I’ve been eating these Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas for lunch all week and the fact that I only have one serving left almost makes me want to cry… I might have to make a second batch pronto. Yes, they’re that good.
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It’s All About the Enchilada Sauce
What makes these enchiladas so amazing? Not only are they filled with super fresh flavors, but they’re smothered in a homemade enchilada sauce. Now, if you’ve made my homemade enchilada sauce before you know that it takes less than ten minutes to make and is 100x better than the canned stuff.
Well, this time I went one step further and added a little cocoa powder to the enchilada sauce. OMG. You won’t believe how rich and amazing the cocoa makes the sauce! It doesn’t taste like chocolate, just extra rich and good. It’s the same amazing chili/chocolate combo that works magic in the Aztec Cocoa. SO. GOOD.
The Simple Filling
Black beans give these enchiladas filling power and avocado offers that creaminess that you’d usually get from cheese. If you’re vegan, just make sure your tortillas don’t contain lard (some do, some don’t). Or, try making your own!
Should I Use Corn or Flour Tortillas for Enchiladas?
Enchiladas are supposed to be wrapped in corn tortillas, not flour flour tortillas, but I’m all about doing what makes you happy. Use whichever type of tortilla you like. But whatever type you use, consider giving them a quick toast in a hot skillet before wrapping your enchilada filling. It will give your enchiladas some extra toasty flavor!
Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas
Servings 5 two per servingIngredients
ENCHILADA SAUCE
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil* ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder** ($0.60)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 3 oz. tomato paste (1/2 of a 6oz can) ($0.23)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder ($0.03)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
ENCHILADAS
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.59)
- 1 avocado ($1.50)
- 1 tomato ($0.86)
- 2 green onions ($0.13)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.33)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro ($0.13)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 10 8-inch tortillas*** ($2.49)
Instructions
- First prepare the enchilada sauce. In a medium sauce pot combine the cooking oil, flour, and chili powder. Heat the mixture over a medium flame until it begins to bubble. Whisk and cook the bubbling paste for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the water while whisking. Add the tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until smooth and continue to heat over a medium flame. Let the sauce come up to a gentle simmer, at which point the sauce will thicken. Once thickened, turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Drain and rinse the can of beans, then add them to a large bowl. Cube the avocado, dice the tomato, slice the green onion, and pull a handful of cilantro leaves from their stems. Add them all to the bowl, along with the frozen corn kernels. Stir everything together. Season with a little salt and garlic powder.
- Coat a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of filling and roll tightly. Place the filled tortillas in the casserole dish, seam side down. Once all of the filled enchiladas are in the dish, pour the enchilada sauce over top.
- Bake the enchiladas in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they’re heated through and the sauce is bubbly along the edges. Top with any remaining cilantro and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Black Bean Enchiladas – Step By Step Photos
Start with the amazing sauce, so that it will be ready to go on the enchiladas later. Add 2 Tbsp cooking oil, 2 Tbsp flour, and 2 Tbsp chili powder to a medium sauce pot. Turn the heat on to medium and begin to whisk them together.
The mixture will begin to bubble. Keep whisking and cooking, after it begins bubbling, for 1-2 minutes. This toasts the flour and chili powder for maximum flavor.
Next, carefully add 2 cups of water, then 3 oz. tomato paste, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp cocoa powder. Whisk it all in until smooth, and continue to cook over medium heat until it comes up to a gentle simmer. When it starts simmering it will begin to thicken up. Once it’s thickened, just turn off the heat and set it aside until you’re ready to use it.
Begin preheating the oven to 350ºF. Drain and rinse one 15oz. can black beans, then add them to a bowl. Dice one avocado and one small tomato, slice two green onions, and add them all to the bowl. Pull a handful of cilantro leaves from the stems and add it to the bowl, along with 1 cup frozen corn kernels. Stir everything together and then season with about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
Next, add a little of the filling to each tortilla and then roll it up tight. I used 8-inch flour tortillas and made 10 enchiladas, each with about 1/3 cup filling.
Roll the enchiladas tightly and then arrange them in your dish. Oh, and coat the dish with non-stick spray if you want the enchiladas to come out in one piece.
Then pour that amazing sauce over top! Bake the enchiladas in a preheated 350ºF oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they’re heated through and the sauce is bubbling along the sides.
It’s sad because the pictures don’t do these Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas justice. They’re SO GOOD. I wish you could see the carnival of flavors that are going on inside…
I promise they’ll “disappear” quickly. ;)
What a great combination of flavors, although and definitely not a weeknight meal for me -It took a while to make the sauce, warm the corn tortillas (warmed in a skillet with a little oil to prevent breaking) assemble everything together, all before baking. Perfect for a the weekend though! I’m usually not a fan of avocado, so I used a potato masher to muddle up beans and avocado and make the filling creamier. My kids even ate this of, no questions asked. We are transitioning to a vegan diet, I didn’t even miss the cheese! Served alongside a fresh Mexican cucumber tomato salad for the win!
