Black beans are without a doubt my favourite bean (and my kids’ favourite too), and I absolutely love this simple black bean stew. It’s nothing fancy or complicated, just good, honest food – simply black beans in a rich tomato sauce, cooked with a few straightforward spices, and served up however you like. And best of all, it can be on the table in less than half an hour.

This easy recipe uses canned black beans, because who’s got time for cooking dried beans on a busy weeknight – or any other time?! Certainly not me, and I love using canned beans for a quick dinner. Just simmer them until the stew is nice and thick, and they really could not be more delicious.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• black beans. Canned black beans ensure this recipe is quick and easy. If you prefer, you can cook dried beans from scratch beforehand, then follow the recipe as written.
• onion – I used half an onion, because I find a whole large onion is too much in this recipe. If you’d rather not have half an onion left over, try to just use a small one instead.
• tomatoes (try to use good quality ones)
• tomato paste
• garlic – I used minced garlic from a jar, but fresh garlic would also be fine.
• smoked paprika
• ground cumin
• fresh chilli (or chilli flakes, if you prefer) – I always choose a small, mild chilli. I do like things quite spicy, but adding too much spice can spoil a meal very quickly! If you’re not sure how hot your chilli is, start with just a small amount – you can always add more later.

Becca’s Top Tip

If you find you sometimes get stomach issues from eating too many beans or other legumes, make sure you rinse canned beans before cooking with them. This can help to wash away the gas-inducing substances from the beans.

Printable Instructions

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Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew

A super easy vegan black bean stew, with a rich tomato sauce and beautiful spices. This is such a versatile recipe!

Course Main Course

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3 people

Calories 266kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 onion (or 1 small onion), finely diced
• 1 tsp garlic puree (or 4 cloves garlic, minced)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 small mild chilli, finely diced (or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes)
• ~ 5 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 x 400g tins black beans, drained (480g, or ~ 2 1/2 cups, in total when drained)
• 75 ml (~ 1/3 cup) water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the diced onion, and cook for around 5 minutes, until fairly soft but not browned.
  
• Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and chopped chilli, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. You can start with just half of the chilli if you’re unsure how hot it is.
  
• Next, add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste, and cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture forms a thick, tomatoey paste.
  
• Add the drained black beans to the pan, along with the water, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, and allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes – leave it longer if you have time, ideally more like 15-20 minutes. The mixture should be thick and rich. You can remove the lid for the last few minutes if your stew needs thickening up.
  
• Serve warm. I like to serve mine with rice and a dollop of sour cream.
  

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.7g | Protein: 13.6g | Fat: 6.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 954mg | Fiber: 14.3g | Sugar: 5.5g | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 4mg

Other Black Bean Recipes

Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew

Ricotta and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

Mexican Baked Eggs

The post Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Stuffed peppers are such a classic vegetarian dish, and these creamy ricotta stuffed peppers are my all-time favourite version!

I wanted the stuffing mixture to require no pre-cooking whatsoever – so these stuffed peppers really couldn’t be simpler to make. Just mix up the filling ingredients, stuff them in the peppers, and bake. Simple, quick, easy!

When you dig into these peppers, you’re met with a seriously creamy mixture with spring onions, black beans, and my all-time favourite spice. Feel free to switch up the filling ingredients if you’d like to – see below for some ideas.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• peppers. I used regular bell peppers, but long pointed peppers would also work well. Any colour will be fine, but I find green peppers are the least tasty, so I prefer to use red, yellow or orange peppers.
• black beans (canned)
• ricotta cheese. If you can’t get ricotta, you could try cream cheese or mascarpone cheese instead.
• spring onions. I use spring onions rather than regular onions because it means the stuffing mixture doesn’t need any pre-cooking. Spring onions have a more mellow flavour, which doesn’t need cooking beforehand.
• tomato sauce. Any kind of tomato sauce will work (not ketchup though!). I used passata (sieved tomatoes), but a tomato-based pizza or pasta sauce will work well too. My slow cooker tomato sauce is also ideal.
• grated cheddar cheese
• smoked paprika (one of my favourite spices of all time)
• garlic powder. Using garlic powder instead of fresh garlic again removes any need to pre-cook the filling for the stuffed peppers.

You can easily change up these ingredients to suit your preferences if you like, but make sure you choose ingredients that don’t need any pre-cooking, otherwise you’ll be adding extra steps to the recipe. A few examples of ingredients you could include:

• Fresh or dried herbs (e.g. parsley, basil, cilantro)
• Different spices – the smoked paprika I used could easily be swapped for ground cumin, chilli powder, or any other spice you love.
• Different canned beans, e.g. kidney beans or chickpeas
• Canned sweetcorn
• Other vegetables that don’t need pre-cooking, e.g. finely chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, or frozen peas
• Sliced olives or sun-dried tomatoes

Becca’s Top Tip

If you choose to add some extra vegetables to your stuffed peppers, don’t add too many. They will release liquid as they cook, and could make your stuffed peppers a bit soggy.

How Many People Does the Recipe Serve?

These stuffed peppers can be served as an appetiser, or as a more hearty meal. The number of portions you’ll get depends on how you’re serving it.

I’d recommend allowing:

• 1 pepper half per person as an appetiser
• 1 pepper half per person if served alongside several hearty side dishes
• 2 pepper halves per person if served alongside something light (or if you have a bigger appetite!)

How to Serve Creamy Stuffed Peppers

I served my black bean stuffed peppers with some white rice. It mixed so beautifully with the tomato sauce that I cooked the peppers on, and with the creamy ricotta filling.

A few other ideas for side dishes to go with stuffed peppers:

• any other simple carb, e.g. pasta or crispy potatoes
• a simple green salad
• pitta bread and hummus
• more roasted vegetables (or perhaps roasted veggie fattoush!)
• couscous

Recipe Video

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Printable Instructions

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Creamy Ricotta and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Super creamy ricotta and black bean stuffed peppers with a seriously simple no-cook filling! These are so quick and easy to make.

