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    Home » Blog Post

    Vegetarian Enchiladas

    February 22, 2015 28 Comments

    These vegetarian enchiladas are filled with two kinds of beans for protein, veggies, spices and cheese. They're topped with salsa and cheese just before going into the oven.

    Jump to Recipe
    A casserole dish of vegetarian enchiladas, covered in melted cheese.
    Jump to:
    • 🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
    • 🔪 Recommended Equipment
    • 📝 Instructions Overview
    • 💡Ideas for Other Vegetarian Enchilada Fillings
    • 👩‍🍳 Make Ahead Tips
    • 🥩 For the Meat Eaters at the Table
    • 📇 More Mexican Dishes You Might Like
    • Vegetarian Enchiladas
    • 🌱 Sign up for my emails, and get my 5 tips for easy vegetarian meals!

    These Vegetarian Enchiladas are just the BEST. Add meat or shrimp if you really must, but consider going completely meatless with these babies for a Meatless Monday night dinner.

    🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes

    For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.

    • Red onion - yellow or white onion is fine too, if that's what you have on hand.
    • Peppers - both orange and red bell peppers brings some festive color to these enchiladas.
    • Black beans - canned or cook from dried.
    • Chickpeas - canned or cook from dried.
    • Tomatoes - Roma tomatoes are great because they hold their shape when diced.
    • Beer - any pale ale is perfect.
    • Tortillas - you can use flour or corn, but I prefer flour in this recipe. Or go with these low-carb tortillas I purchase on-line.
    • Melty cheese - Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack and Cheddar cheeses all work great in this recipe.
    • Mild salsa - or spice it up a bit with hot salsa, if that's your preference.

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.

    🔪 Recommended Equipment

    • Chef's knife
    • Large skillet
    • Cheese grater
    • 9" X 13" casserole dish

    📝 Instructions Overview

    Detailed instructions for making this vegetarian enchilada casserole are in the recipe card below, but here's a quick overview!

    Step 1

    Cook. Sauté the onions, garlic and peppers together in a skillet until softened. Add the black beans chickpeas, tomatoes, beer, and lime juice and simmer.

    Step 2

    Form the enchiladas. Spoon the bean filling down the middle of tortillas, gently wrap, and arrange in a baking dish. Cover with salsa and cheese.

    Step 3

    Bake and serve. Bake in the oven until the cheese is lightly browned, and the filling is bubbling. Serve hot with scallions, sour cream, guacamole, jalapeños and other fixings you like on the side.

    I think I could eat Mexican food everyday and never tire of it. And it's the one common ground in the food arena I've found with my grandchildren. I still threaten to add kale to everything, but they know they can always count on fajitas the first night they're here to visit and sweet corn tomalito, a kind of corn bread.

    But next time, I'm making these veggie enchiladas to sneak in more veggies to their tummies.

    💡Ideas for Other Vegetarian Enchilada Fillings

    • Add some roasted cauliflower florets, which can be cooked ahead. Either roast in the oven or in the air fryer.
    • Fold fresh or frozen corn kernels into the skillet with the filling.
    • Keep it simple with just beans and cheese.
    • Add some greens like spinach.
    • Dice up some sweet potatoes, and roast in the oven or air fryer. (This can be done ahead.)
    • In autumn, roast up cubed butternut squash dusted with Mexican spices.
    • Pour enchilada red sauce over the top with the cheese instead of salsa. You can purchase it, or make your own.

    👩‍🍳 Make Ahead Tips

    Prep the enchiladas and tuck them into a casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to two days before baking off. Remove them from the refrigerator to bring them back to room temperature while the oven preheats. Add the salsa and cheese topping and bake.

    If the enchiladas go directly into the oven from the refrigerator, add an additional 10 minutes to the baking time.

    🥩 For the Meat Eaters at the Table

    Buy a roasted chicken and shred the breast meat into long thin strips OR sauté some peeled and deveined shrimp with some lime juice, salt and pepper.

    Add to the tortillas when building the enchiladas.

