Name: Easy Black Bean Enchiladas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 15 oz cans of blacks (low sodium); 1/3 cup of your favorite salsa; 1/3 cup of cottage cheese; 2 tsp seasoning mix (no salt Tony's); 2 tsp cumin; 10 corn tortillas; 10 oz red enchilada sauce; 8 oz shredded Mexican cheese; 3 cherry tomatoes (optional); cilantro garnish (optional)

5.0 from 5 votes

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These black bean enchiladas are one of our favorite recipes! We try to eat vegetarian more often than not, and this black bean enchilada recipe is at the top of our list. They are loaded with fiber and protein and are so, so easy to make! This set only takes about 15 minutes to roll, and 30 minutes to bake. Our kids love them too – they don’t even miss the meat!

Table of Contents

Why We Love These Black Bean Enchiladas

They’re vegetarian: We try to eat vegetarian often without sacrificing any flavor. These enchiladas are packed with fiber and protein.
They are cheap to make: We like to save money whenever we can. Most vegetarian dishes are cheaper since meat is usually the most expensive of every meal. Beans are great if you are looking for an affordable source of protein.
They are low in sodium: You probably noticed that we use low-sodium ingredients whenever we can. We used low-sodium black beans, cottage cheese in our mix to make it creamier, and corn tortillas. Enchilada sauce is almost also high in sodium, so we try to use as little as possible.
They don’t make a huge mess: The baking can be done in a single dish depending on how much you want to make. You need to mix the beans in a bowl, but that is easy to clean.
They use corn tortillas instead of flour: You can use flour tortillas if you’d like, but we prefer corn! They are healthier because they have less sodium, more fiber, and fewer calories, and less ingredients on the label!
They can easy feed 8-10 people: If you have more people, just double the ingredients and make another batch! Since they are so simple and easy to make, you can cook extra to keep for leftovers the next day. We do it at almost every meal!

Ingredients (And Substitutions)

Black Beans – It took two 15 oz cans to make 10 enchiladas. I also use low-sodium of “no salt added” beans in all my cooking. If you don’t have black, you can use any other type of bean or even mix different kinds!
Salsa – I add about 1/3 cup of salsa to the mix that gets stuffed into the tortillas. Your favorite salsa will work! For this batch, I used Kylito’s.
Cottage Cheese – Cottage cheese makes the bean mix creamier, and it is a healthier option than cream cheese. Any type of cheese would do the trick.
Seasoning Mix – This helps season the bean mix. I used Tony’s No Salt Seasoning mix for this one to keep it low sodium.
Cumin – Cumin gives the beans a peppery and smoky flavor. Add 2 teaspoons to your bean mix.
Corn Tortillas – This recipe uses 10 taco-sized corn tortillas which should fit in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan. You can also use flour or wheat tortillas, but we prefer corn since there are less preservatives and lower in sodium. Bonus points if you make your own using sourdough starter!
Red Enchilada Sauce – We used a single 10 oz can of enchilada sauce. I keep it light so the flavor doesn’t overtake the dish. You can also spread some across the bottom of the pan before adding the tortillas so they don’t stick as much. Feel free to switch it up and use green enchilada sauce as well.
Shredded Cheese – A single 8 oz bag of shredded cheese is more than enough to give the enchiladas a thick cheese topping. I used Tillamook thick farmhouse style shredded mexican cheese, but mozzarella would work great too.
Cherry Tomatoes (Optional) – We had a bowl of cherry tomatoes from our garden that we needed to use, so we sliced them up and threw them on top!
Cilantro (Optional) – We added cilantro as a garnish after it was finished baking. It adds a little bit of flavor but is not necessary if you don’t have any on hand.

How To Make Black Bean Enchiladas

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add black beans, salsa, cottage cheese, seasoning mix, and cumin into a large mixing bowl.

Stir until the mix is well combined.

Scoop a spoonful of the mix into each tortilla, roll up the tortillas, and place them face down into pan. Uncooked corn tortillas have a tendency to break, so you can spray water on the or pop them into the microwave to make them more flexible. Even if they break, it’s not big deal – they are going to get covered in cheese and eaten anyway! As you can see, most of ours broke until we started microwaving them.

Top with enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. A single 10 oz can is enough enchilada sauce for us but feel free to add more if you would like. Enchilada is high in sodium and can overpower other flavors in the dish!

We had our little helper add the cherry tomatoes!

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. We left ours uncovered, and they were delicious. You could also cover them with aluminum foil if you prefer. Once the cheese is bubbly, take them out of the oven and garnish with cilantro.

Then, enjoy! These are hard to mess up or burn unless you leave them in the oven for a really long time.

Tips

Spread enchilada sauce across the bottom of the pan before adding the tortillas. This will keep them from sticking but will require more enchilada sauce.
Microwave your corn tortillas before rolling them to keep them from breaking. About half ours broke which isn’t a big deal but can make a mess.
Make it vegan by using vegan cheese (mozzarella tastes best in my opinion) and leaving out the cottage cheese. Most enchilada sauce is vegan but check to make sure.

FAQS

Should you bake enchiladas covered or uncovered?

I always bake my enchiladas uncovered. You can cover them with aluminum foil if you would like, but I prefer to use as little aluminum foil as possible in my cooking. Leaving them uncovered lets the cheese get extra crispy, which I love.

How should you roll corn tortillas into enchiladas without breaking them?

If you try rolling uncooked corn into enchiladas, they will break. I wrapped mine in a wet paper towel and popped them into the microwave for about 15 seconds which gave them the flexibility needed to roll into enchiladas. You can even cook them before by grilling them on a pan with butter or oil. This would taste delicious but adds extra time and dishes!

Can I swap out the ingredients inside the enchilada?

Absolutely! Any type of bean will make a great enchilada filling especially black beans and pinto beans. You can also add sweet potato or squash to make the mix creamier. If you do add sweet potato or squash, you will need to add about 15 minutes to your baking time.

Storing and Reheating

These enchiladas taste just as good the next day, so we always make extra!

If you plan to eat them the next day or two, you can just keep them in the original pan but cover it with either aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
You can also freeze them for about 90 days to eat them later. I would scoop the enchiladas out of the pan into a freezer bag for storage. You can also leave them in the original pan if you won’t need it.
To reheat refrigerated enchiladas, just microwave them for about 2 minutes. They should be nice and hot.
To reheat frozen enchiladas, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, place them back into a baking pan, and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes. You will know they are done when the cheese and sauce is bubbling.