Course Appetiser, Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4 pieces

Calories 263kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 250 g (~ 9 oz) ricotta cheese
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 250 ml (~ 1 cup) passata or tomato sauce
• 2 bell peppers (I used yellow and red)
• 75 g (~ 3/4 cup) grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, drained black beans, chopped spring onions, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
  
• Spread the tomato sauce around the bottom of a baking dish – mine measured approximately 8 x 8 inches.
  
• Cut the peppers in half, and remove the seeds in the middle. I like to leave the stalks on mine when making stuffed peppers, because I think it looks pretty, and it helps to keep the filling in. Don’t eat them though! Divide the black bean stuffing across the four pieces of pepper.
  
• Place the stuffed peppers in the baking dish on top of the sauce. You can lean them against each other to keep them straight, if needed. If you have any of the ricotta filling left over, you can dollop it around the peppers. Top with grated cheese.
  
• Bake for around 30 minutes, or until the peppers are just soft and the cheese is crisped up to your liking. Serve one or two pieces per person.
  

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.2g | Protein: 17.5g | Fat: 12.2g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 513mg | Potassium: 306mg | Fiber: 5.7g | Sugar: 3.4g | Calcium: 338mg | Iron: 2mg

Other Pepper Recipes

Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

Ricotta and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Mediterranean Vegetable Flatbreads with Goat Cheese

Feta and Roasted Vegetable Crustless Quiche

Pepper Fried Eggs (great fridge clearer!)

The post Ricotta and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Vegetarian stuffed peppers in the air fryer, cooked in just 7 minutes?! Count me in. These air fryer stuffed peppers are packed with fluffy bulgur wheat, nestled in a soft pepper boat, and coated in crispy melted cheese. Just perfect!

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Stuffed peppers are a vegetarian classic, and there’s no better way to make them than in the air fryer. The pepper roasts up beautifully, the filling gets piping hot, and the cheese melts and crisps up – in just 7 minutes!

I stuffed my peppers with a combination of bulgur wheat, black beans and sweetcorn – a simple mixture that doesn’t require much prep. I also added a good dollop of red pesto, which is such an easy way to amp up the flavour.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• peppers, obviously! Any colour would work, but red, orange and yellow peppers have the best flavour (green peppers aren’t as sweet).
• bulgur wheat. Bulgur cooks up in just a few minutes, so it’s a great quick and easy grain to use for these stuffed peppers.
• black beans
• sweetcorn – one of my favourite easy vegetables, since tinned sweetcorn is already cooked and ready to use – so convenient.
• red pesto – a super simple way to bring tons of flavour to your stuffed peppers.
• fresh parsley (cilantro would be good too)
• grated cheese. I like to use a mixture of cheddar (for flavour) and mozzarella (for gooeyness).

Becca’s Top Tip

If you don’t have any bulgur wheat on hand, rice would be another great option. You can use a sachet of microwave rice, or leftovers from a previous meal, if you don’t want to cook it from scratch.

Ninja Air Fryer Max

You’ll obviously need an air fryer to cook these stuffed peppers. I used the Ninja Air Fryer Max, which you can buy online from Very.

I love this air fryer – it’s super simple to use, with a few different pre-set cooking functions (Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate and Max Crisp), so all you need to do is choose your function, set the time, and off you go!

Air fryers cook up to 50% quicker than fan ovens – and in my experience, it often seems even quicker, since there’s no pre-heating required. The Ninja Air Fryer Max has a generous 5.2 litre capacity, so it comfortably fits 4 stuffed pepper halves. It’s also incredible at making a family-sized batch of frozen chips (French fries), for slightly lazier days!

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Cook the bulgur wheat in boiling water until it’s just cooked. This doesn’t take long – less than 10 minutes.

Step 2: Add the black beans, sweetcorn, pesto, and some fresh herbs. Mix thoroughly.

Step 3: Cut the peppers in half, and remove the seeds (I like to keep the stalks on!). Stuff them with the bulgur wheat mixture, and add them to the air fryer basket.

Step 4: Top each pepper half with plenty of grated cheese.

Step 5: Cook in the air fryer for 7 minutes, until the stuffing is hot and the cheese is crispy.

Step 6: Serve!

Becca’s Top Tip

I always like to leave the stalks on the pepper when making stuffed peppers. It can’t be eaten, but it looks pretty, and also means you don’t end up with a hole on the side of the pepper for your filling to escape from!

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Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

Air fryer stuffed peppers – a vegetarian classic, cooked in the air fryer in just 7 minutes! With a tasty filling and cheesy topping.

Course Appetiser, Light lunch, Main Course

Cuisine British, Mediterranean, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 539kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 115 g (~ 4 oz) bulgur wheat
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 160 g (~ 2/3 cup) tinned sweetcorn
• 2 Tablespoons pesto (I used red pesto)
• Few sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 red bell peppers
• 75 g (~ 3/4 cup) grated cheese (I used a mozzarella and cheddar mix)

Instructions

• Cook the bulgur wheat according to the instructions on the packet. I use a small saucepan with about 400ml (~ 1 1/2 cups) water, and cook over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the bulgur has absorbed most of the water. You’ll need to stir regularly, particularly towards the end of the cooking time, to ensure the bulgur doesn’t burn on the bottom.
• When the bulgur is cooked, add it to a large mixing bowl, and add the black beans, sweetcorn, pesto and chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cut each pepper in half, cutting directly through the stalk if possible. Remove the seeds and any thick ribs of pith from inside the pepper, retaining the stalk.
• Add a spoonful of the bulgur wheat mixture to each piece of pepper, pressing it down firmly to fill any nooks and crannies. Add another spoonful, and repeat. Continue until the pepper is filled with a heaped amount of filling. Place the stuffed peppers into the air fryer basket, nestling them against each other to hold them straight.
• Sprinkle the stuffed peppers with a little grated cheese, and air fry at 180°C (350°F) for 7 minutes, or until the cheese is crispy.

Notes

If you have any of the filling mixture left over after stuffing your peppers, you can either stuff some additional peppers, or eat the extra filling on its own another day.

Nutrition

Serving: 2halves | Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 28.8g | Fat: 11.8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 798mg | Fiber: 21.7g | Sugar: 6.9g | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 6mg

The post Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

These Mexican baked eggs are the perfect brunch for a lazy Sunday morning!

