
Enchiladas are one of my favorite meals to serve when entertaining guests or for a quick weeknight meal. They can be made in advance and then popped in the oven when you are ready for dinner. These cheese, black bean, and corn enchiladas are covered in the most delicious homemade enchilada sauce-- you won't use canned sauce ever again!
The key to these enchiladas is the sauce. The corn and black beans can certainly be swapped with shredded chicken. If you make this modification, I recommend tossing the shredded chicken in a tablespoon or two of the enchilada sauce to add extra flavor.
I use chicken broth in this enchilada sauce because I find it more flavorful than vegetable broth. If you prefer this recipe to be fully vegetarian, you can substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
To make the sauce, I roast the onions and garlic in the oven. I have tried making this sauce with raw garlic and onion or garlic and onion powder and it does not add nearly the same complexity to the sauce. Definitely do not skip this step.
This sauce is a medium spice level. If you'd like to make it less spicy, you can use less of the adobo sauce. You can also serve these enchiladas with sour cream to help cool down any spiciness.
This does make a ton of sauce (3.5 cups). If you are cutting the recipe in half, I recommend still making all the sauce and then freezing half-- it is just so delicious!
To make this a full meal, I love serving this with mexican rice, refried beans, and blackberry basil margaritas. For an appetizer don't forget the guacamole with pomegranate, homemade roasted tomato salsa, and chips.
If you make these black bean and corn enchiladas, I'd love to know what you think in the comments below! Enjoy!
📖 Recipe

Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas
Ingredients
- ½ medium yellow onion peeled and halved
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- ½ teaspoon avocado oil or other mild oil
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 3.5 oz canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce use less sauce to reduce spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or other mild oil
- 5 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas
- 2 cups frozen corn thawed
- 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 20 medium corn tortillas
- 16 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese or jack cheese for less spice
- 1 tablespoon chopped chilantro for garnish, optional
- sour cream for serving, optional
Instructions
Chipotle enchilada sauce
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange onion and smashed garlic on a sheet pan. Toss with ½ teaspoon oil. Bake for 10 minutes then turn the broiler on high. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until onions just begin to get black on the edges.
- Add onion and garlic to a blender along with tomato paste, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, ground cumin, cocoa powder, and chicken broth. Blend until smooth, about 10 seconds. (caution: heat expands in a blender, be sure to release air while blending)
- Heat ⅓ cup of oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Slowly add one tablespoon at a time of flour and whisk until there a no lumps, creating a roux. Slowly add the blended mixture to the pan and whisk until fully incorporated. Take off heat.
Black bean and corn enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (if not already preheated from earlier).
- Spread ½ cup of enchilada sauce along the bottom of two 9x13 baking dishes.
- Heat a medium pan on medium high heat. One at a time, add a tortilla and heat until maleable. Add a spoonful of each type of cheese, black beans, and corn. Roll the tortilla and place in the pan with the seam facing down. Repeat for all tortillas.
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top of the rolled up tortillas. Sprinkle each baking dish with 1 cup of cheddar and ½ cup of pepper jack cheese.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. At the end you can broil for a minute or two to make the cheese crispier, if you would like. Serve immediately with a garnish of cilantro and a side of sour cream (optional).
Notes
- You can make these enchiladas up to a day in advance. If doing so, save the last step until you are ready to enjoy. These may take a little longer to cook if you pop them in the oven straight from the fridge.
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