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These bite-size Southwest Roll Ups are an easy appetizer perfect for parties. Full of black beans, spinach, peppers, onion, cilantro and a dairy free southwest flavored ranch dressing. They make a great lunch too!
These Southwest Roll Ups (sometimes called pinwheels) are kind of like my Smoky Mexican Bean Dip meets Black Bean Pasta Salad meets Veggie Tortilla Rollups.
They make the perfect little party appetizers. Especially for Cinco de Mayo coming up, but really they are perfect anytime of year. You could even make them into wraps for lunch or dinner instead of cutting them into bite size pieces.
You could easily swap out the veggies for whatever you have in the fridge (corn would be a great addition!), or even use a different kind of bean (pinto beans would be great!). Versatile and delicious – you’ve gotta make these!
We’ve been eating a version of these Southwest Roll Ups for many years. In fact, the very first day my son went to Kindergarten, he requested black bean rollups in his lunchbox. I didn’t even use my dairy free Ranch Dressing back then, just added a few tablespoons of salsa for flavor. But, the dressing adds a creamy factor that helps hold the tortilla rollups together. And it’s a delicious flavor complement as well.
The bite size pieces, while being toddler, little kid, and tiny hands friendly, make the perfect party finger food, too! Easy to grab while still holding a drink in the other hand. Easy to pop in your mouth and eat in one bite. And because they are dairy free, they can sit out without going rancid.
Don’t miss these other vegan party favorites
- Spiced Rosemary Roasted Nuts
- Spicy Peanut Rice Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Homemade Vegan Queso
- Tortilla Rollups with Veggie Cream Cheese
- Smoky Mexican Bean Dip
- Pesto Pizza Bites
How Do you Roll Tortilla Wraps?
Tortilla rollups are super easy to make.
Lay out a tortilla on a flat surface. Spread the vegan ranch dressing all over the tortilla leaving a bit of space around the edge. Add the rest of the ingredients piled up along one side of the tortilla. Fold over the tortilla from the ingredients side so it covers the ingredients and then continue rolling tightly until your reach the end.
You can eat it big like that as a wrap, or slice it into bite size pieces as I did here.
Can You Make Pinwheels in Advance?
You can certainly make these in advance to save yourself time on party day. I like to rollup the tortillas with ingredients and then tightly wrap each one in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. This really helps the ingredients bind together and you shouldn’t have any problems with them falling apart when you slice them. On the day of the party, I take them out and slice them.
There is so much flavor packed into these little bites. They are sure to be a hit with vegetarians and omnivores alike. Full of fiber and plant protein, vitamins and minerals, you can have several (many, even!) without feeling guilty. So grab that margarita and enjoy!
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Southwest Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ of a red onion diced
- 1 sweet bell pepper, any color seeded and diced
- ½ of a zucchini diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper ribs & seeds removed; diced
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- juice of ½ lime
- fresh spinach leaves
- cilantro leaves
- 6 large tortillas use gluten free, if desired
- 1 recipe Southwest Vegan Ranch Dressing
Instructions
- Make the Southwest Vegan Ranch Dressing and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the black beans, red onion, sweet bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeño, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, and lime juice. Mix well.
- Lay a tortilla flat on your work surface. Spread 1-2 tbsp of Southwest Vegan Ranch Dressing all over the tortilla. Add a few fresh spinach leaves, then ½ cup of the bean mixture, followed by a few cilantro leaves. Roll up the tortilla tightly. Cut into bite size pieces. Serve right away or place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Barbara says
This was a hit at our daughter’s birthday picnic. Super easy to make ahead, used 6” tortillas since that was what I had on hand, and I just cut them in half. Wrapped them tightly in plastic wrap and they carried well.
Jenn Sebestyen says
I’m so happy to hear this, Barbara! Thank you for your feedback and Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Christine Gloeckner says
I just made a test batch before bringing these to a party next week. They are delicious, but everything keeps falling out!! Do you have any tips on how to keep it all together?
Jenn S. says
So glad you liked them Christine! A little bit of the filling sometimes falls out, but I’ve never really had a problem with everything falling out. Try rolling them as tight as you can without breaking the tortilla. Wrap each rolled tortilla in plastic wrap tightly and stick them all in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Then unroll and slice. That should keep everything nicely in place. You could also try mashing the black beans slightly – between smashed beans and the dressing the little bits of veggies should stick just fine. Let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy!
Christine Gloeckner says
Those are both great ideas! I think it should work perfectly. I’ll be serving these at my running club meeting with both vegan and non-vegan friends but I’m sure they will be a big hit.
Karly says
I LOVE doing roll-ups for parties or an easy lunch for the kids, and I’m so glad to finally have something other than ham and cheese! These look stinking amazing!
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Karly! They are definitely a nice change from the usual sandwich fillings. Let me know if you try them. Enjoy!