Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas

This recipe for black bean and corn enchiladas claims no authenticity! It's a quick and easy, less cheesey version of the Mexican dish that you can put together in an hour.

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A white plate with black bean and corn enchiladas, avocado, sour cream, scallions and lime wedge.

Easy Black Bean Enchiladas

I am coming right out and saying it. I am not of Mexican heritage and these are not authentic enchiladas. But… these black bean enchiladas are quick and easy (relatively speaking) and I think they are zippy and delicious with a ton of great flavor. You can pull this entire dish off in an hour, including baking time.

Looking down into a blender jar with enchilada sauce inside and various ingredients on the counter near by.

No Cook Enchilada Sauce

The first step is making the enchilada sauce. Most enchiladas require some stovetop cooking, but this sauce takes a few shortcuts by using a jar of roasted red peppers and a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Those, along with other ingredients are blended in a high speed blender until smooth. Lime zest and juice give it a nice zing.

Looking down into a bowl with black beans, corn and other ingredients - black bean enchilada filling.

Black Bean Enchilada Filling

The filling for these enchiladas is also a no-cook filling. You could cook your own black beans, but a couple of cans fits the bill too. You can use fresh corn kernels or frozen, along with a couple of scallions and a little feta cheese to bring it all together. 

Four images showing how to roll up enchiladas around a filling and build the casserole.

How to Build Enchiladas

Building the enchiladas is easy. If you have the room, spread out all your tortillas and divide the filling up between them. Then simply roll and place them in a casserole dish, pouring extra sauce on top and scattering with more feta cheese. If you wanted to go cheese crazy, you could scatter grated mozzarella over the top, but I like the fact that these black bean enchiladas are light on cheese, giving center stage to the flavors of the sauce and filling. 

A cutting board with various ingredients chopped as garnish for enchiladas.

Garnishes for Enchiladas

Have fun with the garnishes for these black bean enchiladas. Some ripe avocado, some chili peppers, scallions and cilantro can really dress up the dish, which is otherwise pretty uniform. 

A green casserole of black bean enchiladas garnished with scallions, avocado, peppers.

How to Serve

Serve the enchiladas warm out of the oven. A side of Mexican Rice and Beans or just some plain rice would be nice. Or you could go with this Avocado Tomato Salad, with or without the beans. If you have any leftovers, leave them in the casserole dish, covered in the refrigerator and just re-heat at 350˚F for about 20 minutes to serve round 2. 

A white plate with black bean enchiladas in front of a green casserole dish.

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Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas

  • Prep Time: 30 m
  • Cook Time: 30 m
  • Total Time: 1 h
  • Servings:
    8
    people

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 10-inch flour or corn tortillas
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Enchilada Sauce:
  • 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
  • 6 scallions
  • 1 Jalapeño pepper seeds removed
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt to taste
Filling:
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
  • 1 cup corn kernels frozen and thawed or fresh
  • 2 scallions sliced
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese or queso fresco
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • Zest of ½ lime
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste
For Garnish:
  • Sour cream
  • Avocado sliced or cubed
  • Red chili or Jalapeño sliced
  • Cilantro
  • Scallions sliced

Instructions

  1. Combine the enchilada sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender and purée until smooth. Season to taste.
  2. Place the black beans in a large bowl and mash about half of them. Add the remaining filling ingredients and combine well.
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 350˚F.
  4. Pour half the enchilada sauce into a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Divide the filling between the tortillas and roll the tortillas up around the filling, placing each into the baking dish next to each other. Top with the remaining sauce. Scatter the feta cheese on top and transfer the baking dish to the oven to bake.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Serve with sour cream, avocado, red chili slices, Jalapeño slices on top and some rice on the side.
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