12-Minute Broiled Black Bean & Blistered Tomato Cazuela (The WFH Lunch Scoop)
It was 12:45 PM on a Tuesday, my kitchen counter was covered in third-grade math worksheets, and I was staring down a 1:00 PM Zoom. The thought of eating another sad, cold sandwich made me want to cry. I needed the comfort of my abuela’s slow-simmered frijoles, but I had exactly twelve minutes. Enter the WFH Lunch Cazuela! We’re not suffering for lunch. The secret here is your broiler. By throwing cherry tomatoes and scallions under high heat until they blacken and burst, you are faking hours of deep, smoky Oaxacan flavor in minutes. Blend half of that jammy goodness with a can of black beans, top it with whatever melting cheese is in your fridge, and broil it into a molten, scoopable dream. What makes this special to me is that it delivers true Oaxacan soul without the three-hour simmer. Making it your own is easy (we love a Bodega Mode): no fresh tomatoes? Use drained canned fire-roasted ones. Need a kick? Blend in a spoonful of chipotle in adobo or a fresh jalapeño. Grab a handful of tortilla chips and eat it straight out of the skillet before someone asks you for a snack. Real flavor, real life. Ándale!
Featured Recipe
12-Minute Broiled Black Bean & Blistered Tomato Cazuela (The WFH Lunch Scoop)
It is 12:45 PM, you have exactly fifteen minutes before your next meeting, and the sad desk-salad is not going to cut it. We are doing a quick-broil cazuela. By blistering tomatoes and scallions under the broiler, we build a smoky, deep base in minutes. We blend half of that jammy veg with canned black beans, top it with cheese, and broil it into a molten, scoopable dream. Real flavor, real life, no sad lunches.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes(Any small tomato works, even the ones getting wrinkly on your counter)
- 4 whole scallions(Roots trimmed, roughly chopped into 2-inch pieces)
- 2 whole garlic cloves(Peeled and smashed)
- 1 tbsp olive oil(For tossing the vegetables)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt(Plus more to taste)
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans(Do not drain! We need the starchy liquid)
- 1 whole canned chipotle pepper in adobo(Bodega Mode: If you hate heat, swap for a pinch of smoked paprika)
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce(From the chipotle can)
- 1/2 cup shredded Oaxaca cheese(Or low-moisture mozzarella or even string cheese pulled apart)
- 1/2 whole lime(For finishing)
- 1/4 cup crema(Or sour cream thinned with a tiny splash of milk)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves(Roughly chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Turn your oven's broiler to HIGH. In a 10-inch oven-safe skillet, toss 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 4 scallions (cut into 2-inch pieces), and 2 garlic cloves with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp kosher salt.
2 min
Tip: Make sure your skillet is truly oven-safe (cast iron or stainless steel without rubber handles). If you line a sheet pan with foil instead, that works too, just scrape it all into a serving bowl later.
- 2
Throw the skillet under the broiler. Let it ride until the tomatoes burst and the scallions get those beautiful charred edges. While they broil, get your blender out.
4 min
Tip: Keep the oven door cracked just a little if your broiler tends to go from zero to incinerate. We want a heavy blister, not ash.
- 3
Carefully pull the skillet out (the handle is raging hot, use a thick towel!). Scoop the garlic and about half of the blistered tomatoes and scallions directly into your blender. Leave the rest right there in the skillet.
1 min
Tip: Mom math: leaving half the tomatoes in the pan means you get that amazing pop of texture when you eat, without having to dirty a second bowl.
- 4
To the blender, add the entire 1 (15-oz) can black beans (do not drain them—that liquid is our free broth!), 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, and 1 tbsp adobo sauce. Blend on high until velvety and smooth.
1 min
Tip: Taste it right out of the blender. Canned beans vary wildly in sodium. If it needs a pinch more salt, add it now. You want it aggressively flavorful because the cheese will mellow it out.
- 5
Pour the black bean puree back into the hot skillet. Give it a gentle stir to mix with the reserved blistered tomatoes and scallions. Scatter 1/2 cup shredded Oaxaca cheese evenly over the top.
1 min
Tip: If the puree feels too thick (some canned beans are super starchy), stir in two tablespoons of water right into the skillet.
- 6
Pop the skillet back under the broiler. Watch it like a hawk—we want the cheese molten, bubbling, and hitting those crispy brown spots.
3 min
Tip: Do not walk away to check emails. Broilers smell fear and will burn your cheese the second you look at your phone.
- 7
Pull it out. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime over the whole thing to wake it up. Zig-zag 1/4 cup crema on top, and throw on 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with warm tortillas or whatever flatbread you have. You are going to scoop it straight from the skillet.
1 min
Tip: Acid is the finishing move that saves this from being too heavy. Don't skip the lime!
Chef's Notes
Bodega Mode: If you can't find Oaxaca cheese, grab a string cheese and pull it apart into shreds. It is in the exact same mozzarella family and melts like an absolute dream. We are not suffering for lunch today. Also, if you only have whole wheat bread instead of tortillas, toast it hard and use it to scoop. I promise the bean-and-cheese logic still holds up.
María “Mari” Santiago
Oaxacan comfort, Brooklyn shortcuts, weeknight bright.
María “Mari” Santiago was born in Oaxaca, where her earliest kitchen memories are measured in scent: chiles toasting on a comal, cinnamon and chocolate blooming in mole, and the warm, nutty snap of a tlayuda folded in half for the walk home. She learned by watching—first her tías, then her abuela—picking up the small, practical rules that never made it into written recipes: how to tell when the garlic is *just* right, how to rescue a too-spicy salsa, and why you always taste the broth before you add the salt. Now in Brooklyn, Mari cooks the food she grew up on while raising two little kids and juggling real-life time limits. Her style is “real flavor, real life”: traditional Oaxacan and everyday Mexican dishes—moles, caldos, frijoles, enfrijoladas, salsas, and crispy tlayudas—made weeknight-friendly with smart shortcuts, brighter salsas, and more vegetables without losing the soul of the dish. She’s not precious about rules, she’s big on swaps, and she’s on a mission to prove that you can cook deeply flavorful Mexican food with what you can actually find at a normal grocery store (and still get dinner on the table before a meltdown). Mari’s recipes read like a friend texting you from the produce aisle: clear, funny, and unpretentious, with a side of abuela wisdom. If there’s a hard-to-find ingredient, she gives you a realistic alternative, tells you what will change (and what won’t), and keeps the focus where it belongs—on food that tastes like home, even when home is a small Brooklyn kitchen.