Easy Vegetarian Enchiladas
4.3
(4)
These cheesy vegetarian enchiladas offer all of the saucy goodness of the comfort food classic with minimal fuss. Chopped veggies, black beans, and aromatics all cook in one pot, then get mashed for a meaty texture before the enchilada filling is rolled into tortillas with a sprinkling of spicy pepper Jack cheese. But there’s no need to heat and individually dip each tortilla in sauce before filling it, a time-consuming technique commonly called for in enchilada recipes. In this quick and easy version, store-bought enchilada sauce is poured into the bottom of a baking dish and the filled tortillas are snugly arranged on top before getting doused in the remaining enchilada sauce and topped with a generous amount of cheese. The enchiladas are baked at a high temperature until the cheese is golden brown and the edges are crisp and curled. To finish it off, garnish the top with red onions, ripe avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream.
While this vegetarian enchilada recipe leans on a winning combination of earthy black beans and pepper Jack cheese, you can absolutely swap in pinto beans and Monterey Jack cheese and opt for either flour or corn tortillas, depending on what you have on hand. Feel free to riff and customize the toppings to your taste—and fridge contents—as well.
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What you’ll need
Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce
$10 $8 At Amazon
9-by-13 Baking Dish
$36 $30 At Amazon
5.5 Quart Dutch Oven
$420 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
50 minutes
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add 1 medium green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped, 1 medium red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped, 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped, 3 garlic cloves, finely grated, ½ cup finely chopped cilantro, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. ground cumin, and 2 tsp. dried oregano; cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, until vegetables are softened, 5–7 minutes. Add two 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed, and cook until beans are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Smash beans until about half are mashed (leave the rest intact) and remove pot from heat.
Step 2
Pour 1¼ cups (about 10 oz.) from a 19-oz. can red enchilada sauce into a 13x9" baking dish and spread into an even layer across the bottom. Spoon 2 heaping Tbsp. bean mixture and 2 Tbsp. (about ½ oz.) from 8 oz. pepper Jack cheese, coarsely grated, down the center of 1 small flour or corn tortilla. Roll up tortilla and arrange, seam side down, in baking dish. Repeat process with remaining bean mixture, cheese, and 15 small flour or corn tortillas, fitting in dish snugly. Pour remaining red enchilada sauce over the top and spread to cover, leaving 1" at the ends of tortillas bare. Scatter remaining 4 oz. pepper Jack cheese, coarsely grated, over and bake until sauce is slightly bubbling and cheese is beginning to brown, 25–30 minutes.
Step 3
Top enchiladas with sliced avocado, sliced red onion, and cilantro leaves with tender stems and serve with sour cream and lime wedges if desired.
