Vegetarian Enchiladas

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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These vegetarian enchiladas are an easy dinner, filled with veggies like bell peppers, corn, and spinach. Black beans make these vegetable enchiladas extra filling, while homemade enchilada sauce and lots of gooey cheese make them irresistible!

Why You’ll Love This Vegetarian Enchilada Recipe

These are so many reasons why these vegetable enchiladas have become a family favorite! Here are a few reasons I think you will love this recipe:

  • Perfect for Busy Weeknights: With a 7-minute enchilada sauce and only 20 minutes in the oven, these vegetable enchiladas are ready to serve in under 30 minutes. (And you can prep them in advance – see make ahead suggestions below!)
  • Loaded with Flavor: From the homemade enchilada sauce to the adobo seasoning and 5+ different types of vegetables, these vegetarian enchiladas are bursting with flavor.
  • Travel Well: If heading to a party where you need to bring a dish, these vegetable enchiladas are easily prepared ahead and travel easily to be baked at your final destination! If traveling for over 30 minutes, pack the unbaked enchiladas in a cooler with ice and they are ready to go.

Love enchiladas? Make sure to check out our classic cheese enchiladas or salsa verde sour cream enchiladas. If you love the Mexican flavors but love the idea of a casserole more, you’ll love our Mexican casserole and our chicken enchilada pasta bake!

Ingredients for Vegetarian Enchiladas recipe.

What You’ll Need

Using frozen veggies and canned beans will help you cut down on prep time so take advantage of the cheats! Full ingredient amounts and detailed directions are located at the bottom of this post in the printable recipe card.

  • Homemade Enchilada Sauce: For the best possible vegetarian enchiladas, make your own homemade enchilada sauce. It only takes 7 minutes to make and is extremely flavorful in comparison to store-bought sauce. Not to mention, it’s also healthier!
  • Olive Oil
  • Veggies: We’ll be using fresh garlic, yellow onion, bell peppers (use any color you like!), baby spinach, and corn. Feel free to use fresh or frozen corn based on your preference.
  • Seasonings: Grab some adobo seasoning and ground cumin.
  • Black Beans
  • Cilantro: Optional.
  • Fiesta Blend Cheese: Any Mexican or Tex-Mex shredded cheese blend will work great.
  • Corn Tortillas: You can use homemade corn tortillas or store bought. Flour tortillas can be used if you prefer them over corn in enchiladas.

What Is Adobo Seasoning?

Adobo seasoning is a mix of salt, garlic powder, dried oregano, black pepper, and ground turmeric. It adds lovely color and wonderful earthiness with a punch of spice and pungency from the black pepper and garlic.

Although it’s not as common as other seasonings, adobo is actually a staple ingredient in many Caribbean and Latin American households because of how easily it adds flavor to foods. You can usually find it in the Latin American section at most supermarkets or online. If you can’t get a hold of any, substitute it for more salt, to taste, in this recipe.

A plate of vegetarian enchiladas topped with avocado slices

How To Make Vegetable Enchiladas

These enchiladas come together in minutes, the hardest part is the assembly! Make it a family party and ask the kids to come help stuff and roll enchiladas with you to make it go faster. Check out the recipe card for detailed instructions.

  • Prepare: Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour 3/4 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish and spread evenly.
  • Make Filling: Add olive oil, garlic, onion, bell pepper and corn to a skillet and sauté until just softened. Stir in adobo, cumin and black beans. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Remove pan from heat. Stir in optional cilantro and 2 cups of cheese.
  • Assemble: Working with warmed corn tortillas, spoon about 1/3 cup of the enchilada filling into each tortilla and roll up. Place in the baking dish, seam side down.
  • Top: Pour remaining enchilada sauce over them, making sure to cover the entire surface. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the enchiladas.
  • Bake: Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving and sprinkle with extra cilantro. Serve hot!

Watch How To Make Them

Want to see how to make these easy vegetarian enchiladas from start to finish? Here’s a step-by-step video:

Variation Ideas

These vegetarian enchiladas are exquisite, but these variations will help you use up leftover veggies and beans, and even let you play around with the filling and sauce.

