The Easiest Vegetarian Enchiladas

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These 30 minute vegetarian enchiladas are loaded with protein, fiber and fresh flavors! Your family won’t even miss the meat, I promise.

Why you’re going to love these vegetarian enchiladas:

• They’re super easy to throw together. No fancy kitchen gadgets required. And only minimal cooking skills needed! Dinner doesn’t have to be difficult and these enchiladas are easy peasy!
• They’re loaded with healthy protein and fiber from all the beans and veggies. There is PLENTY of cheesy deliciousness in these enchiladas, but there is also TONS of veggies so they’re going to fill you up and keep you energized!
• It’s a meal that your family will eat and they likely won’t ask where the meat is! These enchiladas are so loaded with beans, peppers, corn and cheese that no one is going to be asking where the ground beef or chicken is. This is a vegetarian dish that even the meat eater in your life is going to love!

How to make loaded vegetarian enchiladas:

You’ll start by sauteing red onion and poblano pepper in olive oil. Then add garlic and and sliced green onion and saute for another minute.

Then stir in black beans, corn, cream cheese, chiles in adobo and spices.

Add shredded pepperjack cheese and stir to combine.

Spread enchilada sauce across the bottom of a 9×13″ pan.

Then lightly fry the corn tortillas in just a bit of hot oil in a saute pan. Fill tortilla with a heaping 1/4 cup of filling and tightly roll the enchilada away from you. Place into the baking dish and repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Cover enchiladas with another layer of sauce and a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then garnish with sliced green onion, fresh chopped cilantro and sour cream.

Tips for making the best vegetarian enchiladas:

• Use corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are great for tacos, but corn tortillas are best for enchiladas. They will hold up to the sauce better than their flour friends.
• Don’t forget to fry the corn tortillas! Corn tortillas taste best when fried in just a bit of vegetable, canola or olive oil. It doesn’t have to be a ton of oil, but a quick sizzle in the skillet is going to boost the flavor and make them much more pliable and easier to work with!
• You can omit the cream cheese if you’re not feeling extra cheesy today. The cream cheese adds another layer of richness and a nice, smooth texture. But feel free to leave it out if you’re looking to skip the calories or go for a more traditional enchilada.
• This recipe makes two 9×13 pans of enchiladas. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you’d just like to make one pan. But honestly, it’s so easy to throw together it’s best to just make both pans, eat one now  and freeze one for later.
• These enchiladas are a great freezer meal! As mentioned above, these enchiladas do great in the freezer. Bake frozen enchiladas (covered with foil) for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and the enchilada sauce is hot and bubbling.

Frequently asked questions:

• Can I add chicken or beef to these enchiladas?
  • Sure! Feel free to add ground beef or shredded chicken to this dish if your family would prefer it.
  • However, the flavors of this dish are amazing as is, so I’d urge you to give it a try and add a meatless meal to your family’s dinner routine!

• Can I make these enchiladas ahead of time?
  • Sure can! These enchiladas freeze like a dream!
  • This recipe makes two 9×13″ pans or 20 enchiladas so I like to bake one pan for dinner and freeze the other for a busy weeknight when I don’t have time to make dinner.

Baking frozen enchiladas:

These enchiladas can go right from freezer to your oven when you’re ready to bake them!

• Cover pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes
• Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes
• You’ll know the enchiladas are done when the cheese on top is melted and the enchilada sauce is bubbling

Other Mexican family favorites:

• Shredded Beef Enchiladas
• Mexican Breakfast Tostadas
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
• Sheet Pan Quesadillas
• Ground Beef Flautas

The Very Best Vegetarian Enchiladas

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Kylie Lato
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 20 enchiladas 1x
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stovetop/Oven
• Cuisine: Mexican/American

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Description

These 30 minutes veggie enchiladas are loaded with protein, fiber and fresh flavors! Your family won’t even miss the meat, I promise.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 3–4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• small red onion, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans
• 1 (15 oz.) can corn
• 1–2 teaspoons diced chiles in adobo
• 8 oz. cubed cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 oz. shredded pepperjack cheese
• 20 corn tortillas
• 2 cups of your favorite enchilada sauce
• Kosher salt
• fresh cracked black pepper

Garnish:

• sliced green onion
• fresh chopped cilantro
• sour cream
• sliced jalapeno

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté for about 4 minutes.
2. Add garlic and green onion and sauté for another minute.
3. Then add cumin, chili powder, beans, corn, chiles in adobo, cream cheese and another pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
4. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1/2 shredded pepperjack.
5. Pour half a cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of each 9×13 pan.
6. Heat remaining 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
7. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking) add one corn tortilla and cook for 2-3 seconds on each side.
8. Immediately after frying, fill tortilla with 1/4 cup filling, roll up enchiladas and place them seam side up in the baking dish.
9. Continue with remaining tortillas until they are filled.
10. Pour another 1/2 cup of sauce over each pan of enchiladas.
11. Divide remaining cheese between the two pans of enchiladas and bake for 15 minutes.
12. Garnish with green onion and cilantro and serve with sour cream.

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Notes

Use corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are great for tacos, but corn tortillas are best for enchiladas. They will hold up to the sauce better than their flour friends.

Don’t forget to fry the corn tortillas! Corn tortillas taste best when fried in just a bit of vegetable, canola or olive oil. It doesn’t have to be a ton of oil, but a quick sizzle in the skillet is going to boost the flavor and make them much more pliable and easier to work with!

You can omit the cream cheese if you’re not feeling extra cheesy today. The cream cheese adds another layer of richness and a nice, smooth texture. But feel free to leave it out if you’re looking to skip the calories or go for a more traditional enchilada.

This recipe makes two 9×13 pans of enchiladas. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you’d just like to make one pan. But honestly, it’s so easy to throw together it’s best to just make both pans, eat one now  and freeze one for later.

These enchiladas are a great freezer meal! As mentioned above, these enchiladas do great in the freezer. Bake frozen enchiladas (covered with foil) for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and the enchilada sauce is hot and bubbling.

Keywords: vegetarian enchiladas, classic enchiladas, healthy enchiladas, baked enchiladas, authentic enchiladas, cheese enchiladas

This post was originally published in December of 2017. It was updated in March of 2019 to include process shots, detailed instructions and tips for making the best veggie enchiladas every single time!