Chilaquiles Rojos with Black Beans
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.If you love Mexican food, then you’re going to adore chilaquiles rojos! This classic Mexican dish is filled with black beans, peppers, tomatoes, and spices with layers of corn tortilla smothered in a rich tomato sauce. It’s a vegetarian-friendly Mexican casserole the whole family will love!
Chilaquiles is a classic Mexican casserole dish.
It’s traditionally made with fried tortilla chips topped with a spicy tomato sauce, tons of cheese, and eggs.
Delicious? Yes! Healthy enough to eat on a regular basis? Not so much.
But my version of chilaquiles rojos keeps all of the flavor of the original recipe with none of the guilt!
I recommend taking this dish to your next party or potluck. It will seriously disappear right in front of your eyes, and everyone will rave about how good it is.
This recipe is perfect for feeding a large group of people for breakfast or brunch, or even as a breakfast-for-dinner for two with lots of leftovers later.
The leftovers taste great after making this dish, since it just gives the spices even more time to blend together!
Tools and Equipment You’ll Need
- Casserole dish
- A good quality Whisk
- Cutting Board
- Chopping Knife
- Large NonStick Skillet or pan
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
Recipe Ingredients & Notes
- The Sauce: While you can use store-bought enchilada sauce for this recipe, I highly recommend making your own. I’ve incorporated my homemade enchilada sauce into this recipe. It takes just 5 minutes and tastes way better than store bought – so making it at home is so worth it!
- The Tortillas: Chilaquiles is typically made with deep fried corn tortillas. I used fresh corn tortillas in this recipe to lighten it up! To get a similar texture as the deep fried version, you can lightly toast or bake your corn tortillas before adding them to this dish.
- The Filling: The filling ideas are pretty much endless here! I chose black beans, peppers, corn, tomatoes and onions but you can use any veggies + protein you like!
How to Make Chilaquiles Rojos – Step by Step
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Meanwhile, make the sauce: combine the tomato sauce, vegetable broth, chili powders (all 3 of them), garlic powder, onion powder, and dried oregano in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk to combine, then turn the heat down to low and let simmer.
Step 2: Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Stir in beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are heated through, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 4: Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the casserole dish.
Step 5: Top with half the vegetable mixture, half the sauce and half the cheese. Repeat with one more layer of tortillas, vegetables, sauce and cheese.
Step 6: Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more. Top with diced tomatoes and green onion.
What Makes This Chilaquiles Rojos Healthy?
- Low Calories: Each serving of this healthy chilaquiles rojos is huge and only has about 250 calories! It’s great for keeping you full and pleasing your taste buds too.
- Protein: Eating plenty of protein is good for your bones, helps you maintain weight, and keeps you full. Each serving has over 11 grams of plant protein!
- Fiber: Another important nutrient you need is fiber to help control your blood sugar and aid in digestion. Each serving of these chilaquiles has over 8 grams of fiber!
Will Kids Enjoy Chilaquiles Rojos?
Kids are going to love everything about this chilaquiles rojos recipe. The corn tortillas, cheese, seasonings, and black beans are kid friendly ingredients. If your kids are especially sensitive to spice, I’d omit the chipotle chili powder in the sauce and adjust the rest of the spices as needed.
The hardest part about feeding this Mexican casserole to kids is that they aren’t going to want to stop eating it. They will almost always go back for another helping, but don’t worry! It’s healthy for them, so it’s a great recipe to feed those little growing bodies.
Recipe FAQs
Are These Vegetarian Chilaquiles Spicy?
No, this recipe isn’t too spicy. The combination of cumin, chili powder, ancho chili powder, and chipotle chili powder adds a little bit of spice, but it’s a mild spice.
In order to increase the heat, you can add in some extras! Fresh diced jalapenos, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes would all be lovely ways to add some spice to the casserole. I would start with one jalapeno to see if it’s spicy enough for you. As far as the cayenne and red pepper flakes, start with a little and add more if needed. You don’t want to add too much and make it too hot, especially if you are feeding kiddos.
How Do You Store and Keep Mexican Chilaquiles?
Refrigerator: Place the cooled chilaquiles rojos in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Store leftovers in a freezer-safe container with a lid that fits tightly. Freeze for up to three months. Defrost before reheating.
Reheating: You can reheat in the microwave or the oven. For the microwave: place on a microwave-safe plate, cover with a paper towel and heat in the microwave. For the oven: put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until hot.
Are These Vegetarian Chilaquiles Gluten Free?
Yes! This recipe uses corn tortillas that are naturally gluten free. Just make sure you’re purchasing corn tortillas that are gluten free certified, as many corn tortillas are made in spaces that also produce wheat, spelt, etc. tortillas (so there is a risk of cross contamination).
Topping Ideas and Variations For Chilaquiles
We enjoy this recipe just the way it is, but you can certainly add all your favorite toppings if you want. Here are a few ideas to consider:
- Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt: 1-2 tsp per serving is plenty!
- Guacamole: Add some freshly made guacamole. It’s delicious and goes so well with all of the other ingredients.
- Pico de Gallo or Salsa: If you love pico de gallo, add a tablespoon or so on top right before serving.
- Cilantro and/or Green Onions: Dice some fresh cilantro and green onions and sprinkle all over top. It’s bright, vibrant and adds a touch of freshness!
- Eggs: Chilaquiles are typically served with a fried egg, or scrambled eggs. Feel free to cook up some eggs (fried, scrambled, poached, or however you like it) and top these healthy chilaquiles with them after they come out of the oven!
- Baby Spinach: For even more veggies and extra greens, add 6oz fresh baby spinach to the black bean mixture (add it at the step when you add the black beans).
