Vegan Black Bean Enchiladas

These vegan black bean enchiladas come together in minutes and make fantastic leftovers. The filling is protein packed and spicy, while the gooey cheese adds a creamy decadence. Have a batch of these easy enchiladas in your freezer for a quick meal, and enjoy the leftovers for a couple days.

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• Equipment
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Frequently asked questions
• Vegan Black Bean Enchiladas

Equipment

To make these plant-based enchiladas, you'll need a few things:

For the filling:

1. A large mixing bowl
2. Knife/cutting board for chopping the jalapeno. You can leave out the jalapeno if you don't like spicy food
3. Can opener for your canned beans & enchilada sauce
4. Large spoon for mixing

For the casserole assembly

1. A casserole dish (or two) - mine is 12x9, and I had 4-5 enchiladas left. A cake pan, loaf pan, or cast iron skillet works if you have extras
2. Shallow dish for enchilada sauce dipping - I used a round cake pan
3. Plate for filling enchiladas
4. Optional: bowls for vegan cheeses
5. Oven mitts so you don't burn your hands. Now, you can get away with a well layered dry dish towel in a pinch, but I would not recommend
6. Aluminum foil if your casserole dish doesn't have a cover - this will help your cheese melt

Ingredients

These easy vegan black bean enchiladas don't require much. In fact, many of these items may be in your pantry already!

Filling:

• Black beans & white beans
• Corn (frozen, canned, or fresh - about 1 cup)
• Salsa (ideally fresh)
• Jalapeno

Enchiladas:

• Flour tortillas - IMO, these taste better than corn, and absorb the sauce. But you can make these with corn. It'll be a little more challenging though...
• Canned enchilada sauce - make sure to get two cans, and read the ingredient list to make sure there's no meat or dairy.
• Vegan cheese shreds - the Whole Foods brand melts really nicely. I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella and had half a bag left.
• Cilantro (optional) for topping
• Plant-based sour cream (optional) for topping - I really like the Forager Project brand.

Instructions

First, you'll need to make a batch of my black bean salsa with street corn.

From there, we'll prepare our enchilada stations:

1. Tortillas - these should be warm and flexible. Either wrap in foil and heat in the oven at 350 F for 15-20 mins, or wrap in damp paper towels and warm in the microwave in 20 second increments.
2. Enchilada sauce - in a shallow dish, pour enough sauce into the dish to just cover the bottom.
3. Plate - I recommend something like a salad plate. You'll place your tortilla here while you build.
4. Cheeses - for easy access, place cheese shreds into a bowl.
5. Casserole dish - pour enough sauce into the bottom of your dish to just cover. If there's anything left over, set aside.

Now, we'll put it all together:

First, dip a tortilla into the enchilada sauce. Coat the front and back, then place onto your plate.

Then, fill with a small scoop of black bean salsa, then a sprinkle of cheese. Try to aim for a thin line down the middle

Gently roll up by bringing the edges toward the middle - think about the tortilla like a blanket. Carefully place into casserole dish seam side down. Repeat until all tortillas are finished.

Finally, top the black bean enchiladas with any remaining sauce from your dipping dish or can. Sprinkle with cheese, cover with foil, and bake at 350 F for 20-30 mins. Let cool for at least 10 mins then serve!

Frequently asked questions

But Eliza...

How do you roll enchiladas? The secret is that it's more about folding than rolling.

1. When you add your filling, don't add too much. Maximum one spoonful of everything, probably less.
2. Add it in a line in down the middle instead of a circle or blob.
3. Now, fold each side over the nice pretty line you've made.
4. Carefully pick up enchilada with two hands to hold it closed, and once you're over the enchilada dish, quickly turn over as you place down, so the seam is toward the bottom, and any filling that falls out is underneath the warm tortilla blanket.

Comment below if you want to see a demo!

Is enchilada sauce vegan? It certainly can be. It's pretty easy to tell if it contains dairy as it's a common allergen. Take a look at the ingredient list below the nutrition label. If it contains a bunch of ingredients you don't recognize, it's probably better to go with a different brand anyway. Many labels will note "contains...." or "processed on the same equipment as...." for common allergens such as dairy, nuts, etc.

How do you make enchiladas vegetarian? Super easy - just don't use meat! This recipe uses beans instead, and adds flavor with salsa, corn, enchilada sauce and cheese. If you're vegetarian and don't mind dairy, you can use dairy cheese and sour cream. However, if you prefer dairy-free enchiladas, choose your favorite substitutes.

Do enchiladas use corn or flour tortillas? It's up to you! Traditional enchiladas use corn tortillas, but I prefer flour, as it better absorbs the enchilada. Either way, tortillas will be easier to fold if you heat them first. Either wrap in foil and warm in the oven at 350 F for 10-20 mins, or wrap in a damp paper towel and warm in the microwave in increments of 20 seconds.

What goes well with vegan enchiladas? Sticking with a southwestern/Mexican theme, there are a few things that go well with these vegan black bean enchiladas:

• Guacamole
• Chips & Salsa
• Yellow rice
• Refried beans

Can I freeze enchiladas? Yes! Assemble, cover and place in freezer for up to a month. When ready to bake, preheat oven, and give the enchiladas a little more time to defrost and warm up - start with at least 30 mins, adding more time as needed

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