Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
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These vegetarian black bean and cheese enchiladas are so satisfying. It’s a simple recipe with a modest ingredient list, and best of all, it’s ready in 40 minutes! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
This has become one of my favorite vegetarian recipes: bean and cheese enchiladas. It is a simple recipe with a modest ingredient list, and because of this, its success lies in the details.
The Key to Excellent Vegetarian Enchiladas
- A super flavorful sauce: this fresh, red enchilada sauce, made with broiled vegetables, fresh lime juice, and a chipotle in adobo sauce comes together in no time and is the foundation of the dish: it smothers the stuffed, rolled tortillas on both sides, infusing them with heat and spice, smoke and char, sweetness and acidity.
- Good tortillas: Corn tortillas are more traditional for enchiladas, but I find the flavor of most store-bought tortillas, corn or flour, to be disappointing. The solution?:
- If you’re feeling ambitious: make your own: easy flour tortillas or easy sourdough flour tortillas {video guidance in each post}.
- Order a few packs of Caramelo flour tortillas, which are exceptional. Read more about them here: Caramelo Flour Tortillas.
- Seek out corn-flour hybrid tortillas, which of the commercial varieties, I find to be the tastiest. La Tortilla Factory sells a variety, and both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s do as well.
- Highly seasoned beans: These slow-cooked black beans are seasoned with olive oil, salt, a bay leaf, onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. I have been cooking them by the pound and stashing them in the fridge. As they marinate in their cooking liquid, they become even more flavorful. They freeze well, too. See notes in the recipe for zhuzhing up canned beans.
- Lots of fresh herbs: Inspired by this enchilada casserole recipe, which calls for layering the tortillas, sauce, and cheese, with lots of fresh cilantro and sliced scallions, I’ve been sprinkling a heavy handful of both on top of the assembled and sauced enchiladas.
- Light on the cheese: When it comes to cheese with enchiladas, less is more. A light hand with the cheese, in the end, allows the other flavors to shine.
Note: This is not a traditional preparation of enchiladas, which calls for lightly frying each tortilla in oil, then dipping each in the enchilada sauce before stuffing and rolling. Here you spread the sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and on top of the rolled, stuffed tortillas, too.
I find this method to be a little simpler, a little less messy, and no less flavorful. Use this recipe as a guide, filling the tortillas with whatever you like — tinga, roasted vegetables, sautéed greens — and scale the recipe up as needed.
Can you Freeze Enchiladas?
Yes! This is my favorite way to do it:
- Assemble the enchiladas stopping after you smother the rolled tortillas with sauce in the baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with a few layers of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw and bake: uncover the foil and sprinkle the rolled tortillas with the scallions, herbs, and final layer of cheese. Return the foil.
- Bake covered at 375ºF for 20 minutes. Uncover. Increase the heat to 425ºF and bake until the cheese is beginning to blister, about 15 minutes.
What to Serve with Enchiladas?
Since learning how to make this enchilada sauce, I have been on a bit of an enchilada bender, rolling tortillas every other day with whatever I have on hand. It’s a great format for clearing out the fridge of any languishing vegetables or leftover cooked meats or, as here, a simple mix of bean and cheese.
I love making a large batch of margaritas, and serving the enchiladas with chips, salsa, and a simple green salad with a shallot vinaigrette.
PS: Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
PPS: Vegetarian Tortilla Casserole
How to Make Bean and Cheese Enchiladas, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients; then spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce across your baking dish.
Spread a few tablespoons of black beans and a light sprinkling of cheese across the center of a 6-inch tortilla.
Roll into a coil, and place in your baking dish seam side down.
Repeat until you have enough coils to fill your baking dish.
Smother the coils with more enchilada sauce.
Top with chopped scallions and cilantro.
Top with more grated cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is beginning to blister in spots.
PrintVegetarian Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2-3
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A few notes:
- Scale this recipe up or down as needed. For a 10-inch square or round baking dish, these proportions are about right. Use more or less sauce if you are using a larger or smaller pan. I am using this tart pan here. For a 9×13-inch pan, I imagine using 1.5 times this recipe will be about right.
- I am partial to using flour tortillas, which is not traditional, but I find them to be more flavorful. When I have a stash of Caramelo tortillas on hand, that is my preference. When I don’t, I look for the tortillas made from a blend of flour and corn (Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods) or I make them from scratch (this one is made with sourdough starter or discard). If you are using Caramelo tortillas, char them on one side in a skillet. If you are using standard flour tortillas, warm them in a skillet before using — this makes them more pliable and therefore easier to roll.
- The success of this recipe relies on using super flavorful black beans. This is my favorite way to prepare black beans: Simplest Slow Cooker Black Beans. If you are using canned beans, consider draining and rinsing them, then placing them in a pot with enough water to cover, a healthy splash of olive oil, a bay leaf, some crushed red pepper flakes, a good pinch of salt, and a clover of garlic. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes or until the beans have taken on some flavors from the broth.
