Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe: A No-Roll Layered Casserole

Rolling a dozen enchiladas one at a time is the slow part of enchilada night. This black bean enchiladas recipe skips that step by stacking oiled corn tortillas with sauce, a seasoned tofu-and-black-bean filling, and melted Monterey Jack in a baking dish, building a casserole instead of a plate of individually rolled enchiladas.

The method comes from America's Test Kitchen's tested layered enchilada recipe, which pairs shredded extra-firm tofu with one can of black beans. Further down, this guide also covers a beans-only variation for cooks who'd rather skip the tofu, but that swap hasn't gone through ATK's testing the way the main recipe has, so it gets its own clearly marked section instead of blending into the steps below.

As tested, this is a beginner-friendly weeknight bake in a 9-by-13-inch dish that takes about 30 minutes total and serves 4 to 6.

Why layered black bean enchiladas work without rolling

Stacking flat tortillas in two layers, separated by sauce, filling, and cheese, is what turns this into a casserole rather than a plate of rolled enchiladas. Because the tortillas aren't wrapped around anything, they skip the traditional step of frying or steaming them to make them pliable.

They still get brushed with oil on both sides before layering. That oil does a different job here: it adds richness and keeps the tortillas from soaking up so much sauce that they turn mushy.

The sauce goes on in three stages rather than all at once: some on the bottom of the dish, some over the middle filling layer, some on top. That structure, along with the oiled tortillas, is what keeps the finished casserole from turning into a soggy stack.

What you'll need for this layered black bean enchiladas recipe

This black bean tofu enchiladas casserole uses mostly pantry and fridge staples:

• 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, shredded on the large holes of a box grater

• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

• 12 corn tortillas

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided (1 tablespoon for cooking the filling, 2 tablespoons for brushing the tortillas)

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 4 scallions, whites and greens separated and sliced

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon table salt

• 1½ cups enchilada sauce, store-bought or homemade

• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, split into two 1-cup portions

Equipment: a 12-inch nonstick skillet, a box grater, a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and a pastry brush.

Tofu, beans, and Monterey Jack are the only protein sources here, so this is a vegetarian dish as written. A beans-only version for cooks who want to skip the tofu entirely follows after the tested method below.

Before you start

Preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. While the oven heats, rinse the beans, slice the scallions keeping whites and greens separate, and shred the tofu on the large holes of a box grater. Shred the cheese too if you're working from a block instead of a bag.

Measure the enchilada sauce into three ½-cup portions ahead of time so you're not eyeballing it while the filling finishes on the stove. Brush the tortillas with oil while the filling cooks rather than ahead of time, so they go into the dish freshly oiled instead of sitting around getting soft on the counter.

Twelve tortillas won't necessarily lie flat and cover a 9-by-13-inch dish in one clean layer. Overlap the edges as you go, and keep a spare tortilla or two nearby to tear and patch any gaps, especially in the corners.

How to make black bean tofu enchiladas

1. Cook the scallion whites. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced scallion whites and cook until sizzling, about 1 minute. They should smell mildly oniony and look glossy, not browned.

2. Bloom the tomato paste and spices. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring so nothing sticks to the pan.

3. Cook the filling. Stir in the shredded tofu, the can of black beans, and the salt. Cook until the liquid evaporates and the tofu starts to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. The mixture will look wet and pale at first; as the liquid cooks off, the tofu shreds darken slightly and start to catch a little at the edges of the pan. That's the cue to move on.

4. Brush the tortillas. While the filling finishes cooking, brush both sides of all 12 tortillas with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.

5. Layer the base. Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange half the oiled tortillas over the sauce, overlapping edges and patching gaps so the tortillas cover the surface.

6. Add the filling and middle layer. Spread the tofu-bean mixture evenly over the tortillas, working it out toward the edges rather than mounding it in the center, so every bite gets filling. Top with ½ cup sauce and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.

7. Finish the top layer. Arrange the remaining tortillas over the cheese the same way, then top with the last ½ cup of sauce and the remaining 1 cup of cheese.

8. Bake. Slide the dish into the 450°F oven and bake until hot throughout and the cheese is melted, 8 to 12 minutes. Look for cheese that's fully melted and bubbling at the edges of the dish before pulling it out.

9. Garnish and serve. Sprinkle with the sliced scallion greens and serve.

Beans-only variation (untested)

Prefer to skip the tofu? Swap it for a second 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed, in place of the tofu in Step 3.

With two cans of beans and no tofu adding bulk, expect the filling to hold more liquid and take longer to cook down. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon for texture, and keep cooking past the 6-minute mark, checking every minute or two, until the mixture looks thick rather than wet. A spoonful that holds its shape without pooling liquid is the sign to stop cooking and move on to layering.

Because this filling is denser and wetter than the tested tofu version, the bake time in Step 8 may run longer than 8 to 12 minutes. Watch for the same finish line: a hot center and fully melted cheese, rather than a set time. If the filling still looks wet after a full round of cooking, treat that as a sign to drain the beans more thoroughly or cut back the sauce the next time you make it, not something to fix by baking longer right now.

Since this combination hasn't been tested, treat ATK's stated 30-minute total time and 4-to-6 serving yield as reference points for the tofu version only, not guarantees for this swap.

Troubleshooting

A torn tortilla isn't a reason to start over. Overlap the torn pieces instead of discarding them; the seam disappears once the casserole bakes.

Pre-shredded cheese blends with anti-caking starch can melt in uneven clumps. A block you shred yourself tends to melt more smoothly across both layers.

If cheese on top is browning faster than the center is heating through, that's more likely an oven hot-spot issue than a recipe problem. Rotating the dish partway through the bake time can help even things out.

Finish, serve, and store

Success looks like a casserole that's hot all the way through with evenly melted, bubbling cheese on top. The recipe calls for serving right after garnishing, though letting it sit a minute or two makes for cleaner slices if you'd rather wait.

A dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro, or diced avocado on top at serving time is a matter of preference, not something the recipe depends on.

Refrigerate leftovers promptly once the dish has cooled slightly, and reheat portions until they're steaming hot all the way through before eating. For a single microwaved portion, stir halfway through so the center heats as evenly as the edges.

If you made the beans-only variation, its texture and timing haven't been validated the way the tofu version has. Use the same finish-line checks — a hot center and fully melted cheese — rather than expecting an exact match to the tested recipe's numbers, and adjust the bean-draining and sauce amount next time if the filling ran wet.