Black Bean Plantain Enchilada Bake

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Plantain Black Bean Enchilada Bake topped with Vegan Queso, sliced jalapeños, and shallot

Friends, behold one of the best things that’s ever come out of my kitchen: a savory, saucy, Black Bean Plantain Enchilada Bake! Just 10 ingredients required for this incredibly flavorful, hearty, comforting dish. Let’s do this!

Tray with ingredients for making our vegan Plantain Black Bean Enchilada Bake recipe

This isn’t your average enchilada bake, as it relies on roasted slices of plantains in place of tortillas, which not only add a naturally sweet balance but also keep this recipe both gluten- and grain-free!

Plantains are grown and enjoyed in many tropical regions around the world, especially in the Caribbean, Latin America, and West Africa. They are a relative of the banana, but tend to be larger and starchier. Mmmm, starch.

They can be consumed when green (unripe) or yellow (ripe). But in this recipe, we recommend spotty, yellow, ripe plantains which will be sweeter and caramelize nicely.

Just check out those plantains roasted until golden brown and slightly caramelized – swoon!

Tray filled with freshly baked plantains for making homemade vegan enchiladas

The next layer is black beans simply spiced with cumin and sea salt. We went with canned to save time, but you could also make our 1-Pot Black Beans from Scratch if you’d rather!

Stirring black beans and spices in a saucepan for homemade vegan enchiladas

All that’s left is sauce, and we went with two: a combination of our Easy Red Enchilada Sauce and this Creamy Cashew Queso.

The two together make this dish saucy, cheesy, smoky, and utterly delicious. Now, let’s layer.

Food processor filled with freshly made vegan queso

Layering is my favorite part because it’s so darn fun. Start with sauce, then plantains, then beans, cheese sauce, and so on and so forth until you have a multilayer, flavor-packed masterpiece that’s ready for the oven. Just a quick bake and it’s ready for your dinner table!

Showing a layer of Vegan Queso on our Plantain Black Bean Enchilada Bake
Baking dish filled with our recipe for Plantain Black Bean Enchilada Bake with Vegan Queso

We hope you LOVE this enchilada bake! It’s:

Hearty
Smoky
Savory-sweet
Cheesy
Fiber-packed
Versatile
& So delicious

This would make such a delicious meal for both weeknight dinners and hosting friends. It can also be prepped ahead of time, refrigerated, and baked later on to save time!

While delicious on its own, this bake would also pair well with Garlicky Guacamole + Baked Plantain Chips, Easy Red Salsa and chips, Mexican Quinoa Salad Cups with Avocado Dressing, 7-Layer Vegan Mexican Dip, and Ginger Beer Margaritas!

If you try this dish, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. We sincerely hope you enjoy this dish! Cheers, friends.

Using a fork to grab a bite of our Plantain Black Bean Enchilada Bake recipe

Plantain Black Bean Enchilada Bake

A flavorful twist on classic enchiladas with roasted plantains, black beans, smoky enchilada sauce, and cashew queso! Just 10 ingredients required, hearty, flavorful, and so delicious!
Author Minimalist Baker
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Plate and baking dish filled with our Plantain Black Bean Enchilada Bake recipe
4.94 from 61 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 12
Course Entrée
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Mexican-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 4-5 Days

Ingredients

PLANTAINS

  • 4 large ripe, spotty plantains
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or sub other neutral oil)

BLACK BEANS

  • 2 15-oz cans black beans (well drained // 2 3/4 cups cooked beans)
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • Sea salt to taste

CHEESE SAUCE

  • 1 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 small chipotle chili in adobo sauce* (optional // or sub hot sauce // omit for less spicy queso)
  • Warm water for blending

ENCHILADA SAUCE

FOR SERVING (optional)