- See notes in the post above for freezing the unbaked enchiladas.
Ingredients
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- 7 to 8 flour tortillas, 6-8 inches, lightly warmed, see notes above
- 1.5 cups cooked black beans, I use this slow-cooker recipe, see notes above
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425ºF.
- In a 10-inch baking dish (see notes above regarding other vessels), spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce.
- Place a tortilla on work surface. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of beans across the center. Top with a light sprinkling of cheese. Fold the tortilla in half; then roll into a coil (see video for guidance with the rolling). Transfer to the sauced baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until you have filled the dish.
- Spread another 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over top. Sprinkle the cilantro and scallions over top. Top with the remaining cheese. (At this point, you can cover the dish and place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.)
- Transfer pan to the oven (uncover it if you stashed it in the fridge) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until some of the cheese is beginning to blister.
- Let cool briefly, then serve.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican, American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
50 Comments on “Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Enchiladas”
Beautiful and delicious! I didn’t even know I wanted enchiladas until I saw this recipe and then I HAD to make them! The sauce was super easy. (I used vegan cheese – super easy substitute to make them vegan.)
Wonderful to hear this, Priscilla! So great to hear the vegan cheese worked out well.
Hello! Can these be prepared a night ahead, refrigerated, and then baked the next day? Would they get soggy?
They should be fine! I haven’t experimented testing this out, so I can’t say for sure, but I know other recipes give you permission to do this, so I say go for it! Let me know if you give it a go 🙂
These are so yummy! I made these last night with slow cooker pinto beans (used your black bean recipe with great results) and threw in some chicken. I made two pans, one for dinner and one for the freezer. Delicious!
Yay! So great to hear this, Andrea! Yay for making a pan for the freezer I made chicken enchiladas last night, too … using Instant Pot chicken tinga… more on this very soon!
A true winner! I had leftover corn fritters (from your previous recipe) and used these crumbled plus black beans as filler. They were phenomenal!
Thx as usual for all your amazing recipes! ❤️
Yay! So nice to hear this, Kiltje 🙂 🙂 🙂 Love the idea of repurposing leftovers here. Yum!
Made these last night and everyone loved including our kids and our neighbors. The homemade sauce is so easy and tasty.
So nice to hear this Bates! Miss you xoxo
I made the slow cooker beans, and used tomatoes from the garden to make the sauce – and then at the last minute I swerved and instead used ground beef mixed with the sauce in the enchiladas and served the beans with rice alongside. My Trader Joe’s corn/flour tortillas had gone moldy in the fridge, so I made my own. This was such a great meal!!! Will definitely be revisiting this one.
Wow, amazing! Love the sound of all of this Stephanie! Thanks so much for writing.
Just made this recipe. It was super easy and SOOOOOO good. Highly recommend. we don’t have a true food processor but a blender worked just fine.
This is definitely something that would be meal prep-friendly. You can make the enchilada sauce and black bean mixture ahead of time and freeze. Then whenever you want to make the enchiladas you just need to have some tortillas and cheese on hand and unthaw the sauce and black bean filling.
Wonderful to hear this, Anna! And yes, absolutely. If you have the components on hand, this would be such a quick thing to throw together. Thanks for writing!
I made this dish using the slow cooker black beans, the quick enchilada sauce, and home made tortillas. All were delicious and I will freeze the extra beans and enchilada sauce for a future quick meal. 100 percent!
Oh yay! Sara, amazing! So great to hear all of this.
Made these last night and everyone loved including our kids and our neighbors. The homemade sauce is so easy and tasty.
Yay! So nice to hear this, Bates xoxoxox
If you’re thinking about making this – do it! I made everything – the sauce, the tortillas and the enchilada sauce (I did take a short cut and used canned beans). It was super easy and ridiculously good! The sauce had amazing flavor! It was hard not to eat ALL the tortillas as they came off the pan. Fantastic meal that please the whole fam (which is rare!).
Wonderful to hear this, Kim! Great to hear that canned beans work well. Thanks so much for writing. And same for me: I have a hard time NOT eating all the tortillas hot off the skillet.
Made this whole recipe from scratch. What a winner! We really enjoyed it. Thanks
Wonderful to hear this, Julien!
Made this tonight and thought it would be a “project” to make the enchilada sauce and tortillas and beans from scratch but it was actually extremely easy with these amazing recipes. Turned out delicious, and I had two enchiladas and am soooo full but I love that so many of your recipes are so filling but actually really healthy and not so killer on the calories!
Oh yay! Olivia, so nice to hear all of this. Thanks so much for writing and thanks for the kind words… means a lot 🙂 This has become a staple around here … I love having the beans on hand for quick meals throughout the week.
This really was quick and easy. The sauce was incredible and I stuffed the enchiladas with the slow cooked black beans, cheese and sautéed kale! Everyone loved it!! Thank you!
