20-Minute Pasilla-Seared Flank Steak with Silky Black Beans
Growing up, a proper steak dinner meant my abuela's slow-simmered tasajo and frijoles that cooked all day in a clay pot. Beautiful? Yes. Realistic for a Brooklyn Tuesday at 6 PM? Absolutely not. We're not suffering for dinner, people! I created this 20-minute pasilla-seared flank steak during a chaotic week when my kids were on the brink of a hunger meltdown. I craved deep Oaxacan comfort, but I needed it fast. Enter my favorite high-payoff move: the blender bean puree. You're going to rub that weeknight flank steak with a quick, smoky pasilla blend (Bodega Mode: sub ancho chili powder if that's what you have!) and sear it hard in the pan. While the meat rests (mom math: exactly enough time to break up a sibling argument), toss canned black beans into a blender with a little garlic and broth. It whips into a velvety dream that tastes like it simmered for hours. Top it off with a bright, crunchy cabbage slaw dressed in heavy lime juice-that acidity is the finishing move that wakes the whole dish up. Taste your beans, salt them properly (taste it-then decide), and ándale. You've got a killer dinner on the table before anyone can even ask for a snack.
Featured Recipe
20-Minute Pasilla-Seared Flank Steak with Silky Black Beans
We’re taking the soul of a Oaxacan steak dinner and fitting it into a Tuesday night. A quick, smoky pasilla rub turns weeknight flank steak into a flavor bomb, while canned black beans get a blender-shortcut makeover into a velvety puree. Top it off with a bright, crunchy cabbage slaw, and you've got a killer dinner before anyone can even ask for a snack.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak(Patted dry. Do not skip the drying step!)
- 1 tbsp pasilla chile powder(Bodega Mode: If you can't find pasilla, ancho or even a good standard chili powder works.)
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano(Crushed between your fingers to wake it up)
- 1/2 orange(Juiced (about 2 tablespoons))
- 2 tbsp neutral oil(Avocado or canola, divided)
- 1 (15-oz) can canned black beans(Do NOT drain. We need that starchy liquid.)
- 2 cloves garlic(Peeled)
- 1/2 jalapeño(Seeds removed if you're feeding little ones)
- 1 cup green cabbage(Thinly shredded)
- 4 radishes(Thinly sliced)
- 2 limes(Juiced)
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt(Divided use, plus more to taste)
- 8 corn tortillas(Warmed)
- 1 tbsp water(Optional, for thinning black bean purée if needed)
Instructions
- 1
In a medium bowl, toss the 1 cup green cabbage and 4 radishes with the juice of 1 lime and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Massage it just a little bit with your hands—ándale, get in there—so the cabbage softens. Set aside. This is our bright, crunchy counterpoint to the rich steak.
4 min
Tip: Do this first so the acid has time to mellow the raw bite of the radish.
- 2
Dump the entire 1 (15-oz) can black beans (yes, liquid and all!) into a blender. Add the 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 jalapeño, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Blend on high until completely smooth and velvety. If it needs a splash of water to get going, add a tablespoon.
3 min
Tip: This is a weeknight cheat code for frijoles refritos. The can liquid provides the starch we need for a silky texture.
- 3
Take your 1 lb flank steak and pat it aggressively dry with paper towels. Rub it all over with the 1 tbsp pasilla chile powder, 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano, 1 tsp kosher salt, and the juice of 1/2 orange. Massage 1 tbsp neutral oil over the outside to help the spices stick and prevent burning.
3 min
Tip: Mom math: Do this right before searing. If you let it sit too long with the orange juice, the meat will get mushy. We want a crust!
- 4
Heat a large heavy skillet (cast iron if you have it) over medium-high heat until it's smoking hot. Lay the 1 lb flank steak down away from you so oil doesn't splatter. Sear for 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare, getting a deeply browned, slightly charred crust.
5 min
Tip: Do not touch the steak for the first 3 minutes. Let the pan do the work.
- 5
While the steak sears, heat the remaining 1 tbsp neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Carefully pour in the blended black bean purée (it will sputter!). Let it bubble and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens into a rich, spreadable consistency. Taste it—then decide if it needs more salt.
5 min
Tip: The beans will thicken as they cool, so take them off the heat when they are just slightly looser than you want.
- 6
Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest. Wipe out the hot steak skillet with a paper towel and turn the heat to low. Use the residual heat to quickly warm the 8 corn tortillas, about 30 seconds per side. Keep them wrapped in a clean dish towel.
5 min
Tip: Resting the steak is not optional, unless you want all those beautiful juices all over your cutting board instead of in your dinner.
- 7
Slice the rested steak thinly against the grain. To serve, swipe a generous spoonful of the silky black beans onto a plate, top with the sliced steak, and pile that bright cabbage slaw right over the top. Squeeze the remaining 1 lime over everything.
2 min
Tip: Slicing against the grain makes flank steak melt-in-your-mouth tender. Look for the lines in the meat and cut across them, not parallel.
Chef's Notes
We're not suffering for dinner, people. The magic here is the texture contrast: you get the earthy, creamy beans, the deeply savory chew of the pasilla-crusted steak, and the sharp, icy crunch of the lime-soaked slaw. If you have a Mexican market nearby, you can find whole pasilla chiles, toast them on a comal, and grind them yourself. If you're doing Bodega Mode at 6 PM on a Tuesday? Grab whatever chili powder you have and trust the process. It's going to be fantastic.
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.