Baked Vegetarian Black Bean Taquitos Recipe

These black bean taquitos, while vegetarian or even vegan (the latter assumes you'll use lard-free tortillas), are the kind of entree that should appeal even to those who don't normally follow a plant-based diet. Recipe developer Milena Manolova describes them as having "a golden, crispy exterior and a savory filling bursting with the rich, earthy flavors of black beans, the sweetness of red bell peppers, and the subtle kick of jalapenos with the zing of lime juice and the freshness of cilantro." Hearty yet vibrant, this dish is filling enough for a solid snack or balanced meal, depending on how many you eat.

Not only are the ingredients used in these taquitos nutritious, but the cooking method also keeps them light. While some taquito recipes call for deep-frying, Manolova's version is baked until crispy, with an end result that is "lighter and less greasy ... without sacrificing that irresistible crunch." 

To make these taquitos, you'll need flour vs. corn tortillas for rolling, vegetable oil for cooking, and salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, lime juice, jalapenos, and cilantro for seasoning. The filling itself is made up of canned black beans, supplemented with onions and bell peppers.

Preheat the oven to 350 F, then heat up a pan on the stove. Pour a tablespoon of oil into the hot pan and use it to fry the onions until they look translucent. Add the bell peppers and cook those for 3 minutes or so to soften them up, then stir in the garlic, jalapeno, salt, black pepper, and cumin. Keep stirring and cooking the vegetables for about a minute until you can really smell the garlic.

Toss the beans into the pan and add the lime juice and cilantro. Stir everything up and cook the mixture for 3-4 minutes. Once it's done cooking, turn off the heat and mash the beans. Manolova likes to transfer them to a bowl first and recommends using a potato masher for the job.

Plop 2-3 tablespoons of the bean filling in the middle of each tortilla, then roll the taquitos up nice and tight. "When filling the tortillas, be mindful not to overstuff them," Manolova advises. "Overfilling can make it difficult to roll them tightly and may lead to filling spilling out during baking." Put them on a baking sheet seam side down and brush them with the rest of the oil for an extra crispy exterior, then put the sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

When the taquitos are done, they should be golden brown in color and have some nice crunch to them. If you want a dipping sauce to go with the dish, Manolova suggests using salsa, sour cream, or homemade guacamole. She says the leftover taquitos should be OK in the fridge for 4 days, but they can be frozen if you won't be eating them all within that time frame. She does caution, though, that they're better off being reheated in the oven than the microwave, saying the latter "may make the taquitos less crispy."