  • Use Leftover Beans: If you have leftover beans from frijoles de la olla, frijoles charros, or ranch-style beans, use them for the enchiladas to reduce waste.
  • Add Leftover Veggies: Chop up your leftover veggies and add them to the filling. You can use carrots, squash, and even roasted potatoes.
  • Change the Filling: Make a completely different filling with zucchini, riced cauliflower, and yellow squash. Follow the recipe, as usual, just change the ingredients.
  • Use Green Salsa: Swap the enchilada salsa for a green one. It’ll feel like a completely different dish! You can also do half and half for the best of both worlds, half the enchiladas with red enchilada sauce and the other half in a green enchilada sauce!
Vegetable enchiladas being served from the pan

Tips and Tricks

Follow these tips for perfect vegetable enchiladas every time:

  • Heat the Tortillas: Some room-temperature (and cold) tortillas crack the minute you try to roll them. Heat them in the microwave or on the griddle for 10-15 seconds or until pliable enough to roll without breaking.
  • Add Sauce to the Baking Dish: Pour enough sauce on the bottom of the baking dish before adding the enchiladas to avoid sticking. You can also line the dish with aluminum foil for easy clean-up too.
  • Use Flour Tortillas: Sometimes you have to work with what’s on hand. If you’re halfway through making the filling and realize you only have flour tortillas, use them!
  • Make the Sauce in Advance: Having some enchilada sauce in the fridge for late-night cravings or last-minute meals will simplify your life a whole lot.

What To Serve with Vegetarian Enchiladas

Enchiladas are served for breakfast and lunch. What you serve with them depends on the time of day although they’re hearty enough to be enjoyed on their own. For breakfast, these are great with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon. Don’t forget the orange juice!

On the other hand, these are great with refried beans or Mexican rice for lunch or dinner. Top them with fresh cilantro, Mexican crema, cotija cheese, and more salsa for an extra flavorful meal. Don’t forget a slice of this easy tres leches cake or a bowl of arroz con leche for dessert!

Three vegetable enchiladas on a plate with avocado slices

Can These Be Prepared In Advance?

Absolutely! As long as you don’t pour any sauce over the enchiladas until right before baking, these can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and keep them stored in the fridge. 30 minutes before you are ready to bake them, remove them from the fridge and let them warm up on the counter at room temperature. Then top with sauce and cheese and bake as directed in the recipe.

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

  • Fridge: Refrigerate any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • Reheat: To reheat them, place them in the microwave for up to 1 minute or until warm. You can also bake them at 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes. If you prefer to do it on the stove, place them in a pan over medium-low heat. Cover them and let them heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Freeze: Assemble the uncooked enchiladas and place them in a freezer-friendly container, I like to use a disposable foil casserole dish. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To bake, thaw them for 24 hours in the fridge and then bake as directed. If you want to bake from frozen, cover the enchiladas with foil and bake them for 30 minutes. Remove foil from the top and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Overhead view of a baking dish of vegetarian enchiladas

More Easy Mexican Recipes

Overhead view of a pan of vegetable enchiladas
4.5 from 92 votes
Print Pin Recipe
Yield: 8 servings

Vegetarian Enchiladas

These vegetarian enchiladas are an easy dinner, filled with veggies like bell peppers, corn, and spinach. Black beans make these vegetable enchiladas extra filling, while homemade enchilada sauce and lots of gooey cheese make them irresistible!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 batch homemade enchilada sauce, or 28 oz store bought red enchilada sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 large bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
  • 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 16 oz fresh baby spinach
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro, optional
  • 16 oz shredded fiesta blend cheese, or any Mexican blend cheese
  • 16 (6-inch) corn tortillas, or flour tortillas

Instructions 

  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, and corn. Sauté until just softened. Stir in adobo, cumin and black beans.
  • Add the spinach and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the optional cilantro and 2 cups of cheese. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
  • Wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds, until warmed and pliable.
  • Then working quickly, spoon about 1/3 cup of the enchilada filling into each tortilla and roll up. Place in the baking dish, seam side down. Continue filling enchiladas and pack the filled tortillas tightly into the baking dish until filled.
  • Pour remaining enchilada sauce over them, making sure to cover the entire surface. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the enchiladas.
  • Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving and garnish with extra cilantro, if desired. Serve hot!

Video

Notes

Leftover Storage: Refrigerate any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheat Leftovers: To reheat them, place them in the microwave for up to 1 minute or until warm. You can also bake them at 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes. If you prefer to do it on the stove, place them in a pan over medium-low heat. Cover them and let them heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
Make/Prep Ahead: As long as you don’t pour any sauce over the enchiladas until right before baking, these can be made up to 3 days in advance. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and keep them stored in the fridge. 30 minutes before you are ready to bake them, remove them from the fridge and let them warm up on the counter at room temperature. Then top with sauce and cheese and bake as directed in the recipe.
Freeze: Assemble the uncooked enchiladas and place them in a freezer-friendly container, I like to use a disposable foil casserole dish. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To bake:
  • Thaw First: Thaw them for 24 hours in the fridge and then bake as directed.
  • Bake From Frozen: Cover enchiladas with foil and bake them for 30 minutes. Remove foil from the top and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Use leftover beans. If you have leftover beans from frijoles de la olla, frijoles charros, or ranch-style beans, use them for the enchiladas to reduce waste.
Add leftover veggies. Chop up your leftover veggies and add them to the filling. You can use carrots, squash, and even roasted potatoes.
Change the filling. Make a completely different filling with zucchini, riced cauliflower, and yellow squash. Follow the recipe, as usual, just change the ingredients.
Use green salsa. Swap the enchilada salsa for a green one. It’ll feel like a completely different dish! You can also do half and half for the best of both worlds, half the enchiladas with red enchilada sauce and the other half in a green enchilada sauce!