They’re essentially a combination of shakshuka and huevos rancheros – and if you don’t know what either of those things are, here’s a quick overview of these Mexican baked eggs:

baked eggs + a simple bean chilli + crispy cheese

It’s such a good combo!

The eggs soak up heaps of incredible flavour from the chilli – it’s so good served with a soft tortilla to mop up the plate.

This is such an easy recipe to prepare, and you can put your own spin on things by using different veggies in the vegetarian chilli, or finishing your plate with different toppings (I love some freshly sliced avocado!).

I’ll admit, the ingredients list isn’t the shortest, but don’t let that put you off – it’s really just a case of chucking everything into a pan and letting it all bubble away nicely (the perfect one pot meal). You can always use leftover chilli from the night before to speed things up, if you have some!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like oil, salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• eggs
• black beans – I always use canned, for convenience.
• tinned tomatoes
• vegetables – I used sweetcorn, red pepper and onion.
• pickled jalapeños (if you like a bit of heat)
• garlic
• grated cheese – I used cheddar
• spices (cumin and smoked paprika)
• fresh cilantro (coriander), to garnish

Becca’s Top Tip

If you’re serving this as a light breakfast, or as part of a wider brunch buffet, one egg per person should be enough, so the recipe will serve 4. Or, if you’re serving it on its own as a more substantial lunch, opt for 2 eggs per person (so the recipe will serve 2 people).

Equipment

An oven-safe frying pan is ideal for this recipe, because it can initially be used on the stove top to make the chilli, then transferred to the oven to bake the eggs. If you don’t have a suitable pan, you’ll need to transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish for baking.

In my experience, it’s worth spending a little more for good quality frying pans, which will last for years. This one on Amazon UK / Amazon US is from the same brand as the ones I use and love. It’s nice and deep, safe to use in the oven and dishwasher, and also comes with a lid, which makes it even more versatile.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Begin to sauté your choice of vegetables – I used sweetcorn, peppers and onions.

Step 2: Add garlic, spices, and some jalapeño peppers.

Step 3: Add black beans and canned tomatoes.

Step 4: Make 4 dips in the chilli mixture, and crack in the eggs.

Step 5: Cover with grated cheese, and bake until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

Becca’s Top Tip

I’m not a huge fan of runny eggs, so I baked my eggs for a little longer than you might want to – about 20 minutes. If you prefer a runny yolk, check them after just 10-15 minutes in the oven.

Print

Mexican Baked Eggs

These Mexican baked eggs, cooked in a simple bean chilli, are a cross between shakshuka and huevos rancheros – a great Sunday morning brunch!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 554kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 50 g (~ 1/3 cup) sweetcorn kernels (I used frozen)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Few pieces pickled jalapeños, chopped (optional)
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 eggs
• 50 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1/2 cup when grated)
• Fresh coriander (cilantro), to serve

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a frying pan. If you have an oven-safe pan, that’s ideal – otherwise, you will just need to transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish later.
• Add the chopped onion, pepper and sweetcorn to the pan, and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened.
• Add the cumin and paprika, along with the minced garlic and the chopped jalapeños, if using. Cook for a couple more minutes.
• Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
• Add the black beans and chopped tomatoes, as well as some salt and pepper. Mix to combine, bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
• If your frying pan isn’t oven-safe, transfer the mixture to a baking dish.
• Make 4 small dips in the bean mixture, and crack in the 4 eggs. Sprinkle with grated cheese, and place in the oven for between 10 and 20 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking. I cooked mine for 20 minutes, as I like a firm egg yolk. If you prefer a runny yolk, check them after 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with fresh coriander (cilantro), if desired.

Notes

I’ve said this recipe will feed 2 people, which accounts for 2 eggs per person. It’s a generous portion – if you’re serving the dish as a light breakfast, or as part of a wider brunch spread, one egg per person will be enough (it’s pretty filling!), and the recipe will serve 4.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 554kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 31.7g | Fat: 25.9g | Saturated Fat: 9.2g | Cholesterol: 354mg | Sodium: 1071mg | Potassium: 1306mg | Fiber: 15.4g | Sugar: 7.7g | Calcium: 343mg | Iron: 8mg

The post Mexican Baked Eggs appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Taco soup has got to be one of the most irresistible ways to eat your vegetables. It’s a simple bean and vegetable soup, inspired by one of my favourite Tex-Mex dishes – tacos!

Although it uses simple ingredients, taco soup is packed with flavour, and some crispy tortilla strips on top really add that crunchy taco vibe.

It’s light yet filling, simple yet interesting, healthy yet comforting… and you can’t say all of that about many dishes.

The base of the soup is a nutrient-packed mixture of all my favourite vegetables – basically anything I’d usually put into tacos or fajitas. I added some black beans too, as they make the soup extra hearty with more protein – and you can’t bean a good black bean taco.

To add the taco-like crunch, I topped the soup with some crispy strips of tortilla – they’re like a Mexican version of a crouton! They add a different texture and flavour to the soup, which is really lovely. You could use broken tortilla chips or taco shells if you prefer!

I also added some sliced avocado too, but there are all sorts of other toppings you could go for – read below for some more ideas.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

A few ingredient notes:

• vegetables. I used peppers, onion, mushrooms and sweetcorn, but you can switch these up if you like! Use whatever you’d usually put in your favourite vegetarian tacos.
• garlic
• spices. I like to start with my favourite fajita spice blend, to speed things along a bit. This time I also added some extra cumin and smoked paprika.
• tinned tomatoes
• black beans
• veggie stock. I used a stock cube, but liquid stock would be fine too.
• flour tortilla – to make the crispy tortilla strips for topping.

You might also want to prepare some additional toppings, such as:

• sliced avocado
• fresh coriander (cilantro)
• sliced spring onions
• sour cream*
• grated cheese*

*(use vegan versions if needed)

See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Equipment

I love to use a silicone spoon when cooking something with a strong flavour, like this vegan taco soup – you can see my favourite bright pink one in almost all of my recipe photos!

Unlike with a wooden spoon, silicone doesn’t absorb flavours from your cooking, so you can use it for curry one day, and custard the next, without any flavour contamination or staining. Silicone spoons are even dishwasher safe, to help with thorough washing.

