My last enchilada recipe had a tomato based enchilada sauce. I discovered after doing a bit of research that this is non-traditional (the word enchilada itself denotes a chili based sauce), so I decided to give a chili based sauce a try on these black bean enchiladas.
Black beans, corn, and butternut squash are seasoned with a bit of enchilada sauce, salt and pepper. The filling is then wrapped in enchilada shells, covered with the enchilada sauce, then baked in the oven until everything is warm and bubbly.
The sauce starts with dried, soaked chiles that are then processed with oregano, garlic and water. (I loved the addition of the oregano). At this point, I found the sauce to be pretty bitter and extremely spicy.
While this might be desirable if you’ve built up a taste for it (it seems many people online raved about that), I found that I needed a fair amount of sweetener and salt to mellow the flavors out a bit and cut through the bitterness. The sweetener and salt really made this sauce something delicious.
Beans, squash, and corn are super filling and the best combo - you have grains (corn is technically a grain), beans, and vegetables. You can substitute any squash for the butternut, so in warmer weather feel free to use summer squash or zucchini. The sweetness of the squash and corn pair beautifully with the spicy sauce.
There’s plenty of beautiful, deep red enchilada sauce here, so serve the extra at the table along with the classic fixings. For me, that’s cilantro, lime, and avocado. You could also add diced red onion or vegan cheese if you like.
Hope you enjoy these vegan black bean enchiladas with a more traditional chili-based sauce!
Servings: 4 (makes 8 enchiladas)
Time: 45 minutes
I pretty much serve any dish like this with avocados, lime, and cilantro, but the options are plentiful - add diced red onion, salsa, sour cream (vegan or non) or cheese (vegan or non) to the mix - wherever your fancy takes you!
These enchiladas freeze beautifully and are easy to reheat in the microwave. Having a few of these in my freezer has saved me more than once!
What do you think? Did you like this sauce, or do you prefer the tomato based version? Let me know in the comments!