Someone emailed me recently and said that they use white beans in place of chicken in recipes and I was like, “Wait, whoa, why haven’t I done that?” I use black beans and lentils in place of beef all the time, but for some reason it never occurred to me to use white beans in place of chicken. Well, today I tried it with these Spinach White Bean Enchiladas and it was AWESOME. (And yes, you can totally replace the white beans with about 1.5 cups of cooked chopped chicken for a meat version, if you prefer).
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What Kind of Tortillas Should I Use?
Corn tortillas are best for enchiladas because they have a great toasty corn flavor, and hold up well to the sauce. To get the most flavor out of your corn tortillas, don’t forget to toast them first! This enhances the flavor and makes them a little stronger. You can toast the tortillas over an open flame, or in a dry skillet (see the step by step photos below the recipe).
The Enchilada Filling
The filling for these enchiladas is super simple, with just some chopped spinach, white beans, creamy pepper jack, salt, pepper, and cumin. But thanks to all those colorful flecks of crushed peppers in the pepper jack, they’re not lacking in flavor. If you prefer, you can add some chopped chicken to or in place of the white beans in this recipe.
The Enchilada Sauce
Just to make sure these enchiladas were top notch, I drenched the them in a super rich pepper jack sauce. The sauce is creamy, cheesy, a little tangy, a little spicy, and a LOT delicious. I’m absolutely loving these creamy white enchiladas!
Enchilada Toppings
I topped my enchiladas with a handful of chopped cilantro, but if you don’t like cilantro, green onions also go well. If you happen to find avocados on sale, I think adding a few slices to the top of these enchiladas would be amazing.
What to Serve with Enchiladas
These Spinach and White Bean Enchiladas would go awesome with: Cilantro Lime Rice, Easy Taco Rice, Warm Corn and Avocado Salad, or Cumin Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Spinach White Bean Enchiladas
Servings 4 3 enchiladas eachIngredients
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas ($1.10)
- 4 oz pepper jack cheese ($1.00)
- 1/2 lb frozen chopped spinach ($0.85)
- 15 oz can white beans* ($1.00)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- Handful fresh chopped cilantro for garnish (optional) ($0.13)
PEPPER JACK SAUCE
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.14)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 4 oz cream cheese ($1.00)
- 3/4 cup whole milk ($0.29)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 4 oz pepper jack cheese ($1.00)
Instructions
- Toast the tortillas on each side in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until they are a slightly stiff and have browned just a bit on the edges. Stack them on a plate until ready to use. Toasting the tortillas increases the flavor and helps prevent them from cracking. Shred an 8oz. block of pepper jack cheese. Half will be used for the enchilada filling and half will be used for the sauce.
- Defrost the frozen spinach in a microwave or take it out of the freezer before beginning to allow it time to defrost naturally. Squeeze as much moisture out of the thawed spinach as possible. Place the spinach in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the white beans, then add them to the bowl with the spinach. Also add 4oz. of the shredded cheese, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and a little freshly cracked pepper. Stir until the mixture is evenly combined.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Begin preparing the pepper jack sauce by adding the butter and minced garlic to a small sauce pot. Sauté the garlic in the butter for one minute over medium heat. Add the milk and cream cheese to the pot. Stir and heat until the cream cheese has fully melted into the milk and the mixture has thickened slightly. Season with salt. Begin adding the remaining shredded pepper jack, a handful at a time, and stirring it in until fully melted before adding more. Once all the cheese has been melted into the sauce, turn the heat off and allow it to cool slightly.
- Coat the inside of a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Begin filling the toasted tortillas with the spinach and white bean mixture and rolling them closed. Line up the filled tortillas in the casserole dish, seam sides facing down. Choose a casserole dish that fits 12 of the rolled enchiladas snugly to help keep them from unrolling.
- Once the tortillas are filled and in the casserole dish, pour the pepper jack sauce over top. Bake the enchiladas in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges of the tortillas are brown and the pepper jack sauce is thick and browned on the edges. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over top, if desired.
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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 White Bean Enchiladas – Step by Step Photos
Begin by slightly toasting 12 6-inch corn tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toasting gives them a nuttier flavor and helps strengthen them a bit so they aren’t as likely to crack when rolled. You want to toast them just until they’re a little more stiff, but still pliable enough to roll. Stack them on a plate as they come out of the skillet and set them aside.
Shred an entire 8oz. block of pepper jack cheese. Half will be used in the filling of the enchiladas and half will be used for the sauce.
Thaw 1/2 lb. of frozen spinach (microwave or let sit at room temperature). I suggest getting “cut spinach” or “chopped spinach” so that you don’t have long strings of spinach leaves in your enchiladas. Once thawed, squeeze out as much water as possible from the spinach and place it in a large bowl. Rinse and drain one 15oz. can white beans and add them to the bowl along with 4oz. of the shredded cheese, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Stir the mixture until everything is evenly mixed. Set the mixture aside.
Begin preheating the oven to 350ºF. To start the pepper jack sauce, add 1 Tbsp butter and one minced clove of garlic to a small sauce pot. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium heat for one minute to soften it up.
Add 3/4 cup whole milk and 4oz. cream cheese to the pot. Stir or whisk until the cream cheese melts into the milk and thickens it slightly. Stir in 1/4 tsp salt.