My favourite shape is a spoon with slightly square corners, as it makes it so easy to scrape around the corners of a saucepan. You can buy them here on Amazon US / Amazon UK.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Sauté the peppers, onion and mushrooms in a large saucepan.

Becca’s Top Tip

This soup can be cooked more quickly if you’re pushed for time, but I think it’s worth taking your time over it. Let the vegetables cook for a little longer, over a slightly lower heat, to really enhance their flavour and make this a seriously tasty soup.

Step 2: Add the garlic and spices, and let them cook for a few minutes until your house smells like a Mexican restaurant.

Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients, and let the soup simmer for a while. The vegetables will soak up the tasty liquid, and become soft and flavourful.

Step 4: While the soup is simmering, cut a large flour tortilla into strips.

Step 5: Fry the tortilla strips in a splash of oil, until they’re browned and crispy. Alternatively, you could bake tortilla pieces in the oven.

Becca’s Top Tip

A pair of tongs is, by far, the best tool for making the crispy tortilla strips. The tongs allow you to either stir the strips as a whole, or individually pick up and turn over specific pieces as you notice them browning.
I always use silicone-tipped tongs, like these on Amazon US / Amazon UK.

Step 6: Serve the soup topped with the crispy tortilla strips and any extra toppings you’ve chosen.

Print

Vegan Taco Soup (with Crispy Tortilla Strips)

This vegan taco soup uses simple ingredients, but is packed with flavour – and some crispy tortilla strips give that crunchy taco vibe!

Course Main Course, Main meals

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 3 people

Calories 377kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the vegan taco soup:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 onion, sliced or diced
• 2 bell peppers, cut into short strips (I used orange and yellow)
• 100 g (~ 3 ½ oz) mushrooms, sliced or diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fajita spice mix
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
• 200 g tin sweetcorn, drained (160g, or ~ 1 cup, when drained)
• 500 ml (~ 2 cups) vegetable stock

For the crispy tortilla strips:

• 1 large flour tortilla
• 2 Tbsp oil

Extra toppings (optional):

• Sliced avocado
• Fresh coriander (cilantro)
• Sliced spring onions
• Grated cheese
• Sour cream

Instructions

• Heat a dash of oil in a large saucepan, and add the sliced onion, peppers and mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until very soft – probably around 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic and spices, and cook for a few more minutes, until the spices are fragrant.
• Next add the tin of black beans, canned tomatoes, sweetcorn, and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer, and allow to cook until everything is piping hot and the vegetables are totally cooked. It will be ready to eat after only 10 minutes or so of simmering, but for an even tastier soup, leave it for 20 or even 30 minutes to allow the flavours to intensify.
• While the soup is simmering, prepare the crispy tortilla strips. Cut a large tortilla into strips. Heat a good splash of oil in a frying pan, then add the tortilla strips. Cook them over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring and turning them regularly, until they are crispy and nicely browned.
• Serve the taco soup topped with the crispy tortilla strips, and any other toppings you’ve chosen.

Notes

The soup can be cooked in advance and reheated before serving, if needed. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer. Reheat thoroughly in a saucepan or in the microwave, and add toppings just before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.6g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 15.1g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 982mg | Fiber: 12.6g | Sugar: 11.2g | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 6mg

The post Vegan Taco Soup (with Crispy Tortilla Strips) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Cowboy caviar is the recipe of the summer! It’s going viral on TikTok at the moment, and for good reason – it’s fresh, it’s full of vibrant flavours and colours, it couldn’t be easier to make, and it’s packed with goodness. What’s not to love?!

What is cowboy caviar?

Cowboy caviar – also known as Texas caviar – is, of course, not made with real caviar. This is a vegetarian website, after all.

In fact, it’s actually a bean salad, usually made with black eyed beans and various crunchy vegetables, served in a simple vinaigrette-style dressing. It’s fresh and vibrant, and is a perfect cold salad to serve as a side dish alongside any number of meals – or to scoop up with tortilla chips!

Cowboy caviar is really easy to customise – you can pretty much add whatever vegetables or other mix-ins you fancy. I’ve listed plenty of ideas below!

Creamy cowboy caviar

Cowboy caviar is usually made with a light, vinaigrette-style dressing.

But this time, I thought I’d make it extra special, with a creamy avocado dressing. I blended ripe avocados to make a glossy coating for the crunchy vegetables – it’s such a nice contrast.

I also added jalapeños, fresh herbs, spices, and lime juice, so it adds heaps of flavour, and makes it feel a bit more luxurious than a standard bean salad.

I’ll admit, I’m not generally a salad lover – I’ve said before how I need my salads to be a bit more substantial than pure lettuce, like pasta salad, or fattoush. But this cowboy caviar is definitely an irresistible salad, with plenty of extra little touches like the flavourful, creamy avocado dressing.

Is cowboy caviar vegan?

This cowboy caviar is completely vegan.

I may have made my version extra creamy, but since I used avocado instead of a dairy-based sauce, even this creamy cowboy caviar is totally vegan.

Of course, if you decide to stray from the recipe, just make sure you avoid any non-vegan mix-ins if you need your cowboy caviar to be vegan.

What are the ingredients of cowboy caviar?

There’s no set recipe for cowboy caviar – you can pretty much add whatever you have to hand, and it will probably end up good. I love recipes like this, where you can make things slightly differently each time!

I like to choose a nice variety of ingredients, using as many different colours and textures as I can.

You’ll probably want to choose your ingredients from a few different categories. For example:

• beans (I used black eyed beans and black beans – you could turn it into a chickpea salad instead, if you prefer)
• raw vegetables (I used red pepper, spring onions and tinned sweetcorn)
• nuts or sees (I used pumpkin seeds) for an extra bit of crunch
• any other extra tasty bits for added wow factor (I added some black olives)

If you choose a couple of ingredients from each of these categories, you’ll be golden.

How to make cowboy caviar

Step 1: Mix together the bean salad ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, raw vegetables, and any other mix-ins you’ve chosen to add.

