocado. It is then folded in half to make it easy to take on the go. It’s a popular dish to find served in homes or sold fresh from street carts.
If you’re ready for a simple meal that will surely hit the spot, give these Baleadas Hondureñas a try!
Recipe Origins
Baleadas Hondureñas come from a town in northern Honduras called La Ceiba. In the 1960s this area was home to one of the largest banana plantations, the Standard Fruit company.
Legend has it a single mother set up a food stand near the railway, where workers would board to head to the plantations, and she sold baleadas to the hungry plantation workers there.
Most people seem to agree that the woman was named Doña Tere and that her original stand is still in business, though operated now by the next generation.
Baleadas translates to “a woman who got shot.” If you believe Doña Tere, the name was given as a metaphor. The tortilla is the ammo shell, the beans are bullets and the cheese is the gun powder. It’s a sassy name given by a woman often serving men.
However, another story persists that the name baleadas came after a woman was shot and killed near the original food stand. People continued to visit the stand to purchase the warm tortillas, but they began referring to it as the place where the woman was shot. Eventually the nickname transferred to the dish itself.
Baleadas are most often served from street carts in Honduras. They are served warm and taken on the go, fueling folks as they head to or from work.
Why Make This Recipe
- Easy: You can dress up baleadas as much as you want, but at the heart of the recipe it’s a good, warm tortilla with warm beans, cheese, cream and a dash of hot sauce
- On the Go: This is a great meal when you’re short on time or need to be on the move. Baleadas are meant to be eaten with your hands while running from one location to the next.
- Versatile: Add eggs, chicken, beef or chorizo for some extra protein or just keep the dish simple and straightforward.
Ingredients for Baleadas
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Homemade Flour Tortillas: If you’re not up for making your tortillas yourself, that’s fine. Just buy the fluffiest and thickest you can find. The ready to cook tortillas from the grocery store work well.
- Refried Beans: You can use any refried beans, but most authentic recipes call for red kidney beans. No matter the beans you choose, be sure they are warm.
- Cotija Cheese: You can use queso fresco or queso duro as substitutes
- Sour Cream or Honduran Crema
- Avocado: This is optional but in my opinion adds excellent flavor
- Pickled Red Onions: Pickled red onions are also optional but are an authentic choice
Variations
What makes baleadas so popular is that they are great when kept simple, like this recipe, which is referred to as baleadas sencilla! But they can also be customized any way you want.
You can often find baleadas served with eggs for breakfast (baleadas especiales) or with chicken, beef or sausage (baleada super especiale).
I like to enjoy these in their simplest form, with a dash of hot sauce, a side of elote loco and a glass of agua fresca. Follow it up with a bowl of arroz con leche. Yum!
How to Make Refried Beans
Most authentic versions of this recipe call for refried beans made from red kidney beans. While this is not a necessity, it’s not difficult to make your own refried beans from a can of kidney beans.
Start by opening the can and rinsing the beans. Blend the beans in a blender with a bit of water until they break down and are smooth.
Add a bit of olive or canola oil to a pan along with a half of an onion cut into slices. Heat the oil with the onion until the onion begins to turn brown, then dispose of the onion but keep the oil.
Add your beans to the pan and stir until the beans are warm and have incorporated all the oil. Season with salt.
How to Make This Recipe
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Step 1: Warm your tortilla on the stove until warm. Spread beans over one half of your tortilla
Step 2: Sprinkle with cotija cheese and add sour cream/Honduran Crema.
Step 3: Add additional toppings, like pickled red onions, avocado slices, or anything else that sounds delicious!
Step 4: Fold in half and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Baleadas Hondureñas can be served with avocado, red onions, eggs, seasoned beef, chicken or sausage.
- Be sure your beans are warm before spreading them. Baleadas should be served warm.
- Using homemade tortillas truly does take this recipe to a whole new level. Give it a try!
Recipe FAQs
Baleadas and Pupusas are similar in the sense that they are both easy on the go meals where dough envelops a delicious filling. Baleadas are made with flour tortillas stuffed with beans, crema, and more. Pupusas are made with corn dough, and are cooked after they are filled. Pupusas are also slightly thicker than baleadas and are normally filled with meat, cheese, and/or beans, but are not usually filled with crema or other toppings.
Baleadas are folded in half and eaten like a soft taco. They are meant to be served warm and are often taken to go.
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Baleadas Hondureñas Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 homemade flour tortillas, or buy the ready to cook store bought ones
- 1 cup refried beans
- ½ cup cotija cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- Avocado, optional
- Pickled Red Onions, optional
Instructions
- Use a spoon to spread ¼ of the refried beans onto one half of a tortilla.
- Sprinkle cotija cheese on top and add some dollops of sour cream.
- Add any additional toppings, then fold the tortilla in half. Enjoy!
Notes
- Homemade Flour Tortillas: If you’re not up for making your tortillas yourself, that’s fine. Just buy the fluffiest and thickest you can find. The ready to cook tortillas from the grocery store work well.
- Refried Beans: You can use any refried beans, but most authentic recipes call for refried red kidney beans. No matter the beans you choose, be sure they are warm.
- Cotija Cheese: You can use queso fresco or queso duro as substitutes
- Baleadas Hondureñas can be served with avocado, red onions, eggs, seasoned beef, chicken or sausage.
- Be sure your beans are warm before spreading them. Baleadas should be served warm.
- Using homemade tortillas truly does take this recipe to a whole new level. Give it a try!
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