Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Enchiladas Recipe - NYT Cooking https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020244-vegetarian-bean-and-chees...

Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

By Ali Slagle

Y I E L D 4 servings

TIME 40 minutes

Enchiladas can be a bit of a project, but here, the process has been streamlined, making them a truly possible
weeknight endeavor. Begin by sautéing peppers, onions and garlic until charred in spots, then blend half of the
vegetables with canned tomatoes and chili powder for the sauce and combine the rest with black beans, shredded
cheese and cumin for the filling. If you’re short on time, you could use store-bought enchilada sauce (you'll need
three cups), but quality varies, so taste it and add whatever you think is missing: chipotle in adobo or chili powder
for smokiness, hot sauce for heat, dried oregano or fresh cilantro for complexity and salt for overall flavor.

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION

2 tablespoons olive oil Step 1

2 medium yellow onions, finely
chopped
1 red bell pepper or poblano
chile, stemmed, seeded and cut
into 1/4-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, peeled and
thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted
tomatoes, preferably crushed
(see Tip)
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon hot sauce or 1
chipotle chile in adobo,
chopped (optional)
¼ cup sour cream, plus more
for serving (optional)
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans,
rinsed
5 ounces mild Cheddar or
Monterey Jack cheese, grated
(about 1 1/4 cups)
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the oil over
medium-high. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic; season
with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened
and charred in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cook
until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Step 2
Transfer half the vegetable mixture to a blender; add the
tomatoes, chili powder and hot sauce. Blend until very smooth.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. (If your blender isn’t
particularly strong and the sauce looks more like a chunky purée,
add 1/4 cup sour cream and blend again until smooth.)
Step 3
Add the black beans and 1/2 cup cheese to the remaining
vegetables in the skillet and stir to combine. Some canned beans
are already salted, so taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Step 4
Spread out the tortillas directly on the oven rack and heat until
warmed and pliable, 1 to 2 minutes, then wrap in a kitchen towel
to keep warm. Pour half the enchilada sauce (about 1 1/2 cups)
into a medium casserole dish or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and
spread it to cover the bottom of the dish.
Step 5

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Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Enchiladas Recipe - NYT Cooking https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020244-vegetarian-bean-and-chees...

10 to 12 (6-inch) soft corn or
flour tortillas
Fresh cilantro leaves and
stems, for serving
Line up the filling, tortillas and baking dish in a row. Place a little
more than 1/4 cup of the bean mixture in the center of one
tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place in the casserole dish, seam-
side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Step 6
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle with
the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted,
about 10 minutes. Top with sour cream and cilantro and serve
immediately.

Tips
The sauce and the black bean mixture, minus the cheese, can be
made, covered in an airtight container and refrigerated up to 5
days in advance.
Avoid diced canned tomatoes. They are mixed with calcium
chloride to help them retain their cube shape, so they won’t
break down as well in the blender. The sauce will taste fine, but
it will be noticeably chunkier.

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Vegetarian Bean and Cheese Enchiladas Recipe - NYT Cooking https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020244-vegetarian-bean-and-chees...

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