Spicy White and Black Bean Enchiladas
Spicy White and Black Bean Enchiladas
Hold on to your sombrero because you’re going to do the Mexican dance when you taste these delicious enchiladas. They are similar to my Black Bean Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce, except I pulled out all of the stops to flavor the beans and used a prepared enchilada sauce in this recipe. For the Black Bean Enchiladas I did just the opposite; I made an authentic Ranchero sauce and kept the beans simple. I hope you enjoy both recipes; each is unique, so you can’t go wrong with either one.
The origin for this recipe is pretty practical really. A good friend of mine recently had some pretty serious jaw reconstruction and needed something soft to eat, so I thought about these mushy, soft enchiladas filled with mashed beans and cheese, topped with spicy sauce making this the perfect dish to make for her. I start by sauteing diced vegetables consistent with Mexican fare and add them to mashed beans, white and black, then season with six different spices, bread crumbs and an egg. (This same mixture will become Garden Bean Burgers in a different post to come.) Then the softened corn tortillas are rolled with the bean mixture along with Mexican cheese and placed seam side down in a baking dish full of enchilada sauce. Once all are rolled, they are doused in more sauce and cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes and you’re ready to serve. You can make these as spicy as you want, by the way, by controlling the number of jalapenos, the amount of red pepper flakes or the level of “hotness” in the enchilada sauce.
Beans are so good for the heart and digestion, they fight cancer and help control blood pressure and blood sugar. The fiber content is high and the anti-oxidant benefits help fight inflammation. A half cup serving provides approximately 44% of daily iron needs, 55% of thiamin, 100% of folate, 37% of magnesium, 40% of phosphorus, 39% of potassium and 13% of zinc needs. And to top it all off, beans are super high in protein, making them a great alternative to meat.
Believe me, your family will be requesting this dish more often so get your Sombrero ready for some serious Mexican dancing.
- Spicy White and Black Bean Enchiladas
- 2 cups bean mixture (see below)
- 1 (19-ounce) can mild or medium enchilada sauce
- 16 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- 2 cups Mexican cheese
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, oil packed and cut julienne
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the Bean Mixture: Add onion, bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, jalapeno and garlic in container of food processor fitted with metal blade. Cover and process until finely diced. Heat oil in a small skillet placed over medium high heat. Add diced vegetables and cook 3-4 minutes or until tender and translucent. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to let cool.
- Add white and black beans to container of food processor fitted with metal blade. Cover and pulse until beans are mostly mashed, leaving some beans not completely mashed. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add cooled vegetables, cilantro and remaining bean mixture ingredients; stir well to combine.
- For the enchiladas: Pour half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- Warm tortillas by wrapping half of the tortillas in a damp paper towel and heating in microwave for 45 seconds or until soft and pliable. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Place 2 tablespoons of bean mixture onto the bottom third of a tortilla. Top with a tablespoon of Mexican cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Serve with light sour cream and chopped cilantro.
You might also enjoy:
Layered Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
jessica call
Hi Karen,
Is Hungarian Paprika much different from regular Paprika and is it easy to find?
Karen
Hungarian paprika is a little sweeter and more pungent (spicy) than regular paprika. I found it at Fred Meyer in the spice section but not in the alphabetical groupings (if that makes sense!). It is in a larger can. I’ve used both and love the Hungarian but it is not a “recipe” breaker.
Anonymous
Would they still turn out leaving the egg and bread crumbs out?
Karen
Yes you could leave the egg and bread crumbs out. I have them in there because this mixture also makes great black bean burgers. I’m posting the burgers in a near-future post. Thanks for asking.