Nutrition

Serving: 2 enchiladas, Calories: 467kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 396mg, Potassium: 635mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 3307IU, Vitamin C: 30mg, Calcium: 463mg, Iron: 3mg

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70 Responses
  1. Kim Porterfield

    Hi Jessica,
    If I’m freezing these before baking, do I add the sauce and cheese as well prior to freezing?

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      Hi Kim! Yes, top them with the sauce and cheese before freezing! Baking directions for frozen enchiladas are listed in the “how to store & reheat leftovers” section in case you missed them.

    1. Kim

      Sounds great, good to know for the future! Thank you. We actually made these last night since we weren’t sure about freezing the sauce/cheese on them. They were great!

  2. Top 10 Spanish Language Kid Friendly Dishes that You Will Love

    […] Use this delicious cheesy opportunity to get your children to eat their nutritious vegetables. This recipe calls for packing the enchiladas with spinach, bell peppers, onions and corn. They will forget that […]

  3. Joy

    Delicious!! I was skeptical at first of the lack of salt in the recipe, but these came out amazing. It was surprisingly hard to find adobo seasoning – went to several stores but finally found it at Target. I used fresh corn since it’s summer and threw in a little bit of sweet potato cuz I had some left over. I also only used cheddar since I’m weird about cheese and also weird about cilantro so I used green onions instead. Still amazing! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

  4. Vanessa

    5 stars
    I’ve prepared this dish SOOOOOO many times, my friends and family love it!! Generally I add extra veggies, like squash or more peppers, and I’ll trade out the corn tortillas for flour. The versatility of this recipe is what makes it so wonderful. Plus it’s low sodium! I keep it in my arsenal for weekly family meals and easy make ahead dishes for parties and events. It’s a crowd pleaser. Especially when you can take credit for making the enchilada sauce from scratch. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

  5. Sandhya

    I have made this recipe and loved it. Is there a way I could use the same recipe and add chicken to it to make it chicken enchilada bake. Any suggestions ?

  6. Lisa

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made this a few times now, and love that I can freeze half of it for another day. Made this last night for friends, and she now wants your recipe!

  7. Jessica Smith

    Hello Jessica,

    Just tried this recipe and loved it! I decided to finely chop the cauliflower, almost to a rice size, and it turned out really well! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!

  8. Ellen

    This recipe is incredible!! I’m making them right now and it is probably my 10th time making them. Definitely one of my go to recipes now!

  9. Jodie

    These are delicious!! I am eating them while typing this!! The sauce is awesome…I will never buy the canned stuff again, as it was easy to make. I questioned the 16 oz of spinach, but as I should have realized, it wilted down a lot. The only thing I will do different next time is wilt the spinach first, and set it aside….my pan’s not big enough!! They are filling, but light. Even my carnivorous hubby loved them. Will definitely make these again!!

  10. Courtenay

    I made this recipe a few weeks back and it is now part of my regular recipe rotation. My husband has declared that it is his favourite meal ever!! 
    We just love it! We especially love that it makes enough to freeze for future meals. 
    We give it 5 out of 5 starts :). 

  11. Ricki

    This recipe sounds wonderful. I want to make for company this week because I need a vegetarian dish. Two questions: could this be made ahead of time and then baked and also could I use frozen, chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry? Thanks again. 

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      Hi Ricki, 

      First, the easy question, yes you can use frozen spinach as long as you cook it first and squeeze out all the extra water! 

      And secondly, I sadly haven’t tried freezing this recipe yet. I believe it would work ok, but don’t know 100%. If you do want to try it, I would recommend assembling them completely and then freezing them before baking. Remember, when you do bake them, they will take about double the time to bake from frozen. 

      Good luck! 

  12. Jackie

    Is there an alternative method I could use to heat the tortillas quickly before adding the filling instead of using the microwave? We don’t own one.

