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. ;)
I made this for the first time tonight, and I wanted to applaud how flexible the recipe is. Enchiladas are a pretty flexible dish anyway, but plain meat ones get boring and mixed-vegetables ones are improved by a little care in composition. I had the basics , and I also had some odds and ends in my fridge that I wanted to use up, so I added some red pepper and some cheese and a little leftover rice to the filling. Avocado on the side, because I have a picky toddler. And (also due to said toddler) I toned the chili powder way down and omitted the cayenne; I was worried about ruining the sauce, but it was DELICIOUS anyway. So thank you for a recipe that adapts easily.
By the way, my other favorite veggie enchilada recipe is Suvir Saran’s cabbage and carrot enchilada, which he tops with a roasted red pepper sauce. But the toddler won’t eat that one at all. (Tonight she ate two bites of the black bean enchilada filling and then a bowl of sour cream. I consider this a win.)
Oooh, cabbage and carrot enchiladas sound interesting! :)
I think the Chill powder in Australia may just be extra spicy, but the sauce was so hot it was almost inedible. The filling was delicious. I had some left over and baked up a corn tortilla to do a tostada and it was awesome, especially with a bit of fresh lime juice squeezed n.
Caitlin, In the U.S., chili powder refers to a blend of spices – chili, paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, etc. I looked at some online recipes, and the chili accounts for only 1/12 or less by volume of the blend. Pure chili powder is called cayenne or ground red pepper (or whatever variety such as ground chipotle) here. So, if Australian chili powder is pure chili or a higher percentage of chili in a blend, then yes, it would be hot!!!
I used corn tortillas and they TOTALLY fell apart. That’s okay this time because it’s just me and they tasted good but I couldn’t serve that to someone else. Also this recipe has way too much sodium/serve….more than a Big Mac. I even cooked my own beans with no salt.
This recipe is amazing. I’ve been cooking it for my family for several years now and come back to it again and again. It’s so simple and so versatile. Works great on corn or flour tortillas. I also love the filling on corn tortilla chips.
Tonight I made the sauce and filling and put it on baked sweet potatoes. In the oven now!
Great recipe, instead of a can of black beans, we used 1/4 of the Slow Cooker Black Bean soup recipe on this site, just didn’t blend it. Great flavor.
Great recipe! We are not vegetarian or vegan but both enjoyed it a lot and would recommend it.
Nailed it. Instructions were awesome! Sauce was very mole-esque without the labor and delicious. Thanks for posting this
Just put the first bite in my mouth. WOW.
Great recipe so delicious!:)
Could have used some salsa in the enchiladas. Otherwise tasty!
I made these last night and they are tasty! I made a few changes to accommodate the large tortillas I used. I needed more filling, so I beefed it up with extra green onions, a little red onion, some chopped fresh spinach, and a few spoonfuls of cooked brown rice. The husband and I agree, this recipe is a keeper!
Also forgot to mention that I whipped up some cashew cream to dollop on top of these! Delicious!
I made these the other night for dinner! They were AWESOME! It was surprisingly easy to whip them together and I think this is going to be a new staple meal. We typically have most of these ingredients on hand! I did skip the cocoa powder in the sauce, but it tasted fantastic without it.
I was very generous with the sauce on the enchiladas, but I still ended up with at least 1/2 cup of leftovers sauce. I’m not sure what to do with it, but I don’t want to waste it since it’s so delicious!
Too bad you skipped the cocoa powder for the sauce. The cocoa “makes” the molé. A little cocoa also makes chili so much better. Try it just once. You’ll never go back!
omg, this looks so good. Will have to try it . . .
This has become a go-to for family dinner nights. Always a hit.
I’ve made this before and loved it, but I’ve since discovered I have an avocado allergy – any ideas for replacements? Maybe some cheese (monterey jack?) for creaminess and mushrooms for filling?
I know this is a year after your comment but my husband doesn’t like avocado so we replace it with diced sweet potato that we’ve partially cooked (boiled) before adding to the mix. Hope that helps :)