Create your own Mexican restaurant in your house with this delicious meal!
Our Southwestern Black Bean Casserole is a healthy way to enjoy Mexican food. This tasty casserole isn’t exactly unique. After all, many Mexican recipes contain vegetables and black beans. Where this dish pulls away from the pack is the ingredient choices. Those other Mexican dishes are usually filled with saturated fat and calories, both from the meat and the excess use of cheese and sour cream. Unfortunately, if you’re trying to eat healthy to lose weight, adding those tasty ingredients to your dishes simply isn’t an option. Never fear: You can satisfy all your cravings for Mexican food in a nutritious way with this healthy casserole! Our recipe lets you enjoy all those Mexican flavors without worrying about calories, saturated fat, or unhealthy ingredients.
Not only that, but this dish is super fast and easy to make, too. It’s perfect for those weeks where you need to meal prep and get everything ready in advance. You can assemble the casserole when you have time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it for dinner. Or, go ahead and cook up a big batch on the weekend, cut it into individual portions, and refrigerate or freeze the servings. A quick reheat in the microwave or the oven and you’ll have lunch (or, dinner) ready to go! Even when you make it in advance, this Southwestern Black Bean Casserole tastes so great, you won’t believe it’s actually healthy!
Perfect for Meatless Monday
Legumes are an excellent source of protein and are often eaten in vegetarian diets as an alternative to animal protein. Even if you are not a full-fledged vegetarian, it’s fun to mix things up a little and serve a meatless dish like this on occasion. Your family will love this casserole and will happily abide by your desire to serve vegetarian dishes once or twice a week for dinner.
This vegetarian dish works because it gives you everything you need. It’s full of protein-packed black beans, savory salsa, and flavorful spices like smokey cumin and herbaceous cilantro. Put it all together with heart-healthy whole wheat tortillas and melted cheddar cheese and you definitely won’t miss the meat!
We love it when we find a recipe that allows our readers to enjoy their favorite dishes, but without the fat and calories. Cleaned up versions of popular dishes are great to have in your collection of recipes. Looking for other ideas? Our Skinny Mexican Rice is a perfect side dish for this recipe. You might also enjoy these other healthy side dishes.
Southwestern Black Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 30 ounces black beans cans, drained
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth low-sodium, fat-free
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cilantro fresh, chopped
- 4 whole-wheat tortillas low-sodium, optional 6 corn tortillas
- 12 ounces salsa no sugar added
- 1 cup 2% cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Drain beans, and set aside. In the meantime, in a medium skillet, add oil; heat over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add black beans and broth, and continue cooking for approximately 3 minutes. Add cumin, black pepper, salt, and cilantro; stir to combine.
- Spray the bottom of an 8x8-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add a tortilla, 1/4 black bean mixture, 1/4 salsa, and 1/4 cheese; continue layering until all ingredients have been used. Top casserole with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
- Cover casserole dish with foil, and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly. Remove foil, and continue cooking 8–10 minutes. Remove from oven, and garnish with non-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream, if desired.
Nutrition Information
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Any idea if using dried (soaked beans) will add cooking time?
Angel, I wouldn't recommend using presoaked beans…they won't have enough time to cook while the casserole is in the oven. Feel free to cook your own beans and use in the recipe.
Oh yeah, soaked beans need to simmer for at least 1.5 hours, or better 2 hrs, no more than 3.
This recipe is delicious!!!
this looks like a great side dish. What would you serve as the main entree with this?
Darcien007, We serve this as the entree. It pairs well with a side of Mexican rice!
Think this would work the same with corn tortilla's for those of us who are Celiac thus GF?
Mdsmith, That's a great idea! Thanks…I'll add the option to the recipe. 🙂
Would I omit the chicken broth if I want to omit the tortillas?
Jennifer, No…just reduce to 1/3 cup.
Jennifer, Hmmmmm…have never made this particular recipe w/o the tortillas. Yes, there would be no real need for the broth.
Do you think this would work well as a prep ahead and then pull it out of the frig, let it warm up and then cook?
Jennifer, Do it all the time. We're all so busy, great idea!
Made this yesterday. It was easy and tasty.
made this the other night and it was a huge hit!
Great recipe that is easy and healthy.
If I only have one can of black beans, would adding pinto beans be ok? Or would it change the flavor profile too much? Thanks
Courtney, Pinto beans work well too. It does change the flavor but only slightly.
YUMMY! Favorite recipe!!
I would serve this as a main dish. Any ideas for a side? Spanish rice? What would be in a green salad that would complement it?
Julie, Spanish rice would be yummy. I'll send you a quick and easy recipe. 🙂
Julie, Email me and I'll give you a good recipe for Mexican Rice.
it worked great with corn tortillas. you should try it if you haven't already
Moriah, Thanks for the feedback.
Jennifer, I'd like to make this for a party. I already made it once and it was delicious. Did you try it as a prep ahead? Was it good, or did the tortillas get soggy?
This sounds delicious! We are definitely making it this week! 🙂 One question: do the tortillas get soggy in this dish?
Good question 🙂 They do not, and we know you will love the dish!
My tortillas taste like noodles. Should it cook longer?
Hi Jessica – no do not cook the casserole longer, this should be more lasagna like!
This has become one of my favorite recipes. It's so fast and easy, and it's hard to believe the ingredients are so healthy, because it is GOOD! Thanks so much!
Just made this casserole and it is delicious! Do you think you could freeze individual portions of it after it's cooked? I am the only one in my house who eats mexican food, so I would love to freeze some portions of this casserole for another day.
Amanda, Yes, just make sure to let it cool first.
