Post sponsored by nuts.com. See below for more details.
In wrapping up my three-series post highlighting black lentils with nuts.com, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes. It's fairly obvious that I love making enchiladas but I just find something magical in a delicious filling nestled in a fresh corn tortilla and topped with flavorful sauce.
The combinations are endless but over the years, using black lentils has become a go-to. While it's not traditional, I don't always have cooked black beans on hand and my craving for enchiladas usually strikes an hour before dinner. Using black lentils makes a bit quicker work of the filling since the lentils cook along side the filling. Best of all, you can make/assemble these enchiladas ahead of time and freeze until ready to bake.
Black Lentil Enchiladas with Zucchini
Flavorful summer enchiladas made with zucchini and black lentils along with an easy year-round homemade enchilada sauce.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Cuisine: dinner
Ingredients
Lentils:
- ½ cup uncooked black lentils
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Enchiladas:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small white onion, diced
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 small zucchini (about 1 ½ cups diced)
- 8 to 10 small corn tortillas
- 4 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese
Chipotle Sauce:
- 1, 15 oz can whole tomatoes, drained
- ¼ small white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ chipotle in adobo sauce (see note)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse the black lentils and place in a medium pot. Add the water followed by the cumin and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until lentils are tender and water is absorbed, 25 minutes or so.
- While the lentils are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil followed by the diced onion, pepper, and salt. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes, then add the zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender and browning. Stir in the cooked black lentils, taste, and adjust salt if needed.
- While the filling ingredients are cooking, combine the ingredients for the sauce in a blender. Puree until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. In a 9”x13” roasting pan or 8”x8” roasting pan, pour ⅓ of the sauce into the bottom. Assemble the enchiladas by spreading a spoonful of black lentil mixture in the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of cheese. Roll and place seam-side down. Continue with remaining black bean mixture and tortillas.</li
- Pour the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted and browned.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: I prefer to use toasted, whole spices that I grind right before using. If you go this route, use the same amount of whole spices before grinding.
As for the chipotle- the sauce has a bit of a kick. Start with just a bit, taste, and adjust to your liking. You can also use chipotle powder in place of the chipotle in adobo. Start with ¼ teaspoon and work your way up.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: zucchini, tortillas, black lentils
Nutrition: see the information.
Nutrition
- Calories: 359
- Sugar: 3.7
- Sodium: 728
- Fat: 14.1
- Saturated Fat: 6.2
- Carbohydrates: 44.3
- Fiber: 7.4
- Protein: 17
- Cholesterol: 25.2
Black Lentil Enchiladas
variations
As I mentioned above, these enchiladas are super flexible. Add more vegetables, leave out the cheese, or change the sauce- it's up to you to use what you might already have on hand.
Sauce: I usually alternate between three sauces: this chipotle version, a non-chipotle fresh tomato based version, and this tomatillo sauce. Any of these sauces work well with these black lentil enchiladas- use what you have on hand!
Vegetables: During the summer months, I usually add sweet corn to the mix. During the cooler months, these enchiladas work well with roasted sweet potato and/or butternut squash.
Vegan: Leave off the cheese, bake, and then top with fresh avocado to give the enchiladas a bit of pop.
Explore
If I could only keep one type of lentil on hand, it would be black lentils. They cook up quick and can be used in everything from stews to salads. Plus, the soak in all the good flavors while they cook. These lentils are also my favorite taco filling, so it's a must that I always keep them on hand!
Berbere Black Lentil Stew
Za'atar Tomato Salad
Romanesco Black Lentil Pilaf
Disclosure: This recipe was created in partnership with nuts.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own. It’s content like this that helps me keep this site running to provide the vegetarian recipes you see every week. |
Esther says
This was delicious and relatively easy. First time I've cooked with black lentils. They really do hold up quite well. My husband didn't even realize that they were lentils (fortunately)! Thanks for this recipe
Meg @ This Mess Is Ours says
My daughter and I made this last night and it was INCREDIBLE!! Not a smidge left in the pan. Thanks for another brilliant recipe!
Claudia says
I hate to be THAT person, but here goes: Could I use black beans instead of black lentils?
Erin Alderson says
Ha! Black beans would be just perfect in place of the lentils!
Betty says
Thanks for sharing all your amazing recipes here! Question though: is there a secret trick to rolling corn tortillas so they don't crack into a billion pieces? I tried to be oh so gentle, I tried not putting too much in them, I tried but still they crack...and not like good crack...like bad crack. Like plumber's crack...unless you are into that sort of thing.
★★★★★
Erin Alderson says
Heated up! I like to wrap them in a damp cloth and warm them. You could also warm up the sauce and dip them in that as well!
Lisa says
This was delicious. Kept it simpler with store bought enchilada sauce but the filling was absolutely delicious. It was my first time cooking with black lentils. This recipe is definitely being added to rotation in my house.
★★★★★
Colby says
Made this tonight. My 3 and 5 year-old kids devoured it and already staked claims on the leftovers for dinner tomorrow night. Added some cayenne pepper and a tbsp Greek yogurt to the sauce. Great recipe!
★★★★★