The air conditioner has arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!! It. is. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I can finally live life again aka I can finally cook again. First meal: easy peezy Vegetarian Black Bean Enchilada Casserole. Fast, simple, and delicious! Omit the cheese and you've got a vegan situation, but man do I love my cheese.
I make this dish at work but it's just not quite the same. Why you ask? El Pato. That's right. El Pato. This dish needs HEAT! And preschoolers may be iffy on that statement so I skip the El Pato addition. However, I'm a firm believer in spicy mexican food because come on. Mild? Please. Now I know not everyone agrees, which is why I separate the sauce and the spice.
Adding the heat in instead of buying a "medium" sauce allows you to control the heat in the dish. SO. If you're not into spicy enchiladas, forgo any Jalapeño sauces, aka El Pato. But if you ARE, then feel free to add even more than I did. As is, the recipe has a fair amount of heat to it, but not enough to go WHEW need a glass of water (ps drink milk or eat bread by the way, water makes it worse - just sayin). So if fire level heat is your thing, go for it. Personally, I like it in between.
Ergo, this dish is a breeze to customize. Change the heat to whatever you can handle. Have some other vegetables you'd like to try instead of bell pepper? Go for it. Love cheese? Add more cheese! This Vegetarian Black Bean Enchilada Casserole so easily thrown together you'll be amazed.
Vegetarian Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 24-28 corn tortillas
- 3 ½ cups red enchilada sauce
- 1 tablespoon El Pato or your favorite Jalapeño sauce
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 ½ cups sweet yellow corn kernels, cooked
- 2 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese blend
- Fresh cilantro, diced for garnish
- Green onion, thinly sliced for garnish
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a 9X13 casserole dish and set aside.
- Combine enchilada sauce and El Pato in a bowl until fully mixed.
- Spread about ½ a cup on the bottom of the pan.
- Lay 6-8 tortillas on the bottom of the pan (overlapping is fine).
- Spread about 1 cup of the mixed sauce onto the tortillas, fully coating them.
- Sprinkle half the beans, half the corn, and half the of the bell pepper on top of the sauced tortillas and top with a third of the cheese blend.
- Repeat the layering process starting again with the tortillas, then add sauce, then the rest of the beans, bell pepper, corn, and another third of the cheese.
- Top this second layer with another 8 tortillas. Coat with the remaining sauce and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
- Place in the middle rack of the oven for 45 - 55 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling, cheese is melted and the middle is cooked through.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Claudia | Breakfast Drama Queen says
This looks delicious! And I'm so glad your air conditioner has arrived 😀
Gregory Andrews says
The best it’s a keeper 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
This looks so hearty and flavourful! I love onepan easy casseroles like this for dinner and I definitely will be making this enchilada version.
Dan says
I am definitely not vegan, nor vegetarian, but I have to ay, this was a delicious dish. It's a hearty meal with a great kick from the Pato Jalepeno Salsa.
Pat says
There is only one vegetarian in the family, but everyone love it!
The Glamorous Pan says
I love enchiladas, and this recipe looks great!
Alichia says
I tried this tonight, I must admin I had a bit of hesitation because I hate capsicum. Absolutely loved it. Thank you for sharing xx
Aberdeen says
You're welcome! I'm glad you gave this recipe a go, despite the bell peppers 🙂
Shannon says
I only did 2 layers- hope it's still good! It's in the oven now 🙂
Captain Honrath del Gato says
Made this tonight. It’s very good and highly recommend, but I would definitely cover it in tinfoil when you cook it. My cheese was starting to burn about 20 minutes in. I also added more beans, bell peppers and green onions to give it more filling.
Lisa Yang says
Made this over the weekend and I loved it. Thanks Abby!
Aberdeen says
You're welcome!! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Rene says
I love love love this recipe. It's filling so it goes a long way. It's versatile, so I can adjust it to suit whom ever I am feeding. I have a fairly large family gathering this weekend. I can easily make one with shredded chicken for those who insist on a meat product. I can make one with heat and one without. Everyone is happy. The best part is that I can make it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when I'm ready. It's a definitely a keeper.
laura says
hi rene,
did you make in the day before, keep in fridge, and reheat when ready? i am hoping so cause i want to do that! thanks 🙂
Hallie says
Can you make in the morning, keep it refrigerated and then bake it in the evening when you get home?
Dana says
How many people does this serve?? I have a family of 3. One being a toddler. 24 tortillas seems like a lot. Can I cut this in half and still have enough??