  • Cilantro
  • Jalapeños
  • Red Onion
  • Guacamole (or avocado)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and line two baking sheets (or more as needed) with parchment paper.
  • Carefully peel plantains, and one at a time, lay on a flat surface and thinly slice lengthwise – each plantain should yield about 5 thin slices. Arrange on your baking sheets in an even layer.
  • Brush plantains with melted coconut oil (or spray with coconut oil) on both sides. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on both sides, being sure to rotate the pans and use a spatula to carefully flip the plantains near the halfway point to ensure even baking. You’re looking for tender, golden-brown plantains with a caramelized taste. Set aside and lower oven heat to 375 degrees F (190 C).
  • In the meantime, add drained black beans to a large saucepan and add cumin. Heat over medium heat until bubbling, stirring frequently – about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and stir. Then turn off heat and set aside.
  • To make the spreadable cheese, add raw cashews to a food processor and process into a butter, scraping down sides as needed. Add spices and chipotle pepper and mix until a thick spread is formed. Then add warm water a little at a time and blend until a creamy spreadable “queso” sauce is formed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more chipotle pepper for heat, cumin for smokiness, salt for saltiness, or nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor. Set aside.
  • To assemble your enchilada bake, spread a thin layer of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch (or comparable size) baking dish. (If multiplying this recipe, use more baking dishes as needed.) Then add a layer of plantains. Next, add a thin layer of cheese sauce. Then add half the beans. Next, add a generous layer of enchilada sauce followed by another layer of plantains. Next, add another thin layer of cheese sauce and top with the rest of the beans. Add another layer of enchilada sauce, reserving a small amount for the top player. Then add your last layer of plantains and brush with/spread any remaining enchilada sauce. Top with any remaining cheese sauce – we scooped ours into a plastic bag, cut the corner off, and piped it on for easy application. But you can also just spread it on with a spoon.
  • Cover with foil and bake 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees F (190 C) or until hot and bubbly on the edges. Remove from oven and let cool briefly before slicing and serving. Enjoy as is or with sliced jalapeños, onion, or fresh cilantro. Guacamole would also be a great addition!
  • Freeze leftovers up to 1 month or store covered in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days. Reheat in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven until hot.

Video

Notes

*Learn more about chipotle chilies in adobo sauce here.
*
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 293.6 Carbohydrates: 49.9 g Protein: 8.3 g Fat: 9.1 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Sodium: 410.6 mg Potassium: 838.6 mg Fiber: 8.4 g Sugar: 16.8 g Vitamin A: 2600 IU Vitamin C: 18.2 mg Calcium: 50 mg Iron: 3.2 mg

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  1. Christin says

    Obsessed with this dish! I have made it a couple of times & it doesn’t disappoint. I think I would consider it my favorite Minimalist Baker recipe (and that’s saying a lot). Will be making again & again. Thank you so much! Xoxo.

  2. Danielle Clooney says

    Loved this recipes with a few tweeks. I added half an onion to smoothe out the cheese sauce ( which was smoky and delicious btw!) Added a layer of fajita veggies in between each layer, and heated up some corn tortillas to replace the plantains. I know the plantains would have been delicious, but this was a bit simpler in the time I had. I really loved this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for sharing, Danielle! The plantains really are special in this one, so we’d recommend trying them when you have the time. The cheese sauce and enchilada sauce can be prepped ahead of time to make the process a little quicker. Hope that helps!

  3. LK says

    This recipe is amazing! I am impressed and happy that you gave a recipe for cheese sauce from scratch, rather than adding vegan cheese shreds. The addition of plantains is different, and more delicious, from the typical enchilada bake. My only change was to add green veggies to the black bean layer. Thank you!

  4. alei says

    Hello MB, what a tasty and wonderful recipe. I have tried so many of yours in the past but this one is my #1!! thank you. I followed it as it is only changes in the enchilada sauce, I deveined the peppers and next time i will strain it, I used 7 guajillos and 3 de arbol, it was perfect! all together is a bit like mole sauce, delicioso!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      This is one of our favorites, too! Thank you for the lovely review, Alei! xoxo