The 5 Quickest Mexican Recipes for Dinner

After a long day at work, the last thing you want is to spend hours in the kitchen. The good news is that Mexican cooking has dozens of dishes that come together in minutes from basic ingredients. These five recipes are ready in under 30 minutes and are perfect for those evenings when you want to eat something tasty without any fuss.

1. Sincronizadas (15 minutes)

Two flour tortillas with ham, cheese and a touch of chile, warmed in a pan until the cheese melts. Serve with guacamole or salsa.

The secret: use two wheat (flour) tortillas, put grated cheese + ham/turkey between them and cook in a pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes a side. The cheese should melt and the tortillas turn lightly golden and crisp.

Variations: add sautéed mushrooms, canned refried beans spread on one tortilla, or strips of green pepper. With a little chipotle in adobo mixed into the cheese, the flavor goes up a level impressively.

Quick trick: make express guacamole: half an avocado mashed with a fork + lime + salt. Two minutes and you have the perfect accompaniment.

Cost: ~£1.80/person with supermarket ham and cheese.

2. Molletes (10 minutes)

An open bolillo roll with refried beans and grilled cheese. Top them with pico de gallo for a comforting supper that looks like more effort than it really takes.

Express version: half a baguette (or a crusty country loaf) cut in half, spread canned beans straight on (no need to refry them), cover with grated cheese, grill for 5 minutes under the oven's grill. While they grill, quickly chop tomato, onion and cilantro for an improvised pico de gallo.

To make it special: add a few slices of chorizo on top of the beans before the cheese. The Mexico-Spain fusion works a treat and only adds 30 seconds of prep.

Cost: ~£1.30/person. Probably the cheapest and most satisfying supper you can make.

3. Tuna Tacos (20 minutes)

Canned tuna sautéed with onion, tomato and serrano chile (or hot paprika). Served in a warm tortilla with avocado. It's the emergency supper that tastes like anything but an emergency.

Quick step by step:

1. Finely chop 1 onion and 2 tomatoes.
2. Sauté the onion in oil for 3 min, add the tomato, salt and a pinch of cumin.
3. When the tomato breaks down (5 min), add 2 cans of drained tuna. Mix well.
4. Warm tortillas in a dry pan in the meantime.
5. Serve in tortillas with slices of avocado, cilantro and lime.

Ingredients in the US: all available in any supermarket. 2 cans of tuna (~£1.30), tomatoes, onion, tortillas. If you have an avocado, great; if not, a little salsa works just as well.

Cost: ~£2.20/person for a complete supper.

4. Filled Quesadillas (15 minutes)

Basic quesadillas are just cheese, but filled ones are a complete supper. Fill them with whatever you have in the fridge and you'll have a different supper every night.

5 quick fillings that always work:

• Chicken + cheese: use leftover chicken or shredded shop-bought roast chicken.
• Mushrooms + cheese: sauté sliced mushrooms for 5 min with garlic. Put in the tortilla with cheese.
• Beans + cheese: spread canned beans on the tortilla, add cheese, fold and warm.
• Cured ham + mature cheese: the quickest, most delicious Spanish-Mexican fusion.
• Spinach + cheese: sauté spinach for 2 min with garlic. An excellent vegetarian option.

Perfect technique: pan over a medium heat (not high — the cheese needs time to melt). 2-3 minutes a side. The tortilla should be golden but not burnt. Serve with chipotle salsa and lime.

Cost: ~£1.80/person.

5. Enfrijoladas (20 minutes)

Enfrijoladas are tortillas bathed in a black-bean sauce. It's the most comforting dish in Mexican cooking and one of the cheapest.

Quick preparation:

1. Blend a can of black beans with 1/4 onion, 1 clove of garlic and a little of the liquid from the can.
2. Heat the sauce in a wide pan, adjust the salt.
3. Pass the tortillas one by one through the sauce (so they soak but don't fall apart), fold into quarters.
4. Serve with sour cream, crumbled cheese, slices of onion and avocado if you have it.

Express option: if you don't want to blend, simply heat the canned beans whole, mash a little with a fork and coat the tortillas. It isn't the classic version but it tastes very good.

Cost: ~£1.30/person. It's probably the most economical supper in all of Mexican cooking.