Aberdeen says
Hi Dana! This recipe serves about 4 to 6 people so I'd say if you halve it you're good to go for a family of 3 🙂 . There are three layers of tortillas, each layer being about 8 tortillas each to fill out a 9x13 casserole dish. If you have a half size casserole dish that would work perfectly!
Colleen says
I make it for our family of three, and with some chips or beans we stretch it for two days. My one is an almost teenage boy, so sides are needed!! It is super delicious though. I also add cooked diced zucchini and onion to mine to make it even more filling.
Karen says
This recipe is delicious! I made it for my family and everyone loved it. I used the tbsp of jalepeno sauce and my youngest just needed to use a bit of sour cream to tone it down, but otherwise the heat was just right. I will make this again and again. Thanks!
Marina says
Super tasty and a weekly dinner go-to! Leftovers hold up well for a second day. I like to add salsa and olives as well.
Monica Dhulia says
How does this recipe hold up as leftovers?
Julie says
Do you use small tortillas?
Aberdeen says
Yes, 6-inch corn tortillas 🙂
Jen says
Has anyone figured out the nutritional info?
asrinath says
Hello,
The enchiladas look really yummy and I plan to prepare this for a party next week. Can you please let me know which El Pato sauce did you exactly use? I tried searching on Amazon and it lists a wide variety of sauces. Help would be deeply appreciated.
Aberdeen says
Hi! I use El Pato Marca Jalapeño Sauce, it comes in a green can with a duck on it ???? there's a picture of it up above in the post if you still can't find it! Just make sure it's a jalapeño sauce and not another enchilada sauce.
ydelle says
I have never heard of jalapeño sauce before and I don't shop on amazon so are there other brands?
Aberdeen says
You can actually find it at most grocery stores! I pretty much only use it to add heat so you can definitely experiment with your favorite hot sauce or salsa and see what works best. Hope that helps!
Bonnie says
Aberdeen, can I make this a day ahead and refrigerate.
Aberdeen says
Absolutely!
Kelsey says
I just made this for a friend who recently had a baby. I can't attest to the taste since I didn't try it, but I have to say -- it was super simple and smelled delicious! Will definitely try it for myself in the near future 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Katie says
Hard or soft corn tortillas? I'm on my way to the grocery store and want to pick up these ingredients to make for dinner tonight. Thanks!
Katie says
Hard or soft corn tortillas? I'm on my way to the grocery store and want to pick up these ingredients to make for dinner tonight. Thanks!
Aberdeen says
Soft corn tortillas :-). Enjoy!
Katie says
Thanks so much! Can't wait to make it and try it!
Courtney says
Can you make this a day or two ahead or would it get too soggy?
Aberdeen says
Hi Courtney! If you wanted to make this a couple days ahead of time, I would suggest making and cooking it all the way through, covering with saran wrap and freezing it for few days until you want to serve it. Then reheat the full casserole in the oven. If you prepped it all up and then didn't cook it for a day or two it would definitely get soggy. The cook and freeze method might end up making it a little bit wetter due to the freezing and then reheating but it'd be the best option for pre-making it.
Lori says
Hello
Do you cover with foil while baking or Not?
Thanks
Aberdeen says
Hi Lori, I did not cover with foil. Just throw the baking dish in the oven and you're set to go!
Rebeca says
Made this a few days ago and been enjoying lots of it the last few days - I omitted the corn and green pepper, used only 1 can of black beans and added a block of crumbled tofu. Also reduced the cheese to lower fat and will definitely be making this again. Thanks for an awesome, easily customizable recipe.
Linda Ward says
Love this recipe!! I'm 5 weeks away from my due date so I want to freeze some of my families favorite meals. Has anyone tried this after freezing?
Cin says
I've made this recipe several times. It's always too much for me to finish, so I freeze it in small portions so I can just reheat a meal at a time. Works wonderful and tastes great!
Aberdeen says
Thank you so much Linda!
Linda Parlon says
I'm making this for a work pot luck - I'd like the heat to be medium and then offer additional heat through jalapenos on the side. How much of the El Pato would you recommend? Would you make any changes to make it pot luck friendlier? I'll make it the night before. I'll post a photo of the finished product. Thank you!
Aberdeen says
Hi Linda! Sorry for the late reponse ????. If you're worried about the heat just add a half a teaspoon at a time, stir it into the enchilada sauce, and taste it, adjusting accordingly. If you've already made it, I hope it turned out well!
Skylar says
I made this tonight and it turned out delicious. I just changed a few things, such as tearing the tortillas and only using a top and bottom layer. Also added a cup of broth infused rice. Definitely a pantry staple meal!
