Veggie Black bean Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a popular Mexican dish that is so versatile, filling, and easy to make. These vegetarian enchiladas are delicious and full of veggies, fiber, and flavor. The enchiladas filling is a lot of veggies (you can use any veggies you like) with black beans and a little cheese. These are drenched in enchilada sauce making them saucy and delicious. A weekday meal that your full family will love! The beans add body and protein to the dish. I like to add coriander chutney and sour cream to the filling to make it creamier and more flavorful. I even dip the tortillas in enchilada sauce to make them saucier. You can meal prep the veggies and keep them from before. You can make these vegan and gluten-free, check the notes at the end.

Happy Cooking!

Servings: 3-5 servings

Prep Time: 15-20 mins

Cooking Time: 15-20 mins

Baking Time: 30-40 mins

Total Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients: 

Veggie Bean Filling:

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium white onion cut into small thin slices

• 5-8 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

• 1-2 serranos/jalapenos cut in circles/slices

• 5-6 mushrooms cut into thin slices

• 1 stalk of celery cut into thin slices

• 1 bell pepper - I used 1/3 of 3 colors

• 1/3 cup grated carrot or sliced into thin slices 

• 1/2 cup corn kernels- I used frozen roasted corn  

• 1-1.5 cups of baby Spinach 

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley 

• 1-2 tsp Salt as per taste

• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

• 1 tsp Red chili flakes as per taste

• 1/2-3/4 cup canned black beans, washed and drained

• 1 tbsp Coriander chutney 

• 2 tbsp Sour cream or Greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp water 

Assembly and Topping:

• 6-8 medium-sized Tortillas, i used flour, you can use either corn or flour.

• 1.75- 2 cups Enchilada sauce - I used a medium spicy red sauce

• 1.5-2.5 cups shredded cheddar/Mexican Cheese; for filling in the tortillas and topping

• 1 Avocado cut into thin slices

• 1/2 tomato chopped

• 1/4 cup onion chopped

• 1 tbsp chopped chives - optional

Directions: 

1. Filling:

   1. In a pan on medium heat, add oil.

   2. Once warm, add onions, garlic, and serranos and saute for 3-4 mins till it starts to brown.

   3. Add mushrooms and celery and cook for 4-5 mins.

   4. Add chopped peppers, carrots, and corn and saute for 1-2 mins.

   5. Add spinach, chopped parsley, black beans, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes, and cook for 2-3 mins till the spinach leaves almost wilt.

   6. Add coriander chutney, sour cream, and water and toss for 2-4 mins till it’s all cooked and combined well. Don’t over the peppers and carrots, they give a little bite to the veggies.

   7. The filling is ready, let it cool.

2. Assembly:

   1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

   2. On a baking tray, spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on the base, just enough to cover it.

   3. In a flat bowl or tray add about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce.

   4. Dip one side of the tortilla in the sauce and place the sauced side up on a plate.

   5. Fill with veggies and a little cheese and roll it tightly. Place it on the baking tray.

   6. Repeat for all tortillas and place them on the baking tray side by side.

   7. Top all the tortillas with about 1 cup of enchilada sauce, enough to cover all tortillas and sides. If not covered, they will dry out in the oven.

   8. Top with cheese, you can spread cheese all over or just the middle as you wish.

3. Cover the baking tray with foil and bake it at 350F for about 30-40 mins. If needed, remove the foil and broil for 2-3 mins.

4. Once out of the oven, let it sit for 5 mins.

5. Then top it with sliced avocados, tomatoes, onions, and chives.

6. Serve warm and enjoy! You can serve it with condiments like sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Tips/Notes:

• Use any veggies that you like. You can add whatever else you want, like zucchini, baby corn, broccoli, etc.

• Don’t overcook the veggies, you still want a bite.

• Don’t skip the coriander chutney and sour cream, it makes the filling more flavorful and a little creamy.

• You can prep the veggies and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-4 days. Just fill assemble and bake. I do not like assembling and freezing the tray as it does get soggy.

• If using dried beans, soak overnight and boil them till fork tender.

• If you want you can use pinto or navy beans instead of black beans.

• Dipping the tortillas in enchilada sauce makes them saucy and keeps them from drying out. You can skip this step if you want, but make sure to add more sauce over the tortillas in the baking dish.

• Covering the dish with foil helps them from drying out.

• Vegan- Use vegan cheese, vegan yogurt, and vegan enchilada sauce.

• Gluten-free- use gluten-free tortillas to make this recipe gluten-free.