Step 2: Blend up the creamy avocado dressing

Use a food processor to blend together the dressing ingredients. As well as the avocado itself, I also added fresh coriander (cilantro), pickled jalapeños, cumin, lime juice, and a few other things.

Blitz it all together until it’s nice and smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Combine

Add the dressing to the bowl, and mix thoroughly.

That’s all there is to it – no cooking, no waiting around. Just mix, and eat.

How could I adapt this recipe?

There are plenty of other things you could add to your cowboy caviar. If you don’t have one of the ingredients I used, no problem – just skip it. Swap it out for anything else you have lingering in the fridge.

I tried to keep to a vaguely Tex-Mex vibe for my cowboy caviar, but you can take it in any direction you like.

Here are some ideas for ingredients you could add, in addition (or instead of) the ones I used:

• diced tomatoes
• diced cucumber
• other types of bean e.g. kidney beans
• crumbled feta cheese
• finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• chopped peanuts
• grated cheddar cheese
• diced red onion

Really, just go wild. Cut everything into fairly even pieces, and mix it all up.

How to serve cowboy caviar

This recipe makes a nice big bowlful of cowboy caviar – a good 6 portions – so it’s great for feeding a crowd or adding to a buffet. I probably wouldn’t eat it as a full meal on its own (though there’s no reason you couldn’t, since it’s fairly balanced), but rather I’d eat it as a snack, or as a side dish alongside something else.

Since it’s a Tex-Mex dish, it would be absolutely perfect served alongside some vegetarian enchiladas or tacos.

You can also use it as a dip for crunchy tortilla chips – perhaps alongside a refreshing margarita?!

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Creamy Cowboy Caviar (with Avocado Dressing)

This creamy cowboy caviar is an irresistible version of a simple bean salad, with fresh flavours and a creamy avocado dressing.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 229kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the bean salad:

• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin black eyed beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 small spring onions, diced (or 1 large)
• 200 g tin sweetcorn, drained (160g, or ~ 1 cup, when drained)
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tbsp sliced black olives

For the creamy avocado dressing:

• 1 Tbsp sliced pickled jalapeños (optional)
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• Few sprigs fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ripe avocado, skin removed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp water

Instructions

• Add all of the salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
• In a food processor, add the pickled jalapeños, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, coriander (cilantro), cumin, and olive oil. Blitz until fairly well chopped. Add the avocado and a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and blitz again until fairly smooth. If the mixture seems a little thick, add a splash of water – it should be thin enough to lightly coat the salad.
• Add the dressing to the bowl, and mix thoroughly. Serve chilled.

Notes

If you don’t have an ingredient, just swap it for something else. Any vegetable that you enjoy eating raw will work, or something different, like crumbled feta cheese, or chopped nuts. There are lots more ideas in the blog post.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.4g | Protein: 8.9g | Fat: 10.3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 243mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 9.8g | Sugar: 2.8g | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Creamy Cowboy Caviar (Vegan Bean Salad) with Avocado Dressing appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

This creamy three bean stew is the ideal healthy comfort food – with fresh veg and three types of beans, in a luxurious creamy tomato sauce!

This creamy three bean stew is basically my perfect dinner. It feels like a luxurious, comforting meal, but is packed with fresh vegetables and protein-rich beans (three kinds, in case you couldn’t have guessed) – all coated in a creamy, silky sauce with heaps of flavour (swoooon).

It ticks all the boxes!

Healthy comfort food

Veggie-packed comfort food has got to be my all-time favourite food category, and it doesn’t get much better than this creamy three bean stew. It’s absolutely full of goodness, but is about as far from rabbit food as you can get (I’ve never been much of a salad person).

After eating a meal like this veggie stew, you feel totally satisfied, and your body thanks you too.

What’s in this creamy three bean stew?

There are 3 main elements to this hearty vegetarian stew:

1. the vegetables – I chose carrots, courgette (zucchini) and mushrooms
2. the beans – three different types! I used black beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans
3. the sauce – made with tomatoes, creamy tomato soup, and an extra dollop of cream for good measure

As long as you make sure your bean stew contains these three elements, it will be a success – even if you decide to switch things up a bit (see below for some ideas for how to adapt the recipe!).

How to make creamy three bean stew

Step 1: Fry off the vegetables

Start by dicing your veggies, and adding them to a large saucepan. Cook them for a few minutes until they’re just starting to soften.

Step 2: Add most of the remaining ingredients

We’re already at the ‘add everything else’ stage – this recipe really couldn’t get much simpler.

Add the beans and sauce ingredients to the pan, and leave everything to simmer for a little while, until the sauce has thickened nicely and the vegetables and beans are totally soft.

Step 3: Make it extra creamy

As a little finishing touch, I like to add one more little dollop of something to make it extra creamy. To be honest, there are lots of ingredients you could use for this purpose, which would all have pretty much the same effect:

• cream
• sour cream
• Greek yogurt
• cream cheese

Just be careful if you’re using the low fat version of any of these ingredients, as low fat dairy products can sometimes split and curdle in this kind of situation.

It’s best to stick to the full fat version if you can, or if you really want to use low fat, temper the ingredient first. To do this, mix a spoonful of your hot stew into the yogurt (or whatever you’re using) first, then add it all back into the pot. This helps to minimise the temperature shock, and reduces the risk of curdling.

The difference that one good dollop of sour cream had on my three bean stew was really pretty amazing:

It makes the whole thing so much more luxurious, and transforms a simple bean stew into something seriously tempting.

How to serve three bean stew

This stew already contains all the most important food groups, so there’s no need to serve anything alongside it if you don’t want to. Just a nice big bowl and a spoon are all you need.

Personally though, I think a bit of garlic bread or some crusty bread and butter are absolutely perfect for mopping up the bowl and adding a nice bit of crunch…

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Creamy Three Bean Stew

This creamy three bean stew is the ideal healthy comfort food – with fresh veg and three types of beans, in a luxurious creamy tomato sauce!