Weekly Planning for Quick Suppers

Organize your week to eat Mexican without repeating yourself:

• Monday: Molletes (10 min — start the week easy)
• Tuesday: Mushroom quesadillas (15 min)
• Wednesday: Enfrijoladas (20 min)
• Thursday: Sincronizadas (15 min)
• Friday: Tuna tacos (20 min — celebrate Friday)

Total weekly cost for 2 people: under £18 in suppers. Something different every night, all ready in under half an hour, and no need to resort to a takeout.

Tips for Express Mexican Suppers

• Always keep in: tortillas, canned beans, grated cheese and limes. With those 4 ingredients you can improvise supper in 10 minutes.
• Jarred salsa: there's no shame in using bought salsa (Cholula, Valentina, La Costeña) for quick suppers. Home-made salsa is better, but the bought one does the job.
• Cooked chicken: having shredded chicken ready in the fridge (cooked on Sunday and stored) is the ultimate trick for instant Mexican suppers.
• Freeze salsas: if you make home-made salsa at the weekend, freeze it in portions. Our freezing guide has all the details.

Want to explore more recipes? Visit our full catalogue or discover the most economical Mexican recipes to eat well without overspending.

Tips for Cooking Quick Mexican Food in the US

In our experience, the key to eating Mexican on a weeknight without any fuss is having a basic store cupboard ready. With these ingredients always in, any quick recipe is just 15 minutes away:

• Tortillas: flour ones (~£1.20 for 8) work perfectly for quesadillas, burritos and wraps. For corn tortillas, look in Latin shops (~£2 for a pack of 20) or the international section of larger supermarkets when they have them.
• Canned beans: canned black beans (~£0.85) or canned refried beans from Latin shops (~£1.50) are the quick base for tacos, tostadas and nachos.
• Avocados: buy the firm ones and let them ripen for 2-3 days at home. If you need a ripe one straight away, supermarkets sell "ready to eat" ones for £1.50-£2.
• Limes: essential. They cost around £0.25 each. Buy 4-5 a week.
• Hot sauce: a bottle of Cholula or Valentina (£3-£4 in Latin shops) lasts weeks and transforms any dish.

Three Extra Express Recipes for Nights in a Hurry

Molletes (10 minutes)

Molletes are the Mexican "pan con tomate": the quickest supper there is. Cut a bolillo or baguette in half, spread refried beans generously, cover with grated cheese (mature cheese works great) and grill in the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese bubbles. Serve with pico de gallo and avocado. In the US you can use ciabatta or even toasted sliced bread. Total cost: under £1.70 per person.

Sincronizadas (8 minutes)

Two flour tortillas with ham (or shredded chicken), melted cheese and a touch of jalapeño, made in a pan like a flat sandwich. Cut into triangles and serve with guacamole. It's the perfect supper for children and adults alike. You can buy everything you need at the supermarket for under £4.50 for 4 servings.

Tuna Tostadas (12 minutes)

Mix a can of tuna with chopped red onion, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro, salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve on corn tostadas (or crisp toasted bread). Add sliced avocado and hot sauce. Fresh, light and perfect for summer. Tuna in olive oil (~£0.85/can) works wonderfully.

Weekly Organization: Mexican Meal Prep

In our experience, spending 45 minutes on a Sunday preparing bases saves you time all week:

1. Sunday: cook a pot of beans (if you use dried, a cheap bag goes a long way for the whole week) or open 2 cans of black beans and refry them with onion and garlic. Keep in a tub; they last 5 days in the fridge.
2. Sunday: prepare shredded chicken (boil 2 breasts with garlic, onion and salt, 20 min, shred with forks). It does for tacos, quesadillas, burritos, tostadas and salads through the week. Cost: ~£3.50 for the two breasts.
3. Sunday: make a big tub of pico de gallo (tomato, onion, cilantro, chile, lime, salt). It lasts 3-4 days and goes with everything.

With these three bases prepared, any evening you can put together a Mexican supper in under 10 minutes: warm tortillas, take out the tubs and assemble to taste. Discover more Mexican recipes adapted for the US and find special ingredients in our recommended shops.

Adapting Mexican Recipes to the American Palate

A practical tip: if you're cooking for guests who don't know Mexican food, start gentle with the heat. Serve the salsas separately and let everyone help themselves. Grated mature hard cheese is a fantastic substitute for Mexican cotija. And smoked paprika adds a touch reminiscent of chipotle chile when you don't have it to hand. Mexican cooking is generous and adaptable: what matters is the balance of flavors (acidic, spicy, salty, fresh), not following the recipe to the letter.