Once the cream cheese has melted in, begin adding the remaining 4oz. of shredded pepper jack, one handful at a time. Whisk in each handful until it is fully melted before adding more. Once all the cheese has been incorporated into the sauce, turn the heat off and let the sauce cool slightly while you assemble the enchiladas.
Begin filling the tortillas with the spinach and white bean mixture, rolling them up, and then placing them in a casserole dish coated with non-stick spray. I had enough filling for 12 enchiladas, but I chose a dish that was slightly too small, so I only made 10 (if you have leftover filling, you can make quick quesadillas with it in a skillet!). Make sure your enchiladas are in the dish with the seams facing down and that they fit snuggly together.
Pour the pepper jack sauce over the enchiladas. I like to pour it down the center and let some of the tortillas stay exposed on the sides. This gets them extra toasty and delicious.
Finally, bake the enchiladas in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the tortillas are brown and crispy on the edges and the pepper jack sauce has thickened and browned around the edges. Top the enchiladas with chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired.
Creamy heaven!
Dig in!
I love your website! I have found so many wonderful recipes on here!
I found this while looking for a vegetarian lunch option and had two pounds of spinach in my freezer, so I doubled everything and used a combination of black beans and chickpeas for the filling. The cheese sauce is AMAZING! I will be eating these for days and I’m very happy about that! Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe countless times and the whole family loves it! I’m not sure if it changes the flavor at all, but I find it a lot easier to broil (on low) the tortillas for about 45 sec to 1 min on each side – you can do all 12 at once! Then just pull them out and stack them on a plate until you’re ready to stuff.
Great tip!!
I only have fresh spinach. Do you recommend wilting it first? Also, do you think lentils could be substituted for the beans? Apparently I’m out of everything!
Yes, definitely sauté the spinach first to remove some of the moisture. You could use lentils, but I think white beans are much better suited for this recipe because of their creamy texture and milder flavor. I imagine lentils to be a bit too earthy tasting for this.
Delicious!! Everyone took leftovers home with them. Adding it to our rotation!
These turned out delicious. I had pan sizing issues so I ended up with 9 in a 10×7 and the last 3 in a 5×7.
I felt I had a lot of sauce so I’m surprised to hear people doubling it. I threw the extra sauce on some pasta for my 1.5 year old. Was a hit.
I also used Monterey Jack cheese instead in case my toddler decided to try them. They still had great flavor for me and weren’t too spicy for her.
Regretting not buying more cheese this week so I can make them a second time!
This is a great recipe! I used monterey jack cheese and added canned green chilis to mine. Even the non vegetarians loved it! Definitely will make again. :)
I don’t have an oblong casserole dish. Would I want to use 9×9 or 9×13 pan? Thanks!
A 9×9 might work best.
Thanks Beth!
Thank you Beth. I am glad to hear of an alternative to fried tortillas. I use your red enchilada sauce recipe not as often as I would like because I dread the frying in oil and cleaning of oil. Thanks for the tip.
So good! I added adobo chiles to the enchilada mixture for an extra spicy kick. Thanks for sharing :)
Another new favorite from Budget Bytes! I made this with two minor changes: (1) flour tortillas instead of corn since that’s what I already had on hand, and (2) added minced green pepper to the filling since I had a partial pepper to use up. SO. GOOD. I really can’t thank you enough for showing me how easy it is to make my own queso. This dish easily replaces our local Mexican restaurant; it’s hands down cheaper, healthier, and more delicious. Thank you!!
If I leave the sauce off….. do you think these would freeze well? I would then make the sauce fresh on the night I plan to serve. Any feedback?
I’m not sure the corn tortillas would survive freezing and thawing without cracking open.
What great flavor! I found this recipe while searching g for budget meatless meals on Pintrest… The flavors were amazing, and I definitely plan on making this for my family again! I served it with a version of Mexican Street Corn. My dish did turn out really dry, and I’m wondering where I went wrong… I followed the recipe to the tee if I’m not mistaken, and am wondering if you could advise! I’m wondering if doubling the sauce may help… It’s just dry… Thanks for any feedback!
Hmm, it’s hard to pinpoint without having watched you make it, but I think doubling the sauce would be my first attempt at fixing that issue.
Hi Mary! One tip to combat dryness is after you warm the tortillas in the skillet dip them in the sauce, so that both sides of the tortilla is coated, then fill them. I find this helps to keep the tortilla from not drying out while baking but also doesn’t get soggy.
BTW, loved this recipe!
Delicious. I appreciate you so much! The cheese sauce was amazing. I doubled the cheese sauce recipe (everything except for the cheese because I forgot to buy extra) and it was so good. Also, I used fresh spinach, about 8 oz, and these turned out great. They were too spicy for my 2.5 year old.
This is one of my favorite recipes. I leave the sauce off for my 2 & 4 year olds and they just eat it like a taco (I let them bake for 15ish min). They love them and I love that they love them!
Love all your recipes I’ve tried! This is another winner! My husband is super picky and I wasn’t sure he was going to be in to this one, but yet again – he kept going back for more! He was also noding his head up and down saying “Umhum,” throughout the meal. Made me feel great. Thanks so much for helpibg me please my picky hubby!
I accidentally got plain Monterey Jack cheese, so I just added a small can of diced jalapenos to the cheese. It was great that way. Only thing I’ll do differntly next time is make a double batch of the cheese sauce. Delicious!