Vegetarian Enchiladas

Overhead view of a pan of vegetable enchiladas

4.5 from 94 votes

Yield: 8 servings

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

Cook Time20

Total Time40

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

Want to save this recipe?

We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!

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 9x13 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