Vegan Enchilada Casserole
This vegan enchilada casserole is cheesy and hearty but made with 100% plant-based ingredients. An easy, satisfying and nourishing comfort meal that comes together in less than an hour.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never actually made enchiladas before. In fact I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve eaten enchiladas. I guess I’m just not a huge fan of Mexican food to begin with, especially once I stopped eating meat and cheese. But the concept of an enchilada casserole really appealed to me since I wouldn’t have to do any rolling, and I could stuff it up with all the beans and veggies I wanted (and a little bit of vegan cheese too, for extra deliciousness). I even decided to make my own quick homemade enchilada sauce, which I prefer since some of the store-bought ones contain way more oil and sodium than I would like.
You can go ahead and use a store-bought jar if you want to save even more time, but even if you make your own sauce, you’ll still have a cheesy, hearty enchilada casserole ready in less than an hour. Plus you’ll have leftovers for the week (or at least another day or two). I’ll warn you though, this doesn’t last long in our house. Between my boyfriend and I, we’ve eaten the whole thing in two meals. I even eat it for breakfast sometimes because it’s just that good.
INGREDIENTS
This recipe requires just 5 basic ingredients, but you can substitute/add other veggies as you see fit.
- I like to use corn tortillas, but flour tortillas can also work.
- Vegan cheese is essential for that cheesy, indulgent flavor. You can use mozzarella, cheddar, or whatever other kind you like.
- Black beans add protein and fiber and make it extra hearty.
- Enchilada sauce, homemade or store-bought, creates a nice spicy profile.
- Veggies of your choosing add nutrients, fiber, and volume to the enchiladas. I chose to make mine with onion, mushrooms, and zucchini, but I also think bell peppers and corn would be great additions.
- Optional but recommended is also nutritional yeast, which adds extra cheesiness and umami flavor.
HOW TO MAKE
If you’re making the enchilada sauce, just throw everything in a blender until well combined. The sauce will be slightly chunky. Set aside and then prepare the veggie/black bean filling by cooking all the veggies on a fry pan until tender, season with a little nutritional yeast, and then mix in the black beans. Then you’re ready to assemble the enchiladas.
Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of your dish until entirely covered. Layer in your tortillas (they can be overlapping or you can cut them into squares so they fit perfectly in your dish). Top with the black bean/veggie filling, sprinkle on some vegan cheese, then add enchilada sauce and repeat.
To finish, top with tortillas, spread enchilada sauce over, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, cool briefly and enjoy while it’s still warm and the cheese is melty.
STILL HUNGRY?
Check out these other hearty plant-based dishes!
- Black Bean Waffles
- Broccoli Tofu Mini Quiche
- Smoky Tempeh Sandwich
- Black Bean Chili
- Quinoa Jambalaya
- Peanut Curry
If you try out this recipe (and I really hope you do!), please tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking and leave me a comment down below letting me know what you think! I’m always eager for feedback and love hearing from you 🙂
Vegan Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ small onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp lemon or lime juice
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Enchilada Casserole
- 15 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup vegan cheese
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast optional but recommended
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and set aside a casserole dish (I used a square 8×8″ dish).
- To make the enchilada sauce, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and jalapeno and saute another minute. Transfer to a blender with remaining sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Cook the onions over medium heat until translucent, then add zucchini and mushrooms and continue to cook until zucchini is tender. Add nutritional yeast if using, then mix in black beans and take off heat.
- Assemble the enchilada lasagna by first spreading a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Then add the tortillas, overlapping them or cutting them so they cover the bottom of the dish entirely. Spoon over the veggie/bean filling and sprinkle with cheese. Top with enchilada sauce and repeat.
- You should be able to make two layers of filling. Top your final layer of filling/cheese with tortillas, spread with enchilada sauce, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.
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