Course Main meal

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 368kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, sliced or diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium courgette (zucchini), diced
• ~ 5 medium mushrooms, diced
• 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g (~ 1⅓ cups) tinned tomatoes
• 400 g (~ 1 1/3 cups) tin cream of tomato soup
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
• 2 tbsp cream, cream cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt (full fat versions)
• Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions

• Heat a dash of oil in a large saucepan, and add the diced onion and carrot. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion has softened slightly. Add the garlic, courgette and mushrooms, and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the vegetables are beginning to soften.
• Add the three drained tins of beans, tin of tomatoes, and tin of tomato soup. Also add the oregano and black pepper, along with a crumbled stock cube (or just some salt, if you prefer).
• Bring to a simmer, and cook for around 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced to produce a thick sauce.
• Add the cream, mix to combine, and serve warm, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.

Notes

Feel free to use different vegetables or different beans, depending on what you have in the kitchen.

It’s best to use full fat dairy products for cooking, as low fat varieties tend to split and curdle when added to heat. If you really need to use a low fat dairy ingredient, temper it before adding it to the stew. To do this, mix one spoonful of the hot stew into the low fat yogurt (or whatever it is), and stir it together. Then add it back into the stew. This reduces the temperature shock to the yogurt, and minimises the risk of curdling.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.1g | Protein: 18.6g | Fat: 7.4g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 1082mg | Potassium: 1217mg | Fiber: 17.8g | Sugar: 9.8g | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 7mg

The post Creamy Three Bean Stew appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Some of my favourite dinners are those that can be a bit of a faff to make – lasagne, shepherd’s pie, enchiladas… They’re always worth it in the end, but sometimes I just don’t want to stand there for half an hour preparing my dinner.

Luckily, I’m the queen of a shortcut – and this enchilada casserole is a much quicker way to make vegetarian enchiladas, without all the fiddly rolling!

What are enchiladas?

Just in case you’ve never had enchiladas before (what have you been doing all your life?), I’ll give you a brief description.

Regular enchiladas consist of vegetables and beans (or whatever other fillings you fancy), rolled up in large tortillas, and coated in enchilada sauce. They’re then baked in the oven until they’re hot and bubbly.

They’re one of my all-time favourite Tex-Mex meals – not only do you get all the incredible Tex-Mex flavours of a burrito or a quesadilla, but you also get the added bonus of a tasty sauce and a crispy cheese topping.

Enchiladas are all sorts of good bits, rolled up in one incredible dish.

Vegetarian enchilada casserole

This enchilada casserole is basically the low effort way to make vegetarian enchiladas. Instead of rolling the veggies and beans up into individual tortillas, I just mixed it all together (including bitesized pieces of tortilla), casserole-style.

Why does it matter whether the ‘filling’ is actually wrapped in a tortilla, or if it’s underneath it, or on top of it? It all tastes the same once you’re eating it, so why bother faffing around rolling each enchilada up separately?

This version takes less time, involves less hands-on prep work, and creates less washing up.

Win win win!

How to make roasted vegetable enchilada casserole

Step 1: Roast the vegetables

As you might guess from the name of this dish, it begins with roasted vegetables.

Roasting is by far my favourite way to cook the majority of vegetables. It’s hands-off, and it always gives the veg a really lovely flavour. They end up soft in the middle, with nice little crispy bits around the edges.

You can pretty much roast up whatever vegetables you like for this enchilada casserole. I stuck with my favourite Tex-Mex veggies – peppers (red and yellow), mushrooms, and courgette (zucchini).

Step 2: Prepare the enchilada sauce

There’s absolutely no reason why you couldn’t use a shop-bought enchilada sauce for this casserole, if you can find one you like. This is meant to be a low effort dinner, after all – and in fact, if you do just use a jar, this will end up being a one pot dinner, which is always good!

However, enchilada sauce is actually not that easy to find in the UK – and when I do spot it somewhere, it’s always super expensive. So, since homemade enchilada sauce literally takes just a few minutes to make, and the ingredients are things I always have in the kitchen anyway, I decided to make my own. Either way works just fine.

I’ve previously written a whole post about my homemade enchilada sauce, if you’d like to see step-by-step photos. It’s basically the same process as making a white sauce.

You’ll also need to cut up some flour tortillas, ready for adding to the casserole.

Step 3: Mix everything together

When the vegetables are nice and roasty, it’s time to mix everything together:

• the roasted vegetables
• your (shop-bought or homemade) enchilada sauce
• pieces of flour tortilla
• a tin of black beans

I mix it all straight in the baking dish, so it doesn’t create any additional washing up.

Step 4: Bake until crispy

Top the dish with a bit of grated cheese, and pop it back in the oven for about another 15 minutes, until it’s all nice and crispy.

The end result tastes just like my favourite vegetarian enchiladas. The pieces of tortilla soak up a little of the sauce, just like in ‘real’ enchiladas – and by the time you’ve scooped up a big forkful, it’s totally irrelevant that they weren’t neatly rolled.

How to serve enchilada casserole

This enchilada casserole doesn’t really require any side dishes – it’s already a full meal in itself.

However, it’s sometimes nice to prepare some side dishes, if only so you can have a bit of variety on the plate. I probably wouldn’t bother if I was just making this for my family, but if we had guests, I’d probably choose one or two of these to serve alongside:

• green salad
• guacamole
• sour cream
• corn on the cob
• garlic bread (if you don’t mind double carbs…)

What vegetables can you use in enchiladas?

To make my enchilada casserole, I used mushrooms, courgette (zucchini), and red and yellow peppers. These are my go-to veggies for Tex-Mex cooking.

You could also use:

• onion / red onion
• eggplant (aubergine)
• tinned sweetcorn (add along with the black beans)
• potatoes
• tomatoes
• sweet potato

Or, to be honest, pretty much anything else that roasts up nicely. For example, carrot may not be a vegetable I would often put in enchiladas, but it does roast up really nicely, so there’s no reason you couldn’t add that too.

Just be aware that some vegetables roast more quickly or more slowly than others, so bear that in mind – you may need to add some veg to the dish a little later than others.

Can you freeze vegetarian enchilada casserole?

Yep! Vegetarian enchiladas (including this casserole version) are just the sort of meal that can be frozen easily – so they’re perfect for batch cooking. Just transfer the cooked casserole to a freezer-safe tub, and pop it in the freezer.