Yes, casseroles and beans freeze very well, so this should hold up just fine.
I make something similar and I've found cutting the tortillas into 1 inch wide strips makes service a little easier.
does this work well frozen?
Classy, I’ve never frozen this casserole. You could try freezing after adding to the dish, and thaw before baking. Keep us posted! 🙂
i made this and i really don't think you need 2 cans of beans. i have a ton of beans left over
That’s so weird, I barely had enough beans for two layers. It’s in the oven now, hopefully it’ll be enough with only two layers of tortilla!
This recipe is a winner! Super easy and delicious 🙂
Here’ my augmented version with added veggies:
1 can black beans
1-2 c frozen corn toasted
1 can mexican tomatoes (used less salsa)
I also added a sm yellow pepper to onion during saute
I used a round casserole dish and med size tortillas that fit it almost perfectly, turned out perfect.
Love your recipes! Do you have a cookbook?
We’re so happy that you enjoy them, Renee! We do have several cookbooks that we hope you’ll like equally as much. https://skinnyms.com/cookbooks/
I plan to just prep this, freeze it, and cook it later. Will that work, or do I need to cook it first and then freeze it?
Emily, I recommend prep, freeze, then defrost in the fridge before baking.
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. I didn’t have any tortillas so I used the multigrain flatbread that I had. Otherwise, I made it exactly as directed. I saw that it has six servings and after I cut it into 6 pieces I thought this won’t fill me up, but I was wrong-it did. One serving and I was full and I couldn’t even eat the salad I made. My husband and I really liked it and I will be making this recipe again. Thank you for the recipe.
Jamie, YEAH!!! I’m super happy you all enjoyed the recipe. By the end of summer, we will have a way to save all your favorite recipe on the site. 🙂
Wow. So, so good. I’m on WW and it’s great to find a large, delicious portion that is low in points. Thank you!
You’re very welcome, glad you enjoy the recipe!
any idea of length of time to do this in a instant pot??
Hi Sandy, we would not recommend this recipe for the Instant Pot. There is not enough liquid in the recipe for the pot to seal correctly.
We enjoyed this a lot. I have a question though. The broth doesn’t cook off so am I supposed to add that liquid into the casserole? In your video it doesn’t look like the broth is being used. Thank you.
Rita, We did use the broth in the casserole.
Lots of confusion if we use corn tortillas do we need to leave out the broth?
No, the corn tortillas are an option for those who prefer them or for a gluten free option.
Would you be able to add shredded chicken to the recipe to make an all around main dish with meat? If so, how would you change the process? Thanks! Looks yummy and excited to try!
Hannah, Definitely! Add shredded chicken to the mixture and layer as instructed. I would add about 1 cup, but that’s
up to you. Enjoy! 🙂
I wonder how this would work in a crock-pot? It would be a great addition to work pot-lucks. I may have to give it a try.
Karen, I think it would work well, it just won’t take long to cook in a slow cooker.
Yummy Casserole!! I made with corn tortillas.
Monica, Great! So happy you enjoyed the casserole. 🙂
So delicious! I made this in a covered skillet and used a can of diced tomatoes and added green pepper and onions since I didn’t have salsa. Sprinkled diced green onion on top with sour cream. We all loved it and didn’t miss the meat!
Great! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Please leave a review if you get a chance. Thank you.
me and my sister we really liked it. mom accidentliy put onions in the food.
this is ZACHARY DAVIS (7 years old)
Hi Zachary, You may be our youngest reader!!! I’m thrilled both you and your sister enjoyed the Casserole. Onions always add a touch more flavor to just about any recipe. You’ve got a smart mom. 🙂
Please feel free to leave feedback anytime. Thanks again, Zachary. 🙂
This came out really tasty and looked great, although my tortillas were a bit big for the casserole dish. Next time I’m going to add pepper jack and Colby jack to the cheese, because I can never stick to the amount of cheese as stated in a recipe, and cheddar on its own gets a bit oily. I also might add some sliced black olives into the mix.
Heather, I like your suggestions and may try the olives next time. I’m so happy you enjoyed my recipe. 🙂
Tasty, but dry. I’ll have to experiment with the amount of liquid. And I’m with Zachary’s mom…I added sautéed onions.
Susan, Hi! I’m not sure why it would be dry. However, I would suggest adding a little more broth.
I made it tonight. It was easy and tasty. I used corn tortillas and used 2 per “layer” so I’d have some in each bite.
Great! I’m so happy you enjoyed the Black Bean Casserole.
I wonder if it would work to use a layer of crispy corn chips or tortilla chips rather than the soft tortillas? I know they would get soft but wondered if anyone has tried that?
Izzy, I haven’t tried it but they should do fine
Absolutely delicious. Will definitely make again.
can I make this in a 9×13 pan? If so, would the cooking time change?
Nina, You would need to double the ingredients. If you use a 9×13-inch pan, the cooking time would be the same.
Gale you swept me off my feet with this one. I added a layer of spinach. To DIE for!
Henrietta, I love hearing that. It’s a family favorite. 🙂
Loved this dish! I did add corn and some bell peppers since I had them left over. Turned out great.
Sounds great, Kris! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Delicious sans cilantro. Would totally make this again
We don’t care for cumin, can you recommend a substitute?
Chili Powder works well.
It was very good.
Delicious! Making it again tonight!
Yay! We’re happy to hear that you love it! Thanks for letting us know 🙂
My family really loves this recipe! I add one can of cooked chicken breast to the beans while cooking to add meat sometimes. It tastes just as delicious!
Really easy to make and filling! I had two pieces so I don’t know that one piece would be enough for a meal but still a great side or have two!