Vegetarian Enchiladas
Black Beans, Mushrooms and Monterey Jack in a Mexican Dish
Try a delicious do-ahead dinner of Black Bean & Mushroom Enchiladas, rice and refried beans.
Traditional enchiladas are filled with shredded meat, but you can get creative with other fillings for a delicious vegetarian meal.
Black Bean & Mushroom Enchiladas can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen before baking, for an easy do-ahead dinner.
Serve with white rice and this recipe for homemade refried beans, a quick and easy side dish.
Menu
Black Bean & Mushroom Enchiladas
White Rice
Refried Beans
Black Bean & Mushroom Enchiladas
- 1 large carton mushrooms
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, cut into julienne strips
- 1 small can green chilies, chopped and drained
- 6 flour tortilla shells
- 1 jar enchilada sauce
- 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Wash and slice the mushrooms. In a little bit of cooking oil, sauté the mushrooms in a skillet until soft. Add black beans and stir, continuing to cook for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, add more oil and sauté onion and green pepper until soft. Add canned green chilies and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Spray a baking dish with cooking oil and pour enough enchilada sauce to just cover the bottom. To assemble the enchiladas, pour a little bit of enchilada sauce on a large dinner plate. Place a tortilla shell on the plate and distribute a little bit of sauce over both sides of the tortilla shell. Place a scoop of the black bean mushroom mixture on the tortilla, then a scoop of the pepper onion mixture, then half a handful of shredded cheese. Roll up the tortilla shell and place in the bottom of a baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbling at the edges. Uncover, sprinkle more Monterey jack cheese on top and continue baking for 15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped, fresh cilantro.
Refried Beans
- 2 cans pinto beans, drained with liquid reserved
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 chipotle pepper, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
Heat oil in frying pan and add onions, cooking until soft. Add drained beans and mash with a potato masher. Add bean liquid a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. Add chipotles and stir to combine. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped, fresh cilantro.
Tips:
- Use the enchilada sauce to soften the tortilla shells before filling them, but don’t overdo it. If they get too saturated, they’ll fall apart as you transfer them to the baking dish. You can use a pastry brush to lightly brush some sauce onto the shells.
- Authentic enchilada sauce has a spicy kick to it. If you want to avoid the spiciness, try Pace’s mild enchilada sauce in a jar.
- You can get as creative as you want with enchiladas. For a one-dish meal, put rice into the tortilla shells along with the other ingredients. Top chopped tomato, sliced black olives or anything you like!
- If you’re not a whiz at cooking rice, try treating it like pasta. Boil water in a large pot and toss in the rice. Boil over medium heat for 20 minutes, then drain the rice. To rinse off the thick starch, while the rice is in the strainer, pour boiling water over it. (I boil water in my tea kettle while the rice is cooking, so it’s ready for the rinse.) You’ll get perfect rice every time and you needn’t worry about the amount of water you use.
For more south-of-the-border recipes, see:
