
Black bean chilaquiles
Tortilla chips tossed in warm red sauce with black beans until they’re soft at the edges and crunchy in the middle, then crowned with queso fresco and avocado.
- 20 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.75 a serving
- 770 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free

Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- ½ white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 can red enchilada sauce
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 oz tortilla chips
- ½ cup queso fresco, crumbled
- 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp sour cream (optional)
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup water
Each serving has about 770 calories, 25 g protein, 93 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $2.75 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 queso fresco? Cotija cheese or feta cheese works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Heat the oil in a large over medium heat. Add most of the onion, saving a few slices for the top, and cook 4 minutes, stirring, until soft.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 4 min
Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heat
Pour in the enchilada sauce, beans and ¼ cup water and . Cook 3 minutes, until slightly .
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min
Take the pan off the heat, add the chips and gently turn them over with a spatula until every chip is coated.
Dolly’s tip: Serve within a couple of minutes. You want them soft at the edges and still a little crunchy in the middle.Divide between two plates and top with queso fresco, the raw onion, avocado, sour cream and cilantro.
Food safety: If you’re pregnant, buy queso fresco labeled “made with pasteurized milk,” and for extra care, warm it until it’s steaming hot.

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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