Name: Easy Vegetarian Enchiladas
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6–8 servings
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped; 1 medium red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped; 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, finely grated; ½ cup finely chopped cilantro; plus leaves with tender stems for serving (optional); 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more; 1 Tbsp. ground cumin; 2 tsp. dried oregano; 2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed; 1 19-oz. can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso), divided; 12 oz. pepper Jack cheese, coarsely grated, divided; 16 small flour or corn tortillas, divided; Sliced avocado, sliced red onion, sour cream, and lime wedges (for serving; optional)

Beans red and green bell peppers and tortillas baked in a casserole dish and topped with avocados red onions and cilantro.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Lillian Chou

These cheesy vegetarian enchiladas offer all of the saucy goodness of the comfort food classic with minimal fuss. Chopped veggies, black beans, and aromatics all cook in one pot, then get mashed for a meaty texture before the enchilada filling is rolled into tortillas with a sprinkling of spicy pepper Jack cheese. But there’s no need to heat and individually dip each tortilla in sauce before filling it, a time-consuming technique commonly called for in enchilada recipes. In this quick and easy version, store-bought enchilada sauce is poured into the bottom of a baking dish and the filled tortillas are snugly arranged on top before getting doused in the remaining enchilada sauce and topped with a generous amount of cheese. The enchiladas are baked at a high temperature until the cheese is golden brown and the edges are crisp and curled. To finish it off, garnish the top with red onions, ripe avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream.

While this vegetarian enchilada recipe leans on a winning combination of earthy black beans and pepper Jack cheese, you can absolutely swap in pinto beans and Monterey Jack cheese and opt for either flour or corn tortillas, depending on what you have on hand. Feel free to riff and customize the toppings to your taste—and fridge contents—as well.