    📇 More Mexican Dishes You Might Like

    30-Minute Skillet Enchiladas

    Mexican Stuffed Pepper Casserole (Vegetarian)

    Mexican Green Spaghetti (Espagueti Verde)

    A casserole dish of vegetarian enchiladas, covered in melted cheese.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 57 votes

    Vegetarian Enchiladas

    Vegetarian enchiladas full of black beans, chickpeas, bell peppers, and onions. They're topped off with salsa and cheese before sliding into the oven.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: vegetarian main
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: vegetarian enchiladas, veggie enchilada fillings
    Servings: 8 enchiladas
    Calories: 279.4kcal
    Author: The Wimpy Vegetarian

    Equipment

    • Chef's knife
    • Large skillet
    • 9X13 casserole dish
    • box grater

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 medium red onion, diced
    • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
    • 1 large orange bell pepper diced
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 teaspoon paprika,
    • 15 ounce can black beans, or 2 cups cooked from dried
    • 15 ounce can chickpeas, or 2 cups cooked from dried
    • 3 Roma tomatoes diced
    • 6 ounces IPA beer,
    • 2 tablespoons lime juice
    • Salt and pepper, to taste
    • 8 flour tortillas
    • ¾ cup grated cheese, divided (I used a mixture of cheddar and pepper Jack)
    • ½ cup mild salsa, or to taste
    • 1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
    • ½ cup Low fat sour cream, (optional garnish)
    • ½ cup guacamole (optional garnish)
    • 1 jalapeño thinly sliced (optional garnish)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
      Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, garlic and peppers until soft (about 10 minutes). Add the cumin, coriander, and paprika and cook for another 2 minutes.
    • Stir in the black beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, beer, and lime juice. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    • Place spoonfuls of the filling down the middle of each tortilla, and top with 1 - 2 tablespoon cheese.
      Close the sides of the tortillas over the filling to form a roll, and place them fold-side-down in a baking dish. Spoon any remaining filling around the edges of the filled tortillas.
    • Top with salsa, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese, and bake for around 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
      Sprinkle the scallions over the top, if using, and serve hot with any of the suggested garnishes you prefer.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 279.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.6g | Protein: 11.9g | Fat: 9.1g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.9g | Cholesterol: 10.6mg | Sodium: 515.9mg | Potassium: 463.7mg | Fiber: 8.2g | Sugar: 4.3g | Vitamin A: 1357.7IU | Vitamin C: 45.1mg | Calcium: 164.8mg | Iron: 3.1mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. SallyBR

      February 22, 2015 at 9:16 pm

      5 stars
      Hello there! Guess who had your blog????
      Me, Sally from Bewitching Kitchen!

      Loved the recipe I picked, and have a ton more to cook from your site....

      Have a wonderful Reveal Day!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        February 22, 2015 at 10:41 pm

        5 stars
        OMG!!! That's amazing. I'm so excited you enjoyed my blog and this recipe!!! So, so funny 🙂 I can't wait until I get yours 🙂

        Reply
        • SallyBR

          February 23, 2015 at 5:47 am

          5 stars
          🙂

          Reply
    2. Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories

      February 22, 2015 at 10:55 pm

      5 stars
      Gorgeous photo Susan! These sound delicious, even if I'm not a vegetarian =)

      Reply
    3. Susan

      February 23, 2015 at 2:46 am

      5 stars
      Yay I'm so glad you enjoyed these!! They're one of my faves. My husband thinks using beer instead of water was inspired. Gorgeous photo too 🙂

      Reply
    4. Eha

      February 23, 2015 at 2:59 am

      5 stars
      What a fun recipe I'll certainly copy and I am not a vegetarian either. Of course beer was part of the recipe: the mixture of the other ingredients already tells of the dish's multicultural origins and I would have picked it as Aussie pretty certainly!! . . . [sending you a big smile!]

      Reply
    5. Karen Burns-Booth

      February 23, 2015 at 3:07 am

      5 stars
      Bookmarked to make as I adore enchiladas, and if they are filled with veggies, even better! Great SRC pick, Karen

      Reply
    6. Lauren Everson

      February 23, 2015 at 3:45 am

      5 stars
      Great selection! Mexican is a staple in our house and these sound perfect during Lent.

      Reply
    7. Rebekah @ Making Miracles

      February 23, 2015 at 5:00 am

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness Susan - those look absolutely amazing! I am craving enchiladas at 8:00am in the morning... wonderful pick this month!