I’d personally reheat it thoroughly in the microwave. You could reheat it in the oven instead if you prefer, but it may dry out a little.

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Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

This enchilada casserole tastes like my favourite vegetarian enchiladas, but only takes 15 minutes of effort – no rolling or layering! The perfect veggie-packed comfort food.

Course Main meals

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 3 people

Calories 485kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 small (or 1/2 large) courgette (zucchini)
• 100 g (~ 3 1/2 oz) mushrooms (~ 6 medium mushrooms)
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 250 ml (~ 1 cup) enchilada sauce (shop-bought or homemade)
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 4 small flour tortillas, cut into bitesized pieces
• 75 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 3/4 cup when grated)
• Fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish

Instructions

• Cut the vegetables into chunky dice, and toss them in a little oil. Place them in a baking dish (mine measured approximately 10 x 7 inches), and roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway, until the vegetables are fairly soft.
• If you're using homemade enchilada sauce, prepare it while the vegetables are roasting. You can see my full enchilada sauce recipe here. Shop-bought sauce is also fine to use.
• When the vegetables are fairly soft, add the enchilada sauce, tinned black beans, and the pieces of tortilla. Mix well until everything is coated in the sauce.
• Sprinkle with some grated cheese, and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the cheese is crispy and the sauce is hot and bubbly. Garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro), if desired.

Notes

Feel free to use different vegetables if you like – there are some more ideas in the blog post.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.1g | Protein: 19.8g | Fat: 21.8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 1119mg | Potassium: 664mg | Fiber: 10.6g | Sugar: 7.9g | Calcium: 235mg | Iron: 4mg

The post Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Casserole appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Roasting is probably not the first cooking method that comes to mind when you think about beans. But, just like you can roast chickpeas, you can totally roast black beans too! They become warm and crispy, and any herbs and spices you’ve added deepen and intensify as they roast, giving the beans a really rich flavour.

Here’s how to roast black beans perfectly!

Why roast black beans?

Black beans are undeniably my favourite type of bean. They’re small but mighty, offering more flavour than some other types of beans – and when they’re roasted, this is even more true!

Of course, they are delicious eaten any way, but roasting them definitely gives them an edge.

These are definitely not just your typical black beans.

How to make roasted black beans

Step 1: Drain the black beans

This method for roasted black beans begins with canned beans. If you try to roast dried beans, all you’ll end up with is a few cracked teeth – the beans need to be totally soft first.

Of course, if you prefer to use dried beans, you can cook them first using your usual method, and then continue by following these instructions.

Or, you can do things the lazy way, and just open a tin like I did. If you do this, you need to start by draining your tin of black beans.

Step 2: Rinse the black beans

I like to rinse my black beans next. I don’t always bother with this step if I’m just adding them to a casserole or whatever, but if I’m roasting them, it’s ideal if the beans are as ‘clean’ as possible.

Rinsing can also help to make all kinds of pulses easier on your stomach, if you ever find that they don’t always agree with you!

I just swoosh my beans with a bit of water in a bowl (or sometimes even straight in the can, if I want to save on washing up), then drain them again.

Step 3: Add flavour

Next comes the fun bit – adding flavour to your beans. Go crazy with whatever herbs and spices you like the sound of.

This time I used a Cajun-style mixture:

• salt and pepper
• smoked paprika
• garlic and onion powder
• dried herbs (thyme and oregano)
• chilli flakes

If you’re in a rush, keep it simple with just a couple of different spices, or use a pre-mixed blend. You could even just stir through a dollop of hot sauce instead.

Step 4: Roast until crispy

Finally, pop them in the oven until they’re nicely crisped up.

Some of the skins will pop as they roast, which provides even more opportunity for crispiness.

Keep an eye on the beans as they begin to crisp up – you don’t want to end up with rock-hard bean bullets!

What can roasted black beans be used for?

I love using my Cajun-style roasted black beans on salads, as they provide heaps of flavour to an otherwise potentially uninspiring pile of raw vegetables. Adding a few crushed tortilla chips is another fun way to add some texture and flavour to your salad – just three or four chips can go a very long way in making a bowlful of lettuce more appealing!

Roasted black beans are also great scattered into quesadillas, tacos, or any other Tex-Mex favourites. Depending on how you use them, your roasted beans may not retain their crunch, but the rich, smoky flavours of the spices will still shine through.

Or, you can even eat the roasted beans on their own as a snack. They make a really tasty alternative to nuts, or a really nice change for a lunchbox!

How to store roasted black beans

Roasted black beans are best eaten straight away, while they’re still warm and crispy. However, I know not everyone wants to eat an entire can’s worth of beans in one go, especially if you’re the only one home.

Like most leftovers, any unused roasted beans can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight tub. Food safety recommendations differ from country to country, but I usually keep leftovers for 3-4 days without any issues.

Your roasted black beans will lose a bit of their crunch if they’re not eaten fresh, but they’re still really tasty thanks to the roasted spices. You can eat them cold, or reheat them briefly in the oven or microwave if you’d prefer them to be warm.

Have I inspired you to give roasted black beans a try? What would you do with yours?

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How to Roast Black Beans

Black beans are my favourite bean, and they can be even better when they're roasted! Here's how to roast black beans, using a simple Cajun-style spice mix.

Course Snack

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 portions

Calories 164kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g tins black beans, drained (480g, or ~ 2 1/2 cups, when drained)
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Instructions

• Rinse the drained tins of black beans, then mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (you can use a different mix of herbs and spices if you prefer). Spread the beans in a single layer on a baking tray, then roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway, until they are fairly crispy (but not rock hard!). Best used immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.7g | Protein: 8.4g | Fat: 4.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 875mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 6.2g | Sugar: 1.1g | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

If you’re a big black bean fan, there’s plenty more inspiration in my bumper collection of vegetarian black bean recipes!

The post How to Roast Black Beans appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Tex-Mex is one of my all-time favourite cuisines, and these spicy bean burritos are the perfect example of how incredible Tex-Mex food can be. Beans, rice, fresh veggies and cheese – what a perfect combination! They’re really easy to make, and you can mix up the fillings to suit anyone’s taste preferences.

What are burritos?