So nice to hear this, Barbara! Adding sautéed kale is such a good move … ups the veg quotient! Love it.
This recipe looks really amazing
curious as to why you use flour tortillas? I have been eating enchiladas for over 50 years in the SW and have never heard of this. We’ve always used corn tortillas which also hold up to being soaked in a sauce, have more flavor and- if you are cooking for someone with celiac disease are GF.
Hi Lee Ann, I suppose it just comes down to preferences? Honestly, the corn tortillas we get at the grocery store — I’m in Upstate New York — taste pretty bad, like sawdust in fact. The flour tortillas aren’t much better, so when I’m up for it, I make my own flour tortillas. I’ve made corn tortillas as well with corn masa, but honestly, I never find those to be very tasty. I’m happy to hear you have flavorful corn tortillas where you are that hold up well in enchiladas. I wish I were so lucky, but I find flour tortillas, homemade or otherwise, do very well in this recipe.
I’ve made the vegetarian enchiladas twice & that recipe is a life saver great way to clean veggie drawer out. Today I was looking for something to make out of my freezer& remembered this recipe I had pinto beans in freezer I made corn/flour tortillas & used Las Palma’s Ranchero Red sauce also made a little chorizo (from a recipe that I found on Isabeleats.com) to add more like a condiment & it turned out great. I love your enchilada sauce recipe but today I took the easy way out. If you can find this brand of rancheros sauce I highly recommend reminds me of my grandmother’s sauce as yours does. I wouldn’t hesitate to serve this recipe or the vegetarian enchiladas to company both are that good. I hope you write another cookbook soon your recipes are delicious & healthy. My husband is a very grateful fan. Be safe.
Jo, you are too sweet. Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this. I will absolutely look for that Las Palma’s Ranchero Red Sauce — sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day to make everything from scratch 🙂 It’s also so nice to be able to recommend a high-quality enchilada sauce. Thank you for your kind words … I appreciate the encouragement 💕💕💕💕
This is by the far the best enchilada recipe I have ever tried! The sauce is amazing – complex, but with very little effort. I can’t wait to try the other vegetarian recipes on your site. This one was a huge hit!
So great to hear this, Amy! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
So delicious, so comforting, and so easy. This is a hit – I’ll be coming back to make this recipe again. Thanks Ali!
So nice to hear this, Kailee 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing.
finally got around to making these with your enchilada sauce. so easy and SO SO GOOD. thank you for another perfect recipe!
Oh Yay! Wonderful to hear this, Laura 🙂 🙂 🙂
This recipe will be added to our regular rotation, SO GOOD! The sauce is really amazing for minimal effort, though for my kids I only added half a chipotle. Didn’t have tortillas so made those as well – a little time consuming but worth the effort. The whole family loved every bit and we’re excited about these leftovers. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear this, Alison! Thanks so much for writing! I find this sauce to be magical for the effort 🙂
Eating my second batch right now. 🙂 first batch, did a mix of flour and corn tortillas, realized i liked corn better. For this batch, all corn tortillas, plus i made the beans with some old rancho gordo little white beans, used canned diced tomatoes plus a touch of apple cider vinegar for the sauce. Had some red spring onions so used that instead of green onions for the topping. Giant dollop of clover sour cream plus a side of hot pickled carrots – dinner is served. Don’t even miss meat.
Yay! So nice to hear this, Tina 🙂 🙂 🙂 Love all Rancho Gordo beans. Hot pickled carrots sound amazing, too!
Made this today….OMG! Best ever. I made the enchilada sauce, added a little cumin but other than that followed recipe exact. So much nicer than other sauces. The finished casserole was delicious, I just added a fresh chilli to the veg and bean mix. And the best thing…we have leftovers for tomorrow!
Yay! So nice to hear this, Sarah! I love these cold, straight from the fridge. Yay for leftovers 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Have made this twice, once i cooked the beans from dry and once i just used a can of black beans. Both times it was a huge hit.
Great to hear, Kendall! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Loved this recipe! Discovered you because of searches for sourdough info and discard recipes. Decided to try your tortillas using sourdough discard, then saw your recipe for the vegetarian enchiladas! So…made your quick red enchilada sauce, sourdough discard tortillas, did your black beans with canned since I had them…added your recommendations. Happened to have leftover pork ribs that had been slow grilled with just a dry rub, so chopped the pork and added it. That was my only change/add, cuz I had it. The sauce was easy and delicious. My husband and I both thought that quick sauce developed such deep, complex flavor! Will be making this again!!! Excited to try more of your recipes! Thanks so much!
So great to read all of this, Anne! Love that you added the leftover meat you had on hand — that’s what enchiladas (in my opinion) are all about … cleaning out the fridge, using what you have. So glad you liked the sauce, too! Thanks for writing. Hope you find more recipes you love 🙂
This recipe was divine, especially together with the homemade enchilada sauce. Thank you for sharing!
Great to hear, Jill!