Jessica Chacon says
This was extremely delicious! My whole family loved it!
Loretta Smith says
Really good recipe but my soft tortilla's cooked up hard on the bottom. How do I adjust that problem? Thank you!
Jane says
My bottom tortillas cooked up hard too.
Next time I will put some of the sauce in the pan first and hope that works. But, man are they delicious. We added some sliced black olives and white onion.
Katie says
Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe?
Heather says
This was delicious!
Paulette says
How many people does this feed?
LouAnn says
I cannot have cheese or anything with oil (so no fake cheese)Any idea for substitute??
Natalie Rosenthal says
We love this recipe and it is the fifth time we have made it. I can't do spicy so we use mild sauce and the only change we make is to add a can of mild diced chilis. We love to serve it with sour cream and diced avocado.
Brittany says
could try a cashew cheese sauce!
Tracey says
For a split second, I thought the recipe called for a "215 oz" can of black beans and thought, "that's a BIG can of beans!!!". LOL! We're going to try out the recipe this week, but with just 30 oz of beans... :^)
Martha says
Made this tonight and changed it up a bit. I used only 12 tortillas cut up, used only 1 10 oz can of Enchilada sauce and added a can of southwest corn (drained). I mixed all the ingredients in a large bowl and transferred to a greased Casserole dish. It was super easy to make an was able to cut the time down to 30 minutes.
Charles says
I made this yesterday as a pre cinco de mayo meal, sort of, and it was a big hit! very delicious and pretty easy to make, it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe. It is destined to become a favorite around here.
Aberdeen says
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed it 😁.
Lauren says
Great recipe! I love how versatile (and delicious) it is!
Aberdeen says
Thank you so much! This is one of my all time fave recipes 🙂
Cin says
I love this recipe! I've made it three times so far. Everyone who has tasted it loves it. Last night I made it for church potluck and it was devoured. I love how simple the recipe is. I would like to try it next time with some chopped up broccoli added to it. Also, I use vegan cheese to make the recipe vegan and also added some chopped green onions to the bean, corn and bell pepper mixture. And it's wonderful that it's all gluten-free. Thank you so much for sharing!
Aberdeen says
You're welcome! I love your vegan version 👍🏻.
Michelle says
This looks delicious. You don’t have to pre-cook the peppers and they still soften?
Niru says
Hi do you bake this covered or uncovered ?
Aberdeen says
I bake it uncovered. If it starts to get too brown but it still needs a little more time(depends on your oven), you can cover it with foil and keep right on cooking!
Kaitlyn Hicks says
It was tasty, however, the tortillas were very soggy and using the 1/3 of the cheese got real crispy along the top. It's okay though.
Aberdeen says
I'm so sorry this happened! I'll look into the recipe and see if I can figure out what's going on 😊.
Reannan Willis says
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I also used vegan cheese and added a can of refried beans. I smeared the refried beans on the first two layers of tortillas. It’s definitely a keeper in our house. It smelled wonderful baking too. I loved how simple the steps were. Give it a try you won’t be disappointed.
Nik says
Very easy to make. I added onions to the peppers and seasoned them with Goya. I also mixed southwest corn with sweet corn for extra favor. I think I will use a larger pan next time because you can get more sauce in. Luckily I put some sauce to the side. Top it all off with sour cream. This dish was delicious. I will be making it again.
Aberdeen says
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it!
Vik Slen says
I'm guessing the green onions should be chopped up and spread with with the cilantro. Nice recipe. Next time I will try to make real enchiladas, maybe with pinto or refried beans for authenticity.
Gerry Campbell says
Could you add cooked Spanish rice to this recipe?
Aberdeen says
I havn't added any myself but I think that would be just fine, and super delicious 😁.
Delia Seaman says
Used to eat Amy's Kitchen enchilada pie religiously and am so happy I found this recipe. A few subs:
~for the sauce I used a combo of: el pato green tomatillo sauce, el pato red salsa, a bunch of fresh jalapenos and onions for a creamy combo.
~Used mini sweet bell peppers instead
~Used jalapeno cheese instead
It's cooking now, CAN'T WAIT! For those who love spicy.
p.s. I think every kitchen needs a bunch of El Pato's sauces in their pantry, they're super simple and easy to use. They're also sold at the Dollar Store, fyi.
Aberdeen says
That sounds absolutely delicious, I hope it turned out well!
