Black Bean Enchiladas
These Spinach Black Bean Enchiladas might just be the best vegetarian enchiladas you’ll ever eat! They’re packed with flavor and so easy to make. A mix of spinach, black beans, corn, green onions, cilantro and cheese gets rolled up in tortillas and topped with an easy, homemade enchilada sauce and plenty of cheese, then they’re baked to perfection. These easy veggie enchiladas are sure to become a family favorite!
my favorite vegetarian enchiladas
Say hello to these spinach black bean enchiladas – your new favorite Mexican dinner!
Remember that homemade enchilada sauce recipe, I posted earlier this week? It’s time to put it to use!
Enchiladas are one of my go-to dishes for an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family enjoys. We make this vegetarian enchilada casserole all the time and it’s a MAJOR reader favorite! Vegetarian enchiladas are really quick to throw together because there’s no need to worry about prepping the meat. As an added plus, this enchilada recipe doesn’t require much veggie chopping.
Even though this enchilada dinner is quick and easy, there’s no sacrificing flavor! These black bean enchiladas have the best balance of textures, spices and delicious cheesiness.
I hope you enjoy my family’s favorite black bean enchiladas as much as we do! To make this recipe as straightforward as possible, I’m sharing some quick tips, answering common enchilada questions, and giving plenty of variation ideas. Let’s get to it!
ingredients needed for black bean enchiladas
This easy black bean enchilada recipe is extremely flexible when it comes to ingredients. Feel free to get creative and customize your veggie enchiladas however you like! In general, you will need:
- Olive oil. For cooking the spinach. Use as much or little as you need.
- Spinach. Gives these enchiladas a boost of nutrients!
- Black beans. You can really use any beans you have available. Black beans are my go-to for Mexican dishes. They add a boost of protein and fiber and make these vegetarian enchiladas super satisfying.
- Corn. Corn adds a bit of crunch and sweetness. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn for this dish.
- Green onions. They add delicious freshness to every bite!
- Cilantro. Love this for added flavor, but feel free to leave it out, if you’re a cilantro hater. 😉
- Cumin. With the addition of my flavorful homemade red sauce, you really don’t need much other seasoning. Cumin is all that I use, but you can add other spices if you want.
- Cheese. I like to use either Mexican blend or pepper jack shredded cheese for these enchiladas. Cheddar, Monterrey jack, or other shredded cheeses would also work great. You can even use dairy-free cheese, if needed.
- Tortillas. Corn tortillas are traditional in enchiladas, but I typically use a corn-flour blend tortilla, since they are much easier to roll. Any favorite tortillas will work.
- Enchilada sauce. Can’t have delicious enchiladas without a tasty sauce! I highly recommend you whip up my homemade enchilada sauce for this dish, but if you’re short on time, canned sauce works too.
how to make spinach black bean enchiladas
These black bean enchiladas start by cooking spinach until wilted. Then, in a large mixing bowl, all of the filling ingredients get stirred together. So easy!
Now it’s time to assemble the enchiladas!
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Spread about 1 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.
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Warm the tortillas until soft and pliable. Place the black bean mixture down the center of each tortilla.
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Roll up each tortilla tightly, then arrange in the baking dish so the seam is down.
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Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tops of the tortilla rolls. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the sauce.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!
Looking for more enchilada recipes? Here are my favorites:
Vegetarian Enchiladas (very similar to these)
tips for the best vegetarian enchiladas
This black bean enchiladas recipe really is so simple, but here are some tips to make sure your enchiladas are awesome every single time!
- You can make these enchiladas as mild or as spicy as you like by selecting a sauce with the heat content of your preference. I use mild sauce because I’m feeding kids, but if you like spicy, switch to a hot enchilada sauce. You could also add spicy green chiles for a kick!
- To soften corn tortillas, wrap 4 to 5 tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel and cook for about 30 seconds in the microwave. If you’re not using corn tortillas, this probably will not be necessary.
- Serve these enchiladas with Mexican rice, homemade guacamole and homemade salsa for a complete meal.
- For a make-ahead meal, assemble these enchiladas up to about 4 hours before you plan to cook them. Simply, cover and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake and eat.
enchilada variations
These black bean enchiladas are SO good as-is, but feel free to get creative with your ingredients!
- Grains. Try adding in about 1/2 to 1 cup of cooked rice or quinoa to the filling.
