This black bean burrito bake is a fun, easy, and flavor-packed twist on classic black bean burritos—no rolling required. Layered into a free-standing burrito stack with tortillas, creamy black beans, veggies, tangy salsa, and melty cheese, it bakes into a hearty, Mexican-inspired meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights. Simple to assemble, endlessly customizable, and guaranteed to satisfy your burrito cravings.
Let’s Taco ’Bout This Burrito Bake
Who loves burritos? I do! But let’s be honest—rolling burritos can sometimes feel like a whole thing. And sure, I can roll a mean burrito like nobody's business, which is why recipes like my OG black bean freezer burritos and cheesy bean and rice burritos are always in rotation.
But some days? I want the burrito experience without any of the burrito fuss. That’s when this black bean burrito bake comes in clutch. (Side note: are we still saying clutch?!)
Instead of wrapping and rolling, you simply layer tortillas with a flavor-packed black bean and veggie-loaded filling—plus a little cheese if you’re feeling it—and stack until you’ve built yourself a glorious, free-standing tower of burrito goodness. Then everything gets baked to melty perfection.
I mean, need I say more? Ready to get stacking? Let’s do it.
Let's make this black bean burrito bake together!
Ok, let's do this! You'll find detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but for now join me for a bit of a scroll and a visual walkthrough.
Step 1: sauté your aromatics
Heat a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and sauté the onions until translucent.
Add the garlic and jalapeno to the onions, and sauté for a couple of minutes more.
Step 2: cook the veggies
Add the diced zucchini and red pepper, and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften - about 5-8 minutes.
Then add the frozen corn and diced tomatoes, and sauté until heated through.
Step 3: stir in the beans
Add the black beans, cilantro, and spices.
Stir everything up, give it a taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
Step 4: start stacking!
Brush or spray a springform pan with oil, and place it on a cookie sheet to catch any drips. You can also just free-form this on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper if you don't have a springform pan.
Place a large tortilla in the bottom of the pan, and spread with a thin layer of salsa.
Add a scoop of the black bean filling and spread into an even layer.
Top the black bean filling with shredded cheese.
Step 5: finish + bake
Repeat the layers until you have run out of filling. Finish with a tortilla on top, a bit of salsa, and the remaining cheese.
Place into a pre-heated oven and bake until the filling is bubbling and the cheese is melted and slightly golden.
Step 6: serve!
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. This is the hardest part.
👩🏻🍳 A note from Katie: Get all of your chopping out of the way before you start cooking the filling and it'll go super fast. You can even chop the day before if you want!
Black Bean Burrito Bake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon canola or olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ - 1 jalapeño seeded and finely minced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 cup corn kernels fresh, frozen, or canned are all fine
- 1 large tomato diced
- 2 14-ounce cans black beans Or 3 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed well.
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 12-ounce jar of salsa your favourite!
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese optional
- 6 large whole wheat tortillas
Instructions
- Turn your oven on to 200°C / 400° F to preheat while you get the chopping done.
- Chop the onion, crush the garlic, mince the jalapeño, dice the zucchini and red pepper, and set everything into little bowls or on plates. Now you're ready to go!
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.2 tablespoon canola or olive oil
- Add the onion and sauté for about 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and beginning to take on a bit of colour.1 large yellow onion
- Add garlic and finely diced jalapeños, and sauté for about 2 minutes more.4 cloves garlic, ½ - 1 jalapeño
- Now add zucchini and red pepper and sauté for 8-10 minutes. The vegetables should be softened but not mushy, and just starting to brown.1 large red bell pepper, 1 medium zucchini
- At this point add frozen corn, and diced tomato and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is well heated.1 cup corn kernels, 1 large tomato
- Add black beans, cumin, smoked paprika, chilli powder, and salt. Stir to combine well.2 14-ounce cans black beans, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in the cilantro, and remove from the heat.½ bunch cilantro
- Brush or spray a 9-inch springform pan with oil and place on a cookie sheet. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with parchment paper if you're going to freestyle your tortilla stack.
- Place one tortilla into the bottom of the springform pan, and spread with a thin layer of salsa.6 large whole wheat tortillas, 1 12-ounce jar of salsa
- Spoon about ¼ - ⅕ of the black bean filling onto it, spreading it right to the edges. Sprinkle with cheese if using, the top with another tortilla. Press down in the center of the next tortilla a bit to prevent a dome shape from forming, and then spoon some more filling on.1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Repeat layers of tortilla, salsa, filling, and cheese until you've run out of filling.
- Finish with a tortilla on top, spread with salsa and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Place into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese on top is brown and bubbly. You may want to cover with foil if the cheese is browning too much ahead of time.
- Remove from the oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing into wedges to serve.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- Get all of your chopping out of the way before you start cooking the filling and it’ll go super fast. You can even chop the day before if you want!
- You don’t need to let the filling cool before you start stacking since it’s going to get all baked and melty in the oven anyways.
- Want to make a vegan tortilla stack? Just leave out the cheese or replace it with a non-dairy cheese of your liking.
- Want to make a gluten-free tortilla stack? All you need is gluten-free tortillas, my friend.
- Can I make my tortilla stack in advance? Yes! You can assemble it, bake it, and then slices will last for several days in the fridge.
- Is this recipe freezer friendly? Yes! Just wrap wedges in foil or plastic wrap and they’ll be good in the freezer for a few months.
Barbara King says
What a great flavor combination! ! Easy to sauté the veggies & beans & assemble the stack. I made exactly as stated! It’s great that other ingredients could be added or substituted for versatility.
Katie Trant says
So glad you enjoyed this, Barbara!
Sustainable Cooks - Sarah says
I love how easy this is, and yes, I will always be adding pickled jalapenos to my version!
Christine @ Happy Veggie Kitchen says
I can't roll a burrito to save my life but this? This I can do! Thank you for such a great recipe, and European supermarket friendly to boot (soooo often the Mexican inspired recipes I see call for ingredients I can't find here).
Katie Trant says
I feel your pain on the hard to find ingredients! Stockholm isn't exactly a hotbed of Mexican ingredients either, but we do ok with what we can find!
Rekha Kakkar says
This looks so wholesome and incredibly delicious... Love this!
Yvonne says
I am interested in trying out this recipe. In the instructions you mention quinoa but the quantity is not listed in the ingredients list. Approximately how much did you add? Thanks.
Katie Trant says
Whoops! There isn't supposed to be any quinoa in this. Thanks for the keen eye, I've updated the recipe now.
Paula says
Hi Katie! Black beans are one of my staples as a vegetarian and I am always looking for another way to serve them. This dish looks delicious and I am definitely going to give it a try in the next couple of days. Also, thank you for the added nutritional information.
Katie Trant says
Hi Paula! Black beans are my favourite as well. And this is such a fun way to make them. Glad you're into it!