I am inspired by all sorts of recipes--gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and meaty. Basically, if the pictures are beautiful and the ingredients are interesting, I can appreciate it, even if it doesn't fit into my diet. I love to peruse Pinterest every day and let inspiration strike and that is exactly what happened with these flautas. If you read Beard + Bonnet, you've probably noticed that we are Mexican food junkies, so it didn't come as a surprise to me that the Chicken Flautas with Spicy Avocado Sauce from Heather Christo stood out to me as I was browsing Pinterest, practically calling my name!
As I was brainstorming ways to make this dish meatless I knew that I definitely wanted to make this a simple 30 minute meal so that everyone could enjoy flautas, even on a hectic weeknight. For the filling, I replaced the shredded chicken with store-bought spicy vegetarian refried black beans and my top secret, knock-your-socks-off, incredibly easy taco topping that I serve at every taco dinner we have here at home. Well, I guess after this post it won't be top secret anymore. (It's okay, you guys are my friends and friends share things like top secret taco toppings.)
The spicy avocado dipping sauce for these black bean flautas sounded pretty amazing as it was originally written, so except for two minor tweaks to use ingredients that I already had on hand, I left it as it was. Why mess with perfection, right? This sauce is pretty much a super smooth, spicy, guacamole and in case you were wondering it is totally okay to dip your chips in it too! Go ahead, get all up in there, don't be shy!
So I made a batch of black bean flautas and styled them all pretty for you, but I also thought I should be perfectly honest and show you exactly how we devoured them! These bad boys never hit a plate, my kids literally lined up in the kitchen and they dunked and ate them as fast as I could cook them up. There was lots of giggling and play fighting about who got the next flauta from the pan. When their bellies were full, they were nice enough to leave a few for me to enjoy. I had 6 black bean flautas left so I ate 3 immediately and saved 3 to reheat later. I wasn't sure how well they would reheat, but I thought it would be good information to share with all of you here, so I wrapped them on a plate with plastic wrap, and stuck them in the fridge. When the need for a flauta hit me, I simply popped them in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. It only took a minute or two to reheat and they were just as crispy as the first time around. Yay flautas!
This post was originally published on March 12, 2014.
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Juice of 1 large lime
- 1 16-ounce can spicy vegetarian refried black beans
- 16 white corn tortillas warmed (see note)
- Grapeseed vegetable, or canola oil for pan frying
- Avocado Dipping Sauce see recipe below
- Chopped lettuce cilantro, Cotija cheese, hot sauce, and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the red onion, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally.
- In a large heavy skillet, heat ¼-inch of oil over medium heat. Working with one tortilla at a time, spread 1 heaping tablespoon of refried black beans and ½ tablespoon of the onion, cilantro, and lime mixture evenly along one side of the tortilla. Gently roll the tortilla tightly beginning on the side with the filling. Use a toothpick to secure the flauta so it doesn't unroll while cooking. (Corn tortillas have a tendency to dry out quickly and split, so I rolled 4 flautas then placed them in the hot pan and rolled 4 more while the others were cooking until they were all finished.)
- Place the prepared flautas seam side down in the hot oil and cook, rotating with tongs, until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides, approximately 4-5 minutes per batch. Continue to cook the rest of the flautas in batches, adding more oil as needed. Remove the toothpicks after you have fried them and serve with Avocado Dipping Sauce, lettuce, cilantro, cheese, hot sauce, and lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados halved and pits removed, scooped from their shells
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeno chopped (for a less spicy version remove the seeds and ribs)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons water
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine the avocado, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, and water in a blender or food processor, then puree until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with kosher salt. Chill until ready to use.
Julia Mueller says
YES, Meg!! YES, YES, YES!! That Flauta would never see a plate in my house, either...They'd get consumed straight off the cookie sheet, fresh out of the oven. I'd probably burn my face on them. It'd be worth it. Gimme dat guacamole!! 🙂
Meg van der Kruik says
Julia,
Thanks! We totally burned our mouths the first go around!! Be careful;)
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Bless your soul for making this a 30-minute meal. I'm all about Mexican cuisine. Love this!
Meg van der Kruik says
Yay Jennie!
Thank you so much, I am happy to have shared a new 30-minute meal for you:)
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
I looove flautas and I have all the ingredients for these, perfect!
Meg van der Kruik says
Yay Abby! I hope you love them too.
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
Yyyeah...these are definitely getting made ASAP! They sound amazing and it is only 9:30 a.m.! 😉
Meg van der Kruik says
Hannah,
Flautas are a perfectly acceptable breakfast in my opinion;)
Letty Flatt says
Here here re: these for breakfast! with an egg perhaps?
gretchen | kumquat says
i decidedly do not eat enough flautas. thank you for my remedy!
