Lovely on tostado shells with your favorite combination of avocado, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, salsa...
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
¼ c tomato paste
1½ t smoked paprika
1 t ground cumin
2(14-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
½ c boiling water (or room temp water, as needed, to loosen beans without making them soupy)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1½ c grated Cheddar or Manchego cheese (I used about 4 oz cheddar and a bit of extra parmesan)
Heat the oven to 475 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof (cast iron) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Fry the garlic until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, and cumin, and fry for 30 seconds, reducing the heat as needed to prevent the garlic from burning.
Add the beans, water and generous pinches of salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top then bake until the cheese has melted, 5 to 10 minutes. If the top is not as browned as you’d like, run the skillet under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
