Veggie Enchiladas
Best Vegetarian Enchiladas Recipe – These wholesome and hearty enchiladas are loaded with sauteed veggies, then covered in homemade verde sauce and lots of melty cheese. It’s an easy dish to customize and perfect to serve with your favorite Mexican sides.
Why We Love This Veggie Enchiladas Recipe
These healthy(ish) Veggie-Filled Vegetarian Enchiladas are a great way to load your family up on vegetables and cut calories, while still providing them with a hearty crowd-pleasing meal!
In order to make the most amazing homemade vegetarian enchiladas, you should first make homemade enchilada sauce. We have both green enchilada sauce and red enchilada sauce recipes here on the site. We’re showing this recipe with the green sauce… However, red enchilada sauce would be just as delicious.
(Of course you can also use canned enchilada sauce, but trust me, our homemade sauce is easy to make and so delicious!)
Most vegetarian enchiladas combine sweet potatoes and black beans. I personally know many people, in my world, that do not love sweet potatoes… So today, I’m creating a vegetable enchilada recipe with alternative vegetables – like hash brown potatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini – that pack a punch of flavor. Feel free to customize this veggie enchilada recipe with other goodies to fit your family’s tastes!
Ingredients You Need
- Butter – unsalted, so you have more control over the salt added
- Onion – peeled and chopped
- Bell peppers – red (or any color), seeded and chopped
- Zucchini – chopped
- Diced hashbrown potatoes – previously frozen and thawed
- Ground cumin and garlic powder – for a bold kick of Tex-Mex flavor
- Salt and pepper – a bit of each to taste
- Corn tortillas – regular 6-inch tortillas
- Enchilada sauce – your choice of red or green
- Shredded cheese – Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
How to Make Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prep and chop the veggies. Then, set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the butter to the pan, then toss in the chopped onion and red bell pepper. Sauté for just a couple of minutes.
- Next, stir in the chopped zucchini, diced hash brown potatoes, and spices. Gently stir as you saute to soften the veggies for 5-8 minutes. Taste, then add more salt and pepper if needed.
Pro Tip: I suggest warming the tortillas first to help them roll more easily without cracking. Wrap a stack of corn tortillas in aluminum foil and set it in the oven for a few minutes while it preheats. Or you can wrap a stack in paper towels and microwave on 50% power in 5-second bursts, just until warm.
- Lay the tortillas out on a clean work surface. Scoop about 1/3 cup of vegetable mixture on one half of each tortilla. Carefully roll the tortillas around the vegetable mixture and place in the baking dish, flap side down.
- Then, pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Get the Complete (Printable) Vegetable Enchilada Recipe Below. Enjoy!
- Once done, remove the foil and sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with shredded Mexican cheese. Leave the foil off and place the dish back in the oven. Bake for another few minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve hot with your classic enchiladas toppings… Keep reading for some of our favorite toppings!
Recipe Variations
- Tortillas – Authentic Mexican enchiladas use corn tortillas, but they can also be made with flour tortillas if you want.
- Vegetables – One of the (many) fabulous things about this recipe is that it’s super customizable… So feel free to swap, omit, or add just about any hearty veggies you like! Try making them with yellow squash, mushrooms, black beans, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, corn, spinach, or even broccoli.
- Vegan Enchiladas – Make these vegetable enchiladas totally plant-based by using your favorite nondairy butter and shredded cheese substitute. Or simply use cooking oil (like olive oil) to saute the veggies and leave off the cheese entirely.
- Enchilada Sauce – Use your choice of green sauce (verde sauce), red sauce, mole, or even creamy white enchilada sauce.
- Serving Size – As-is, this recipe makes approximately 8 servings and is great for a larger family gathering. But you can easily halve the recipe to make a smaller portion! Use half the amount of ingredients and bake the enchiladas in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish (Note that you might have to lay some of the rolls sideways to make them all fit.)
Serving Suggestions
Plate the vegetarian enchiladas while hot, and load up with all kinds of Mexican and Tex-Mex toppings! I love a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro and/or a scoop of cool homemade Pico de Gallo, fresh Guacamole, and a dollop of sour cream – or vegan Magic Cashew Cream – to balance the warm melty cheese and veggies.
Serve veggie enchiladas with hearty side dishes like Mexican Papas Bravas, beans, and rice for a complete family-friendly meal. Everyone will surely love our Arroz Amarillo (yellow rice), or Arroz Verde (green rice), Spanish Rice, or this fantastic Chipotle Cilantro Rice copycat recipe. Any of these options is delicious alongside warm, savory Pinto Beans or classic Refried Beans.
And don’t forget a bottle of hot sauce on the table, of course!
Frequently Asked Questions
Either flour or corn tortillas will work in this veggie enchilada recipe. But corn tortillas are the authentic (and best, IMO) choice.
Yes, this is a terrific make-ahead dish! If you plan to freeze and bake later, I recommend assembling the dish in a disposable aluminum pan. Then, it can go right from the refrigerator to the oven.
You can bake the pan, cool completely, then cover tightly with aluminum foil and freeze. Or you can assemble the enchiladas completely and freeze them unbaked. Either way, they’ll keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw the pan in the fridge overnight, then bake according to the recipe instructions.
These veggie enchiladas are delicious the next day! Cool them completely before transferring them to an airtight container, then keep them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Looking for More Easy Vegetarian Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Black Bean Sweet Potato Skillet Enchiladas
- Veggie Hummus Wraps
- Zucchini and Crimini Street Tacos
- Vegan Tofu Tacos
- Calabacitas Con Queso
Veggie Enchiladas (Vegetarian)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 red bell peppers seeded and chopped
- 2 medium zucchini chopped (or yellow squash)
- 1 ½ cups diced frozen hashbrown potatoes thawed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 14-16 corn tortillas
- 2 cups homemade green enchilada sauce or red enchilada sauce!
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spray the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Prep and chop the veggies. Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan, then toss in the chopped onion and red bell pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped zucchini, diced hash brown potatoes, ground cumin, and garlic powder. Salt and pepper liberally. Sauté and gently stir for 5-8 minutes to soften and heat all the vegetables. Taste, then add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Lay the tortillas out on a clean work surface. Scoop 1/3 cup of vegetable mixture on one half of each tortilla. Roll the tortillas around the vegetable mixture and place in the baking dish, flap side down.
- Pour the green or red enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Then remove the foil and sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with shredded Mexican cheese. Place back in the oven uncovered for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve the enchiladas hot, with your favorite enchilada toppings. We suggest homemade pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole!
These veggie enchiladas were a huge hit in my house! The filling was hearty and flavorful, and the sauce was absolutely amazing. I love how simple yet delicious this recipe is!
I’ve been looking for a great meatless enchilada recipe, and this one did not disappoint! The combination of fresh veggies, cheese, and spices made for an incredibly satisfying meal!
Wow! These veggie enchiladas are absolutely delicious! The flavors are perfectly balanced, and the homemade enchilada sauce takes them to the next level.