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Vegetarian Baked Bean and Cheese Taquitos

Satisfy your craving for crunch with these golden crisp vegetarian bean and cheese taquitos. Filled with a creamy, chile-spiced bean and cheese mixture, these tightly-rolled taco-like treats are oven-baked to perfection. Dip into your favorite salsa and munch the crunch!

taquito flautas on plates with green shredded lettuce and jicama

Ditch the store-bought taquitos–these homemade vegetarian taquitos far surpass the frozen ones at the grocery store. Recently, while pushing my cart past a display of those deep-fried meat-filled ready-to-bake taquitos, I remembered the healthier vegetarian taquito recipe hiding in the corner of this blog’s archives. Unearthed, here it is, freshly revised and ready to tempt your taste buds!


Click here to PIN Vegetarian Baked Bean and Cheese Taquitos.

Taquitos or flautas–what’s the difference?

Although they have different names, they’re essentially twins. Taquitos, looking like skinny tacos, are tortillas rolled around a filling. Flautas, taking their name from the Spanish word for flute, also involve tortillas rolled around a filling.

Traditionally, taquitos are made with corn tortillas and then deep-fried to a crunchy finish. On the other hand, flautas tend to be made with flour tortillas. Either way, you can choose between corn tortillas or flour tortillas, it’s your option.

tortillas with filling on a baking sheet before rolling into flautas

 

Bottom line–Skip the unhealthy frying. These bean and cheese taquitos (aka flautas), and are baked to pleasing crispness.

Vegetarian bean and cheese taquitos are a breeze to prepare. Follow these simple steps:

  1. Make the filling:

    Mash beans with chlpotle pepper, onion, cilantro, and a bit of cheddar cheese. You can use pinto beans or black beans.

  2. Soften the tortillas:

    Warm the tortillas until they’re just pliable for easy rolling. One way is to place them on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and pop them in the oven for a few minutes, like for these chard enchiladas. Alternatively, you can brush the tortillas with olive oil and soften them in the oven.
    Caution: Warm tortillas just until pliable–you want to be able to easily roll them around the filling.

  3. Fill the tortillas:

    Spread a few tablespoons of the bean mixture onto the softened tortillas. Then roll them up tightly like you would a rug. Place the rolled tortillas on a baking sheet with the edges down.

  4. Bake to perfection:

    Spray the rolls with a healthy cooking spray and bake in a hot oven until they turn golden and crisp.

taquito flautas filled and rolled and ready to bake on a baking sheet

 

While the filled rollups bake, whip up a creamy avocado sauce for dipping and drizzling. Use this recipe for quick and easy avocado crema. Or use your favorite red or green salsa for a simple dip.

overhead photo of avocado in a bowl

 

Can you freeze these taquitos for later?

Absolutely! Here’s how:

Bake first and then let them cool down. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet until they’re frozen hard. Transfer the frozen baked taquitos to a freezer-strength storage bag. They keep well up to about 4 months. When you’re ready for snacks or dinner, bake them frozen in a preheated 400° F oven for 15-20 minutes, until they’re hot and crispy. Resist the urge to let them thaw before baking.

Serving suggestions:

For a light supper, serve three or four crispy bean and cheese taquitos along with a simple salad of shredded lettuce and matchstick-cut jicama.

Pair with refreshing Ginger Beer Mexican Mules, or skip the tequila for a non-alcoholic option.

overhead photo of baked taquitos  on a plate with lettuce. Guacamole sauce on the side.

 

Why wait for Taco Tuesday when you can have Taquito Tuesday instead! With creamy spiced beans and cheese and craveable crunch, they’re sure to please both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Enjoy every bite, any time you please!

Recipe notes for Baked Bean and Cheese Taquitos aka Flautas:

    • Make these super easy with canned beans and cooking spray. If you’re planning ahead, cook your beans from scratch. If you wish, use a can of refried beans instead of whole beans.

    • If you don’t have cooking spray, generously oil the filled tortillas using your hands or a pastry brush.

    • Be mindful not to overfill the tortillas or they might rip. You also want to seal the tortillas tightly when rolling to prevent them from opening during baking.

    • Even if you leave an inch open on each side of the tortilla, some filling might spill out while baking. Don’t worry: it happens most of the time.

    • I like Mi Rancho tortillas. Both their corn and flour tortillas have a clean list of ingredients–no hydrogenated fats. Given the choice, I gravitate to corn tortillas for taquitos. That said, for me the ideal tortilla for taquito flautas is one made with a mix of corn and wheat flour. I’ve found such tortillas at Whole Foods.

Note: For baking spray, I’ve converted to avocado oil cooking spray instead of canola oil spray. I’ve been reading about canola oil and am steering away from it. Definitely avocado oil is a healthier oil. You can also use a quality olive oil spray.

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    • Peruse my Pinterest boards for more vegetarian recipe ideas.

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**If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a blog post comment. Your comments help other readers learn more about the recipe.

This is not a sponsored post—I was not paid to tell you about Mi Rancho tortillas. I’ve been buying and cooking with these organic tortillas since the first time I tasted them.

Nutrition information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Depending on the brands you use and substitutions you made, and how much you actually eat, the numbers may vary. Numbers do not include the vegetable spray, the avocado crema or the lettuce and optional jicama.

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