      Reply
    8. Norma Chang

      February 23, 2015 at 5:15 am

      5 stars
      Love beans so just know I will love this recipe. Vegetarian all the way for me.

      Reply
    9. Emily @ Life on Food

      February 23, 2015 at 5:23 am

      5 stars
      In the winter I have to try extra hard to get veggies into my diet as salads are not appealing whatsoever. This dinner looks fabulous. Warm, comforting and healthy!!

      Reply
    10. Debbi Smith

      February 23, 2015 at 6:48 am

      5 stars
      These sound amazing!! I'm going to make these without the cheese to make them vegan. There are so many flavors going on, that I doubt I'll even miss the cheese.

      Reply
    11. Traci

      February 23, 2015 at 9:43 am

      5 stars
      These look absolutely amazing. Haven't had veggie enchiladas in a long time. Going to have to try these. Great pick this month!

      Reply
    12. Melissa

      February 23, 2015 at 2:57 pm

      5 stars
      I am absolutely with you on that. I could eat Mexican food everyday, too! These enchiladas look great. We are doing a meatless March challenge, and these would be the perfect addition to our menu! Great pick this month 🙂

      Reply
    13. cheri

      February 23, 2015 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Susan, these look delicious, the that you used peppers.

      Reply
    14. stephanie

      February 23, 2015 at 5:49 pm

      5 stars
      I always love seeing your vegetarian takes on these great recipes. Just stopping in from Group C to tell you how amazing these enchilada look. I could eat these every day.

      Reply
    15. Nicole

      February 23, 2015 at 7:03 pm

      5 stars
      These look great! You used corn tortillas, right?

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        February 23, 2015 at 7:56 pm

        5 stars
        I did, Nicole! But either corn or flour tortillas will work just fine.

        Reply
    16. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel

      February 23, 2015 at 9:03 pm

      5 stars
      LOL, Vegiladas! I love the name! These sound delish, and I definitely think they'd be just fine without meat. Yum!!

      Reply
    17. Tara

      February 24, 2015 at 5:46 am

      5 stars
      This looks absolutely delicious! Great photo! I always have issues taking photos of things like enchiladas. I will definitely have to try these.

      Reply
    18. Amy @ Fearless Homemaker

      February 24, 2015 at 6:23 am

      5 stars
      I love enchiladas and I could eat Mexican food every day, too! These look SO good + I love that they're meat-free. YUM!

      Reply
    19. Oui, Chef

      February 24, 2015 at 6:47 am

      5 stars
      Always looking for tasty meatless meals, thanks so much for this one.

      Reply
    20. Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

      February 24, 2015 at 10:09 am

      5 stars
      These look delicious! I love that there are make ahead options.

      Reply
    21. Christine

      February 24, 2015 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      These do look amazing! And hearty enough that you could not notice the lack of meat. Great SRC pick!
      Glad to know I'm not the only " I could eat Mexican food forever" person. 🙂

      Reply
    22. mjskitchen

      February 24, 2015 at 7:26 pm

      5 stars
      I've never seen an enchiladas I didn't like and once again, that holds true. Fabulous!!!!

      Reply
    23. Suzanne

      February 25, 2015 at 5:16 pm

      5 stars
      Love enchilada's have never made them. These look so good. Really love Mexican food and it's been a while since I've had it. This really make me want some now!!!

      Reply
    24. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious

      February 28, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      Best looking enchiladas...EVER! Heartily approve of the veg-centric style. Great SRC pick this month! (Sorry it took me so long to get here to comment.)

      Reply
    25. Mary @ Fit and Fed

      March 14, 2015 at 1:41 pm

      5 stars
      Looks good, I like the idea of the bit of beer in it! My own veggie enchiladas involve potatoes, salsa verde, and sour cream. Having tried and failed to do it myself, I'm just gonna say that you did an amazing job of getting a good-looking photo of a baking dish full of enchiladas!

      Reply

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    Susan at The Wimpy Vegetarian

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    A mostly vegetarian married to a mostly carnivore, living in the mountains with our doodle, on Lake Tahoe. My cookbook, Simply Vegetarian, was named #1 best cookbook for new vegetarians. Come join me in simplifying life, starting with dinner!

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