Vegan Pinto Bean and Swiss Chard Enchiladas
By Joe GitterPublished on November 5, 2019
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Cilantro Sauce
¼ cup vegan mayonnaise ¼ cup dairy-free sour cream 3 tablespoons water 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro ¼ teaspoon table saltEnchiladas
¼ cup vegetable oil, divided2 onions, chopped fine, divided¾ table salt, divided3 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons organic sugar 6 garlic cloves, minced, divided2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce ½ cups water 1 pound Swiss chard, stemmed and sliced into ½-inch-wide strips2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed, divided12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves Lime wedgeBefore You Begin
We prefer the flavor and texture of Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream. Other dairy-free sour creams will add their distinctive flavor and you may need to adjust the consistency with water. We strongly prefer our favorite vegan mayonnaise, Just Mayo, or our homemade Vegan Mayonnaise. Store-bought dairy-free cheeses weighed down our enchiladas and added off-flavors. A topping of a crema-like cilantro sauce and avocado was ideal: tangy, creamy, fresh-tasting, and rich.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, sugar, and half of garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and water, bring to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add remaining onions and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened and just beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chard and bell peppers, cover, and cook until chard is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Using potato masher, coarsely mash half of beans in large bowl. Stir in chard-pepper mixture, ¼ cup sauce, and remaining whole beans.
- Spread ½ cup sauce over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Brush both sides of tortillas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Stack tortillas, wrap in damp dish towel, and place on plate; microwave until warm and pliable, about 1 minute. Working with 1 warm tortilla at a time, spread ¼ cup chard filling across center. Roll tortilla tightly around filling and place seam side down in baking dish; arrange enchiladas in 2 columns across width of dish. Cover completely with remaining sauce.
- Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until enchiladas are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Let enchiladas cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with cilantro sauce and sprinkle with avocado and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
for the cilantro sauce
for the enchiladas
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Cilantro Sauce
Enchiladas
Ingredients
Cilantro Sauce
Enchiladas
Ingredients
Cilantro Sauce
Enchiladas
Why This Recipe Works
Cheese fillings and shredded meat are common, but we kept things green by wilting some flavorsome Swiss chard and crisp, slightly bitter green peppers with garlic and onions. To add creamy cohesiveness and heft, we mashed half a can of pinto beans and mixed in our greens; we stirred in the rest of the beans whole for contrasting texture. This clean-tasting filling needed a robust sauce to round out the flavors; a quick simmer of canned tomato sauce with aromatics and spices did the trick. Traditional recipes call for frying the tortillas one at a time, but we found that brushing them with oil and microwaving worked just as well—and without the mess.
Before You Begin
We prefer the flavor and texture of Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream. Other dairy-free sour creams will add their distinctive flavor and you may need to adjust the consistency with water. We strongly prefer our favorite vegan mayonnaise, Just Mayo, or our homemade Vegan Mayonnaise. Store-bought dairy-free cheeses weighed down our enchiladas and added off-flavors. A topping of a crema-like cilantro sauce and avocado was ideal: tangy, creamy, fresh-tasting, and rich.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, sugar, and half of garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and water, bring to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add remaining onions and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened and just beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chard and bell peppers, cover, and cook until chard is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Using potato masher, coarsely mash half of beans in large bowl. Stir in chard-pepper mixture, ¼ cup sauce, and remaining whole beans.
- Spread ½ cup sauce over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Brush both sides of tortillas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Stack tortillas, wrap in damp dish towel, and place on plate; microwave until warm and pliable, about 1 minute. Working with 1 warm tortilla at a time, spread ¼ cup chard filling across center. Roll tortilla tightly around filling and place seam side down in baking dish; arrange enchiladas in 2 columns across width of dish. Cover completely with remaining sauce.
- Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until enchiladas are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Let enchiladas cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with cilantro sauce and sprinkle with avocado and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
for the cilantro sauce
for the enchiladas
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