Ali says
Hi! Has anyone tried making this and then freezing immediately after assembly and baking at a later time? I read through some of the comments and I'm wondering if that might make it too soggy.
Mary Davis says
Hi ,
I recently made this but I had modified it a little bit . I had sautéed the bell peppers with olive oil with black pepper , onion powder, parsley and added 4 oz can of Ortega diced green chilies. My co-worker who is vegetarian asked if she can leftovers!! It was a hit !!
Aberdeen says
Yay! That modification sounds delicious!
Damaris Abreu says
I made this for the first time today and it was a hit with the family. It will definitely be a staple in my family to eat. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us,
Aberdeen says
Yay! You're very welcome 😊.
Bharti says
I made this last night. It was tasty, everyone loved it. I used flour tortillas wasn't to soggy. I swapped the tomatoe paste for roasted sweet red peppers to make the enchilada sauce. It was a hit and will become a go yo recipe
Cherie says
So good!
Tess says
This was DELICIOUS !
I used flour tortillas instead of corn and 1/2 Mexican blend cheese 1/2 vegan cheese because that’s what I had in the fridge. Turned out great!! Thanks!
CW says
Just made this. I am from the south and a fan of spice. For me, the El Pato sauce was not hot at all. I divided the recipe in half as it is just two of us but I used three tablespoons of El Pato - still barely any heat. Flavor was just OK. If I try this again, I will add quite a bit of cayenne to the sauce.
CW says
I want to add that I did use a quarter cup more sauce than called for. I put it (mixed with Jalapeño Sauce) in the bottom to avoid hard tortillas..
Suzanne says
This looks so good! It would be a yummy leftovers for lunch the rest of the week!
Susan says
The recipe was delicious. I mixed the beans, all veggies and cilantro together and added layer that way.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
https://Gyeongsangnam-do-kropmasasage9.blogspot.com says
Hey there, You have done a fantastic job. I'll definitely digg it
and personally recommend to my friends. I'm sure they will be benefited from this website.
Corina says
I made this recipe for my family it was a hit. I just added a whole 7 3/4 oz. Can of el pato jalapeno sauce because I love a little extra kick of spiciness. I wish I would've taken a pic before we devoured it. Will definitely make again. Thank you for this recipe.
K says
Question: I know this is an old post, but ... should the tortillas be warmed/toasted slightly on my gas burner before lining the pan with them? Would that make them less soggy? ... Also, I've never heard of jalapeno sauce. I can look at the "Hispanic" section of my grocery store more carefully.
Aberdeen says
They can be! It's an extra step but I would try more for toasted than warmed as that wouldn't help much. The jalapeno sauce is in the hispanic section at my store, if you can't find one this is the kind I use: https://www.amazon.com/El-Pato-Jalapeno-Salsa-7-75/dp/B000VDYQWO.
Jayne says
I'm new to the plant-based diet. I'm not 100% yet but both my husband and I loved this! But for the cheese, we used a sheep cheese Manchego because my husband is allergic to proteins in milk-based cheeses. I also only used 1 red bell pepper because it was pretty big. I made a homemade enchilada sauce recipe that I had. I just wanted to clarify that in case it affects anything. But we went back for seconds and my husband was very surprised he liked it so much. Looking forward to leftovers today. I have no doubt if you did it exactly as written you'd love it!
Julie says
Can I use refried black beans for this recipe?
Lisa says
So easy and delicious! I had read all the comments and made my casserole with half being flour tortillas and half corn. I definitely liked the corn side better. This is one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day!
Keely says
I’ve been making this recipe for 3 years now I’ve printed it into my personal recipe book and it’s a huge go-to when family is in! Even better the second day. We love using Greek yogurt with it. Never left a comment before but wanted to let you know how much we appreciate it!
Aberdeen says
Thank you so much!! What a GREAT idea, I'm going to use Greek yogurt with it the next time I make it 👍🏻👍🏻.
Matt says
Made this for the first time. Added chopped onions to each layer and black olives on top with the cheese. Otherwise, followed the recipe. I normally don’t feel full with a vegetarian dish but this is the exception! Very tasty and leftovers are great during our work from home.
Aberdeen says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Heather says
Hello! i made this recipe last week and it was a hit with my teenage children. My daughter is a vegetation and my son is normally very accommodating but I know he would have preferred this type of recipe with chicken 🙂 but they both thought it was delicious. I am making it again tonight and am adding some onion and zucchini to the bean and corn mixture. Thanks for a tasty and easy recipe.
Aberdeen says
You're welcome! I'm so happy your kiddos enjoyed it 😊.