- Refried Beans: For some extra protein, you can serve these up with some vegetarian refried beans on the side.
Top Tips For Making Chilaquiles Rojos
- Allowing the sauce to simmer brings out all the flavors of the seasonings.
- Don’t forget to add foil when baking the casserole. It will keep the top from burning while heating it all the way through.
- Evenly dice your chopped vegetables so that they are about the same size. This will give the casserole a good texture, and make sure you get all the flavors in one bite!
- If you want tortillas with a little bit of bite, bake them at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or toast them in the toaster oven before assembling.
- Feel free to switch up the toppings and filling with your favorite ingredients!
- Make these vegetarian chilaquiles vegan just by omitting the cheese, or using a vegan alternative!
Check Out These Other Healthy Mexican Inspired Recipes!
- Vegetarian Fajitas
- The Ultimate Chipotle Inspired Sofritas
- Vegan Black Bean Tacos
- Vegetarian Taco Lasagna
- Healthy Vegetarian Mexican Flautas
- 65 Vegetarian Mexican Recipes
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🎥 Watch How to Make It
Chilaquiles Rojos
If you love Mexican food, then you’re going to adore chilaquiles rojos! This classic Mexican dish is filled with black beans, peppers, tomatoes, and spices with layers of corn tortilla smothered in a rich tomato sauce. It’s a vegetarian-friendly Mexican casserole the whole family will love!
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 253.6kcal
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 red, yellow or orange bell pepper diced
- 2 15oz cans of black beans, rinsed
- 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1½ cups corn frozen (thawed) or fresh
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- 10-12 corn tortillas quartered
- 1¼ cups shredded Cheddar cheese or a Mexican cheese blend
- 1 15oz can tomato sauce 1 can
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- ½ tsp chipotle chili powder use less for a less spicy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Diced tomato and green onion for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Meanwhile, make the sauce: combine the tomato sauce, vegetable broth, chili powders (all 3 of them), garlic powder, onion powder, and dried oregano in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk to combine, then turn the heat down to low and let simmer.
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are heated through, about 3 minutes.
- Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the casserole dish.
- Top with half the vegetable mixture, then half the sauce, and then half the cheese.
- Repeat with one more layer of tortillas, vegetables, sauce and cheese.
- Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.
- Top with diced tomatoes and green onion.
Notes
Topping Ideas and Variations For Chilaquiles
We enjoy this recipe just the way it is, but you can certainly add any of your favorite toppings or mix-ins that you like. Here are a few ideas to consider:
- Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt: 1-2 tsp per serving is plenty!
- Guacamole: Add some freshly made guacamole. It’s delicious and goes so well with all of the other ingredients.
- Pico de Gallo or Salsa: If you love pico de gallo, add a tablespoon or so on top right before serving.
- Cilantro and/or Green Onions: Dice some fresh cilantro and green onions and sprinkle all over top. It’s bright, vibrant and adds a touch of freshness!
- Eggs: Chilaquiles are typically served with a fried egg, or scrambled eggs. Feel free to cook up some eggs (fried, scrambled, poached, or however you like it) and top these healthy chilaquiles with them after they come out of the oven!
- Baby Spinach: For even more veggies and extra greens, add 6oz fresh baby spinach to the black bean mixture (add it at the step when you add the black beans).
- Refried Beans: For some extra protein, you can serve these up with some refried beans on the side.
- Allowing the sauce to simmer brings out all the flavors of the seasonings.
- Don’t forget to add foil when baking the casserole. It will keep the top from burning while heating it all the way through.
- Evenly dice your chopped vegetables so that they are about the same size. This will give the casserole a good texture, and make sure you get all the flavors in one bite!
- If you want tortillas with a little bit of bite, bake them at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or toast them in the toaster oven before assembling.
- Feel free to switch up the toppings and filling with your favorite ingredients!
- Make these vegetarian chilaquiles vegan just by omitting the cheese, or using a vegan alternative!
Nutrition
Calories: 253.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.9g | Protein: 11.4g | Fat: 6.8g | Saturated Fat: 3.4g | Cholesterol: 12.5mg | Sodium: 515mg | Potassium: 606.5mg | Fiber: 8.6g | Sugar: 4.4g
This is my kind of hearty comfort food. I can’t wait to try it.
Yay! I’m sure you’ll love this recipe Dannii!
I am loving how easy this recipe is! Thanks for this recipe.
Thanks so much Priya! So glad you liked it!
Love your suggestion of adding more spice. I am definitely going to try this with jalapenos added in, thanks for the suggestion! This looks like the ultimate comfort food 🙂
Yes!! It really is! I’m sure you will love this recipe Cathleen!
This recipe was absolutely scrumptious exactly as written. Leftovers? What leftovers?!
Haha!! That is awesome! So happy to hear that Rick!! This is definitely a favorite in our house too!
A friend of ours gave this dish to us after we had our daughter, nearly two years ago. This is easily our daughter’s favorite recipe and a sure-fire way to get her to gobble up her veggies. Thank you for creating such an easy and crowd pleasing recipe! (And, it freezes and reheats really well for a quick weeknight meal!)
Awww thank you so much Elaine!! This is one of my daughter’s favorite recipes too (and I totally agree with you about how it’s great for freezing!) I’m so glad it’s working well for your family! 🙂
I’ve made this a couple of times and we all love it. The only change I do (cause I’m lazy), is to saute the onions and peppers and then throw everything else for the sauce into the same pot, and just layer the tortillas, sauce and cheese. One less layer and one less bowl/pot to wash. 🙂
That’s awesome – thanks for letting me know Kim! And glad combining everything into one pot worked for you! 🙂
This was crazy good, another recipe I’ll have to add to the regular rotation.
Awesome!! So glad to hear it Scott!