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      Hi Jackie, you can also heat them using a skillet. Or you might not need to heat them at all. Some people find their tortillas fold just fine without heat. If yours start cracking though, just heat them up in a skillet as you go. 

  13. Debbie

    This was delicious!  I made it tonight but cut the recipe in half.  I always have 8 inch flour tortillas in the house and the half recipe filled 7 tortillas with just under 1/2 cup mixture for each.  I like this one better than the chicken enchiladas.  The sauce is so much better than the canned enchilada sauce!  It is definitely a keeper!  Thank you for sharing this on Pinterest!

  14. Julia

    My first time making enchiladas and using this recipe, it was a total success! Thank you for the great ingredients and straight forward instructions. We didn’t have adobo seasoning so I substituted with a paprika, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder and cumin. Tasted awesome. Going to become a regular at our dinner table! 

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      Flour tortillas become soggy in enchilada sauce. That is why true Mexican enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. However, feel free to use whatever you would like!

  15. Ana

    I made these on Sunday and they’re a huge hit! I love that the enchilada sauce was made from scratch and has such great flavor. I used hatch chile flour tortillas from HEB instead of the corn tortillas and it turned out great. The enchiladas also make great leftovers. Thanks for the recipe!

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      I wish we had HEB’s here in Florida. I miss them so much – those tortillas sound awesome. Glad you enjoyed the enchiladas Ana! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment how they turned out! :-)

  16. Heidi @foodiecrush

    I’m with Lauren L., so glad to find the perfect veggie enchi recipe. They’re not all created equal and you can’t just toss any old veggie into the mix. These look awesome!

  17. Lauren L.

    So glad I found this recipe!! My sweet husband has put up with a lot of trials & errors in our first two years of marriage as I’ve been learning to cook… But after making this for dinner tonight, I’ve never heard such praise for cooking!! It was delicious!! Leftovers will be gone before I know it. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe with a fellow novice! :)

  18. Lori @ RecipeGirl

    Making your own sauce makes all the difference when you’re making enchiladas!  These look like a great idea for a weeknight dinner.

  19. Serene @ House of Yumm

    8 years?! Congrats! That’s so exciting! These enchiladas look amazing, and I love that they don’t have any meat in them :) Plus..adobo seasoning is pretty much amazing. 

  20. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor

    I love stocking my freezer with enchiladas! These are too good to resist. I definitely need to add them to my dinner menu soon!

  21. Deborah

    I am totally making these to stock up my freezer. I’ve been on the hunt for great freezer friendly meals, and I know these will be awesome!

  22. Erin @ Texanerin Baking

    8 years?! Wow. Congratulations! And so happy you’re sharing these again. They look amazing!

  23. eat good 4 life

    I really need to start making enchiladas. I know my family would love them. Great recipe and perfect for 5 de Mayo!

  24. Sheila @ Life, Love, and Good Food

    Wow! This dish looks wonderful – and your photography is amazing, too! Congrats on blogging for 8 years – that’s a real accomplishment!

  25. Laurie Koncsol

    Hi 
    You mention adobo two times in the recipe. Are they both referring to adobo seasoning or some other source of adobo?  . I am not familiar with Mexican food items.  Thanks. .  I just want to be sure before I go food shopping
    Laurie

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      Hi Laurie! Yes, I mean adobo seasoning both times! I updated the recipe to say “adobo seasoning” to be clearer. Make sure and come back and leave your review after you make them!! :-) 

  26. Roberta

    Hi Jessica. Do you think you could use the canned adobe peppers in the sauce instead of the adobe seasoning? I have some frozen right now just waiting for the right recipe. Would love to use them up. 

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      Hi Roberta! Adobo seasoning weirdly enough is not made from an adobo pepper, it is actually a “seasoned salt” with things like garlic, oregano, black pepper and tumeric. 

      The sauce itself is not spicy – more flavorful. So if you wanted to, you could absolutely add your canned adobo pepper to the sauce if you like it spicy! You will just need to puree the sauce to make sure it’s smooth. :-)

      And then just add extra salt in place of the adobo seasoning – taste as you add to make sure it doesn’t get too salty on ya! Hope you enjoy them and please report back how it goes! 

      1. Roberta

        Hi Jessica. I went ahead and made these with the canned adobe peppers. After getting it all together and giving a taste I realized how SPICY the sauce was so I ended up using another cup of broth to thin out the spiciness. They were delicious with the canned peppers, although in the future I think I’ll get the adobe seasoning since my daughter isn’t a huge fan of spicy. Great recipe either way!! Congrats on your 8 year anniversary too! 

Thank You For Being Here!

Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.