Vegetarian
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These sandwiches are heaped with creamy black bean spread, salty white cheese, and creamy avocados. [Photograph: Lauren Rothman]

About the author: Lauren Rothman is a former Serious Eats intern, a graduate student of journalism, and an obsessive chronicler of all things culinary. Try the original recipes on her blog, For the Love of Food, and follow her on Twitter @Lochina186.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 jalapeños, thinly sliced into rounds
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • One large (25 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, plus additional for spreading sandwiches
  • 4 soft round rolls
  • 1 pound queso Oaxaca (Mexican string cheese), thinly sliced
  • 2 ripe avocados, thinly sliced
  • 1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 1 lime
  • 1/2 cup picked fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

Procedures

  1. Place sliced jalapeños in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour pickling solution over jalapeños and cover bowl with a plate; let cool to room temperature.

  2. Meanwhile, place beans in a medium mixing bowl and add cumin, mayonnaise and kosher salt to taste. Mash with a potato masher until beans come together as a spread but remain chunky.

  3. Cut rolls in half. Divide black bean spread among bottom 4 halves of rolls (you may have extra spread), then layer cheese over black beans, dividing evenly between the 4 sandwiches. Top each sandwich with 1/2 a sliced avocado, then add a few jalapeño slices to each sandwich. Top each sandwich with a layer of shredded lettuce and a few cilantro leaves; spritz each sandwich with lime juice. Spread tops of rolls with mayonnaise, place on top of each sandwich, press down gently, and slice in half. Serve immediately.