Meg van der Kruik says
I hope you love these Gretchen!
Cookin Canuck says
Those looks so good and I love your styling!
Meg van der Kruik says
Thank you SO much!!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
i could eat a dozen of these...
Meg van der Kruik says
Dixya,
We could totally have a flauta eating contest! Ha ha!
Leslie @ My Kitchen Is Open says
These look awesome and sound delicious! Gonna put on some black beans today so I can make some this weekend!
Meg van der Kruik says
Yay Leslie!!! You are going to love these flautas, I just know it!
Maggie says
Love this recipe Meg! We are Mexican lovers in this house too so I will definitely be trying these - the rolling up corn torts scares me a little, but you've inspired me 🙂 Did I miss the taco topping, or is it the onion, cilantro, lime mix? All of which I happen to have in my frigo right now! Thanks Meg. You always inspire me!
Meg van der Kruik says
Maggie you inspire me too!!! Just heat the torts before hand, I put a note in the recipe box:) You will be great and even if a few of them split they are still super yummy! Oh and yes! That simple little citrus juice, onion, and cilantro is my secret weapon. The lime juice just gets in there and does something amazing to the onion and cilantro. We don't make tacos, black bean burgers, or quesadilla's without it!
Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate says
Black beans and avocados are 2 foods I could not live without! I love this dip's take on guac!
Meg van der Kruik says
Thanks Mallory!
Connie at Bird and Seed says
Wow. These look super tasty. My tummy just growled. Love the lime wedges for serving.
Meg van der Kruik says
Connie,
Thank you! I think we pretty much have lime wedges with every meal at our house so I totally appreciate someone else that gets it too.:)
Joanne says
Flautas consumption - assembly line style! I approve. It sounds like a super efficient way to get those into your belly as soon as possible!
Meg van der Kruik says
Ha ha! Joanne, it totally cuts down in dishes too.
Elizabeth says
Made these last night and they were a huge hit with everybody - an eighteen month old, a three year old, and a husband - so much so that the three year old wanted them for breakfast! Highly recommend making your own tortillas if you've got the time. Totally worth the extra effort and puts these flautas over the top!
Meg van der Kruik says
That is so great Elizabeth!! My 3 year old is obsessed with them too so I am working on a few new filling recipes to share for flautas on my site. We will keep you posted when they go live.:)
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
These look killer, the perfect solution to a Mexican food craving!
Scotia48 says
I made these last night and they were marvelous! I used a can of organic black beans and added a sofrito and some seasonings and a little chopped roasted hatch chile and some dried oregano and some spices. In the flauta along with the cilantro, onion and lime, I added some thinly sliced cabbage.
I made a yellow rice with some saffron, cilantro, onion and some "Not Chicken" broth.
The avocado dip was really great. Except I added some spices and left out the peppers and garlic. It was perfect for us.
I will be making this again. Thank you for the inspiration!
Meg van der Kruik says
Wow, those sound amazing! I love hearing new variations if my recipes and I will for sure be trying yours.
Maria says
So in love with these! Pinned!
Rachel @ Itty Bitty Ivie says
Oh my flautas! These look sooo delicious right now! pinning for sure 🙂
Heather says
What brand of vegetarian refried black beans did you purchase?
Meg van der Kruik says
Heather, I picked up my refried beans from Trader Joe's, but Pacific Foods has a good one too.
Melissa French, The More With Less Mom says
Hello from Melissa French, The More With Less Mom. I have included this recipe in my May Real Food Meal Plan post. Thanks for sharing! http://www.morewithlessmom.com/index.php/2014/05/05/may-real-food-monthly-meal-plan/
Meg van der Kruik says
Thanks for sharing Melissa!
kara says
Will be preparing these for dinner tonight. I didn't have cilantro on hand so I replaced it with
mint instead. Cant wait to give them a whirl.
Maggie says
I made these, SO DELICIOUS. It was very tricky for us to fry them, but even with lopsided and falling apart tortillas, still delicious. Great vegetarian meal!
Lin says
What is the red sauce you use on top in your picture?
Meg van der Kruik says
Hi Lin,
The red sauce that is drizzled over the flautas is hot sauce.
Lin says
Also, where can we find the recipe for the tomato salsa pictured above?
Meg van der Kruik says
The salsa in the image is a fresh chunky salsa that I picked up at the grocery store.
Sandy says
I am making these for lunch tomorrow. I think the family is going to love them ^_^.
rosina says
Made these for dinner last night along with the avocado dipping sauce and they were a big hit! My hubby and kids loved them! Thanks for sharing!!