- Cheese. I typically use a Mexican cheese blend when I make enchiladas, but you can try pepper jack, regular Monterey Jack, colby or cheddar cheese.
- No beans. Even though these are black bean enchiladas, you can totally swap the beans for a veggie, such as chopped and sautéed mushrooms and/or zucchini. Same with the corn – it can be replaced with a different vegetable or bean.
- No spinach. The spinach can be completely left out of this recipe, if you don’t have any on-hand or you just aren’t a fan.
- Beans. You can replace the black beans with pinto beans or even kidney beans, if you prefer. If you like your beans more like refried beans, use pinto beans and mash them up slightly before mixing them with the other filling ingredients.
- Fillings. Other veggies would work great in these enchiladas. Use any favorites or what you have available, such as green chiles, diced tomatoes, onions or bell peppers.
add meat to these enchiladas
If you’re not concerned with keeping these enchiladas meatless and want to add more protein to this recipe, I recommend adding about 2 cups of shredded chicken breast or rotisserie chicken. You can stir it in with the other filling ingredients. This will bulk up the filling, so you will likely be able to make more enchiladas or have extra filling. Extra filling could be used to top salads or nachos or as filling for quesadillas.
what tortillas with enchiladas?
Enchiladas can really be made with any preferred tortilla variety. Traditionally, corn tortillas are used for making enchiladas. For these enchiladas, I used the La Tortilla brand whole wheat tortillas. We really like those! To lower the calories, sometimes I even use low calorie or low carb wraps. Be sure to use the 8 to 10-inch size tortillas so that they hold plenty of filling, but they also fit into the baking dish.
can you freeze enchiladas?
Enchiladas do freeze well! They will keep well in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can either freeze the whole pan of enchiladas or freeze individual servings. If you freeze the whole pan, you can reheat them from frozen. Place the covered pan in the oven and bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes or until warmed through.
what to serve with black bean enchiladas
We love to enjoy these vegetarian enchiladas with our favorite Mexican toppings and sides! Sometimes I make a light, fresh green salad with chopped tomato, diced avocado and this chipotle ranch. Just don’t forget the homemade salsa and skinny margarita!
more favorite Mexican meals
Super Simple Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
If you try this black bean enchiladas recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Spinach Black Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5-6 ounces (4 cups) fresh spinach leaves
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro (optional), chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 cups shredded Mexican blend or pepper jack cheese, divided
- 8 large low-carb whole wheat flour tortillas or any other favorite tortilla (flour or corn), we like La Tortilla Factory
- 2 cups homemade red enchilada sauce, or 1 (15.5 ounce) can store-bought
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and sauté the chopped spinach for about 2 minutes or until wilted. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, stirring until it has reduced in size. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, beans, corn, green onions, cilantro (if using), cumin, and 2 cups of the cheese.
- Lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread about 1 1/2 cups of the enchilada sauce at the bottom. If using canned enchilada sauce you may need to use a bit less for the bottom.
- Generously fill tortillas with mixture, then roll up and place seam side down. Cover with remaining sauce and the last cup of cheese.
- Bake (uncovered) at 375ºF for 20 min. Garnish with extra cilantro, if desired. Makes 8 enchiladas total; serving size 2 enchiladas per person. Enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I made these for Cinco de Mayo with a dairy free gluten free twist. Added shredded chicken, dairy free cheese, and almond flour tortillas. The tortillas didn’t roll, so I ended up making it into a layered enchilada casserole! It was sooooo good. Loved the addition of the spinach and beans. Will definitely make this again!
Yay! Super happy to hear that you enjoyed. Thanks so much for taking time to leave your feedback.
Made these tonight and they were super delicious and less heavy than typical enchiladas! This is my new go-to enchilada recipe!
So happy that you enjoyed!! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment!
Made a double batch for my daughter’s family as they came home from having a second baby. Planned to freeze half for later, but they were such a hit there was no need to freeze. Added chicken to the mixture and the 17 month old devoured them.
Yay! I love hearing that. I’m so happy you enjoyed and thanks so much for your comment!
I made these last night and they were delicious! I skipped the cilantro because I’m not a fan but followed the recipe otherwise, including using your enchilada sauce recipe. It really was simple and quick! These will go into my regular rotation.
Super happy that you enjoyed! Thanks so much for leaving feedback!