Air fryer black bean chimichangas
Flour tortillas wrapped around a cheesy black bean and corn filling and air-fried until golden and shatteringly crisp, all the crunch of a fried chimichanga with a spoonful of oil.
- 30 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.29 a serving
- 400 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese
- ¾ cup salsa, divided
- 4 flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded lettuce (optional)
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
- ½ cup guacamole (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 400 calories, 18 g protein, 47 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $1.29 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No flour tortillas? Whole wheat tortillas work.
- No shredded lettuce? Iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No guacamole? Avocados work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Mash half the beans in a bowl with a fork, then stir in the whole beans, corn, cheese, ¼ cup salsa, cumin, chili powder and of salt.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave 30 seconds, so they fold without cracking.
Timer: 30 sec
Spoon a quarter of the filling onto the bottom third of each tortilla. Fold the bottom up over the filling, fold in both sides, and roll it into a tight packet.
Dolly’s tip: Tight is the goal. Loose chimichangas unroll in the air fryer.Brush them all over with the oil and set them seam side down.
Air fry at 375°F, seam side down, 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway, until deep and . Work in batches if they don’t fit with space around them.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: Seam side down first seals them shut before you flip.Serve with the rest of the salsa, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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30-minute dinners ›Vegetarian dinners ›What to make with black beans and corn ›What to make with black beans and Mexican blend cheese ›What to make with corn and Mexican blend cheese ›