Burritos are one of the cornerstones of Tex-Mex cuisine. They’re made with large, soft flour tortillas, wrapped around various fillings to create the perfect little (or, preferably, big) cylinder. Their shape makes them easy to eat by hand, especially if they’re wrapped up in foil or paper.

What do you put in a burrito?

Burritos can have all sorts of different fillings. Non-vegetarian burritos will obviously contain some sort of meat, but my favourite vegetarian burrito fillings include:

• rice (I tend to use either plain rice, or Mexican-style tomato rice)
• black beans
• refried beans
• vegetarian bean chilli
• grated cheese
• roasted or grilled vegetables
• fresh salad-style vegetables (such as lettuce and tomatoes)
• sauces like tomato salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

To be honest, you could choose any combination from the list above, and you’d end up with an amazing vegetarian burrito. That’s why I love Tex-Mex food so much – it’s so easy to make something delicious, simply by choosing from a few main ingredients, depending on what you have on hand. You’ll end up with a different combination each time, but it will always work beautifully.

How to make spicy bean burritos

These spicy bean burritos are just one possible way of creating an incredible vegetarian burrito. Feel free to add any extra ingredients from the list above – though you might find it hard to roll your burrito if it’s crammed too full!

Step 1: Cook the black beans

I began making these bean burritos by cooking some black beans with some fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and plenty of spice. It’s almost like a super simple bean chilli. You can make this black bean mixture as spicy (or as not-spicy) as you like. If you’re cooking for a group of people with different spice tolerances, start with a mild level of heat, and let people add extra hot sauce to their own plates as desired.

I used tinned black beans, rather than dried, because they’re quick and convenient. I usually only start thinking about dinner 30 minutes or so before we actually eat it – planning ahead is not my forte.

If you have more time on your hands, feel free to cook dried beans separately, and then use them as written in the recipe.

Step 2: Add the rice

The addition of rice is what makes a burrito a burrito, in my opinion – I think it would feel a bit lacking without the rice. It makes these spicy bean burritos feel really hearty. It also helps to stabilise the burrito a bit, making it easier to pick up in your hands!

Cook the rice separately, then mix it into the black bean mixture. On this occasion, I actually had some leftover rice that I’d cooked the night before, so I used that – but of course, you can cook it the same day if needed.

Step 3: Assemble the burrito with plenty of toppings

Now comes the fun bit – assembling your burritos.

Add a good heap of the bean and rice mixture to the middle of a large flour tortilla. I usually create a sort of rounded rectangle shape, as this helps with rolling the burrito later.

Start piling up your chosen toppings. Of course, grated cheese is a must for me (use vegan cheese if necessary!).

This time I also added some crisp lettuce, which brings a lovely texture to the burrito, in contrast to the soft rice and beans.

And a good smear of sour cream (sour cream and chive dip, to be precise) finishes it off beautifully, as well as helping to seal the burrito once it’s rolled!

Step 4: Roll the burrito

All that’s left to do is to roll the flour tortilla around your fillings to create that beautiful burrito.

I’m not going to lie, rolling a burrito takes a little practice, especially if you have a habit of overfilling your tortilla – I definitely have to stop myself from heaping the fillings too high! But luckily, even if things spill out a little when you roll your burrito, it will still taste incredible.

A good tip is to roll your burrito inside a piece of foil or parchment, as this can help to keep the fillings contained, and makes eating a less messy affair!

How to roll a burrito

Here’s a little image I made a while back to demonstrate how to roll a burrito. These pictures actually show my mushroom and black bean smothered burritos, but the method is the same, whatever the filling!

Start by folding in the two short ends of the burrito, then the two longer sides, to create a perfect pocket. Or, you can roll the burrito once you’ve tucked in the ends, rather than folding it, if you’d prefer a rounder shape.

How to serve a burrito

We usually eat our burritos on their own, since they already contain all the main food groups. There’s no real need to add any sort of side dish, especially since a burrito is pretty filling on its own.

But if you do want to create a slightly more varied meal, serving your burrito with a salad on the side would be a safe bet – something pretty light. Some extra sauces for dipping are always fun too (hot sauce, sour cream, guacamole, etc.).

Other vegetarian burrito recipes

I’ve shared a few other vegetarian burritos here before, so if you’re on board the burrito train, try these other recipes too:

• full English breakfast burritos
• mushroom and black bean smothered burritos
• veggie burrito bowls
• BBQ bean burritos

Or just choose your own combination of fillings from the list above, and let me know what sort of vegetarian burrito you come up with!

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Spicy Black Bean Burritos

These simple black bean burritos are packed with my favourite Tex-Mex flavours, and they can be easily adapted to suit your preferences.

Course Main meals

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 burritos

Calories 450kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced or diced
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 200 g (~ 1 cup) cooked rice (I used leftover white rice)

To assemble:

• 4 large flour tortillas
• Your choice of additional fillings: grated cheese lettuce, sour cream, etc. (see blog post for more ideas)

Instructions

• Heat a dash of oil in a saucepan, and add the onion. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, until it is fairly soft. Add the next 7 ingredients (black beans through black pepper), and cook for a further 5 minutes, adding a small splash of water if necessary. Next, add the diced tomato, and cook for just a few minutes more, until the tomato has softened, but is still holding its shape.
• Add the cooked rice, and mix to combine. Ensure the mixture is piping hot before assembling your burritos (again, you can add a splash of water if needed, to help you heat the mixture without it drying out).
• To assemble, lay a large flour tortilla on a board, and heap about a quarter of the rice and bean mixture into the centre. Top with your choice of additional burrito fillings – I used grated cheese, lettuce, and sour cream.
• Fold in the two ends of the burrito, then roll or fold to fully contain the fillings (see blog post for photos if needed!). Burritos are best eaten immediately, especially if you’ve mixed both warm and cold fillings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1burrito | Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 63.6g | Protein: 17.6g | Fat: 13.1g | Saturated Fat: 4.4g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 793mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 6.6g | Sugar: 1.4g | Calcium: 387mg | Iron: 7mg

Love Tex-Mex flavours? This Mexican bean and potato bake is the perfect comfort food:

The post Spicy Black Bean Burritos appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.