15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (2024)

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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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15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (1)

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

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (2)

    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 Pico de Gallo

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (3)

    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

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (4)

    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)

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (5)

    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)

    Continue to 5 of 15 below.

  • Perfect Frijoles Refritos (Mexican Refried Beans)

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (6)

    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)

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (7)

    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

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (8)

    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)

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (9)

    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)

    Continue to 9 of 15 below.

  • The Best Carne Asada

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (10)

    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)

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (11)

    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

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (12)

    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

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (13)

    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

    Continue to 13 of 15 below.

  • No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas With Salsa Verde

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (14)

    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)

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (15)

    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)

    15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (16)

    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)

15 Easy Mexican Recipes Perfect for Weeknight Dinners (2024)

FAQs

What is a typical Mexican dinner? ›

When it comes to Mexican food, we're sure you're familiar with the classics, like tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. We've included lots of our favorites, like our fish tacos, chicken quesadillas, and cheesy baked burritos, as well as some Tex-Mex/Southern spins, like our Mexican chicken casserole or tamale pie.

What is the most eaten dish in Mexico? ›

Tacos. It's the most popular Mexican dish globally. Usually served with fillings like steak, chorizo, offal, etc.

What is Mexico's national dish? ›

Mole poblano is perhaps the best known of all mole varieties. An ancient dish native to the state of Puebla, it has been called the national dish of Mexico, and ranked first as the most typical of Mexican dishes.

What is the famous appetizer in Mexico? ›

Sopes. One of the greatest pleasures of Mexican street food are sopes: round bundles of masa lightly fried and piled with refried beans, shredded chicken, salsa roja or salsa verde, and cotija cheese. These little antojitos, or snacks, can be eaten throughout the day, and make for perfect anytime party apps.

What is a typical Mexican meal schedule? ›

An average household would usually have 3 big meals a day, desayuno, comida y cena; breakfast being the heartiest one, takes place first thing in the morning, anytime between 7 -10 am. After that comes lunch, also quite heavy, anywhere from 2 to 5pm and dinner is commonly served around 7pm.

What is the most popular drink in Mexico? ›

Margarita

While margaritas are the most common answer to “What are some traditional drinks in Mexico?”, every bar in the country has its own unique flavor and style for margaritas.

What are the 4 ingredients that feature in many Mexican dishes? ›

The most popular Mexican ingredients are beans, rice, avocado and limes. They're utilized in nearly every dish, from hearty enchilada casseroles to creamy drinks like horchata. Read on to learn the top ingredients in Mexican cooking and to find some recipe inspiration for your next taco or burrito night at home!

What are the 3 staples of Mexican cuisine? ›

But, keeping in mind the country's unique culinary traditions, it's fair to say that Mexican cuisine depends on three core staples: corn, beans, and chiles.

What are 4 foods native to Mexico? ›

Today's food staples native to the land include corn (maize), turkey, beans, squash, amaranth, chia, avocados, tomatoes, tomatillos, cacao, vanilla, agave, spirulina, sweet potato, cactus, and chili pepper.

What is the most commonly served alongside meals in Mexico? ›

Refried beans, as well as rice and tortillas, are usually served in every Mexican meal, as well as guacamole and a delicious salsa made with different kinds of chili peppers and red or green tomatoes, onions, garlic and cilantro.

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