Jan says
Made this tonight, pure joy! Delicious. Will definitely cook this over and over. So easy, And a bonus that there is enough left over for tomorrow nights dinner. I will try adding cooked rice in next time as an addition and I like that it can be very versatile.
Thank you for sharing. Much appreciated
Aberdeen says
You're so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.
Kelly says
This was fantastic! I didn’t have vegan shredded cheese on hand so I used slices of vegan Chao instead. I made some vegan sour cream and guacamole for the side. Delicious!
Sophie says
I LOVE this recipe, and so does my 16-year old son. It's very adaptable, too. You can add more peppers, less cheese, etc. The first time I made it I lessened the enchilada sauce, but you really need the amount specified to keep it all moist. It cooks into the tortillas and binds everything together. Yum!
juliet says
I have made this two times now and am getting ready to make it for a third time today!! This is such a great dish! Tasty & easy to make. I add a little homemade guacamole on top for my husband, he loves it! It also holds up great as a leftover meal. Thanks!!
Barb Wierzba says
How far ahead can this be made? I have a company coming and am trying to get some things made ahead of time. One, two or three days? Thanks so much, looks delicious!
Natalie says
Made this for dinner tonight and it seemed to be a hit. I added half a fresh jalapeno to the pepper mix. I omitted cilantro (because soap, ya know) and added chopped olives to the top of the casserole. We garnished with sour cream and Trader Joe's dragon sauce which added an excellent kick. Happy to add this to my "meat-less" rotation!
Carol says
Easy and delicious weeknight meal! Paired with homemade Spanish rice and an avocado ranch salad. Delicious! Had to make half with pepper and half without for the kids. I tried the half without and it was actually just as good! Although I prefer a kick 🤪 Thanks for the great recipe!
Anthony says
Can you use frozen corn or should it be cooked? It came out pretty soupy and I'm wondering if that's why.
-Thanks!
Amy says
Easy and delicious! I made plenty of leftovers too which were just as delicious and my family loved it. Thanks!
Carrie Harvey says
Isn't this a bake? It hasn't got enough liquid to be a casserole. Looks tasty!
Heidi says
Can I use a green sauce with this recipe
Anne Nguyen says
My daughter gave this a 10/10
Mary says
I added onion and sauteed the vegetables before layering. It was very good and filling.
Dale says
Made this last night using homemade enchilada sauce and homemade cheese sauce. My husband said it is guest worthy (which is few and far between). We are both looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow night. Thanks!
Lorry says
We are in a spiritual fast right now. No meat at all is not our norm so this made me a little nervous. The entire family of 6 thought it was yummy! Thank you. We’ll make this even after we go back to eating meat.
Whitney says
I really really really wish you had said to cover the casserole. I did not and I put it on the lowest rack and I’m still staring at completely crusty, brown cheese on top.
james says
Thanks for the vegetarian black bean recipe.
https://www.restaurantthatdeliversnearme.website/old-fashioned-goulash-recipe-with-ground-beef.html
Hiral says
This recipe turns out to be really good!!! I made it for a family dinner, and everyone loved it. Definitely making it again. One very important thing: Do not skimp on the sauce.
I just made 2 minor modifications to the recipe.
1) I added some salt to bell pepper-corn-beans mixture before adding it to the recipe.
2) I couldn’t find Jalapeño sauce, so I added canned diced medium Jalapeños to the bell pepper-corn-beans mixture.
Taryn says
Taste was good, likely because I made homemade enchilada sauce. However, vegetables were very al dente and the recipe could certainly use aromatics like garlic and onion. In addition, my casserole was very soggy, mushy texture was unpleasant. Will not make again.
Siobhan says
Loved this recipe. I made some adjustments. I added the whole can of jalapeno sauce to 2 cans of enchilada sauce. I added cilantro chopped to each layer. I used a green, red, orange and yellow peppers chopped. Everything else stayed the same. It was so good. Thanks for the recipe.
Colleen says
Made this twice, it’s great! Wondering if I could substitute flour tortillas since I currently have a whole bunch of them?
Nadia says
I’ve made this a couple of times and it turns out really good. The sauce seems like a lot but it soaks up and ensures they don’t dry out. This last time, I reduced the beans, added ground beef with taco seasoning, left out the peppers but added Ro-Tel and some green chiles. The chiles really added a nice punch. Thanks for the recipe!
Jp says
Delicious! Just needs to be covered with foil while baking or the cheese won’t melt.
kazy says
How many servings does this yield?