Newbie cook here! I made these tonight & the flavor was great! But I used corn tortillas (those are my preference), & it was really hard to get them to roll up without breaking. It ended up more like an enchilada casserole – which was okay! – but does anybody have any tips for rolling corn tortillas without splitting them?
I think you have to heat them up first. The microwave should be fine.
I also used corn tortillas and found they split, even when microwaved. Instead I warmed each tortilla in a skillet with a little bit of oil. About 10 seconds on each side. The oil made it pliable and they rolled up nicely. A child helper in the kitchen makes this process go nicely!
How does the avocado in this recipe hold up if I am meal-prepping for the week? I cook for two people and usually make meals for 6 people so that we have leftovers. I’ve always avoided recipes containing avocados because they go brown so quickly.
Since you’re baking them you should be fine to keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.
These are the bomb! Is there something I can do with leftover enchilada stuffing?
You could just eat it like a salad!
This is one of our favorite recipes – I’ve made it at least 30 times (seriously!). But I’ve signed up to bring a meal to some neighbors in need, and I have a couple questions … having a hard time finding the info through all the *glowing* reviews. :)
1. For a gluten free option: I’m using corn tortillas, of course, but how would I go about thickening the sauce? Corn starch instead of flour? Gluten free flour? If so, how much of either?
2. Should I cook them fully then leave instructions to reheat? Or would you recommend preparing them and refrigerate, with instructions to pop them in the oven for the full cooking time?
Thanks so much!
Hi Emily! How wonderful of you. Yes for gluten free thickening I would recommend cornstarch or arrowroot starch. Then I would make it as easy as possible on them by cooking them ahead and just leaving them instructions to reheat.
Made this the other night and was very pleased with how easy the filling is! I like that you don’t have to cook it together first; that saves a lot of time. I made the homemade sauce to go with it. Maybe I’m a weirdo, but I actually do like the canned sauce. This is a good recipe to have on hand if you need sauce, but to make it REALLY fast I would just use canned. The sauce took me closer to 20 minutes to make. The only change I made was using a can of diced tomatoes in the filling and using the juice for some of the water in the sauce because I didn’t have a fresh tomato (and they aren’t in season yet).
I am the dinnertime hero whenever I make this dish. I can not count on leftovers, although the recipe makes plenty. (I like it both ways, but I do omit the cayenne when my toddler eats it because they get the sauce all over their face in appreciation.)
Help! I accidentally mixed all the enchilada sauce ingredients together 🤦♀️ (I usually read through the recipe first), should the sauce still be pretty good?
Im giving this 5 stars, if only for the enchilada sauce!!! I made mine with a different filling but this sauce is so rich, its out of this world. Definitely adding it to my repertoire :)
I’ve always wondered, why does Enchilada sauce seem to have a tomato paste base with added water as opposed to crushed tomoatoes / tomato sauce?
Also, I blitz in some canned adobo peppers to the sauce, it gives it an awesome, fully bodied, smoky heat.
The concentration of tomato paste creates a different flavor and texture than regular crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, even when combined with water like in this recipe. I’m sure you could make a variation using crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, but it would be a different result from what you see here.
Even my very picky omnivore brother ate a second helping of these. I got the recipe from the vegan meal plan. Thanks so much for another winner!
These are bomb. Been making them for years and people always ask for the recipe.
Is the sauce spicy at all? I’m the type to occasionally think BBQ sauce is spicy. I can handle most jarred “mild” salsas, but anything more than that and I’m on fire. I never cook with cayenne pepper, I don’t even own it–but wondering if it would be worth it to branch out and try it?
If you think BBQ sauce is spicy I think cayenne will be way too spicy for you. I wouldn’t waste your money, just leave it out when you see it.
What is the nutrition info for this? Looks so good!
We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
I was super skeptical about this enchilada sauce, but HOLY COW it is GREAT!! The only other red sauce I’ve ever made and enjoyed this much involves dried chiles and a looooot of work, this is so nice for quick meals!! I didn’t use the cocoa powder because I didn’t have any and don’t like chocolate, and so didn’t want to buy the only giant-size tin that my grocery store offers. Might invest in it now since I know this is going to become a regular in my recipe rotation! The sauce was amazing, and so was the enchilada filling. Made this as part of the meal prep with the lime cumin sweet potatoes and looked forward to lunch every single day! Added shredded cheese to the top before baking because I am a cheese junkie, but this would have been just as amazing without it.