Vegetarian Enchiladas Recipe: How to Make Them at Home

Vegetarian enchiladas are corn tortillas rolled around a meat-free filling, such as vegetables, beans or cheese, and baked under a chile sauce. They follow the same method as any enchilada, only without meat.

To make them, you roast a green tomatillo sauce, cook a filling of corn, peppers, chard and black beans, roll it in warm tortillas, and bake. The whole job takes about an hour and feeds four to six people.

This recipe is modeled on the veggie enchiladas on the Mi Casa vegetarian menu, which you can eat in Breckenridge. Below you get the ingredients, step-by-step method, vegan and gluten-free swaps, high-altitude notes, storage and the questions home cooks ask most.

What Are Vegetarian Enchiladas?

An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a savory sauce. The name comes from the Mexican Spanish verb enchilar, "to add chili pepper to."

Common fillings include meat, cheese, potatoes, vegetables, beans and tofu, alone or in combination. A vegetarian enchilada simply uses the meat-free ones.

Mexico already has meatless styles. Enfrijoladas are topped with refried beans, entomatadas with tomato sauce, and enchiladas potosinas use cheese-filled, chile-spiced masa.

If you want the history and the red chile master method, see our classic red chile enchiladas. This post focuses on the vegetarian version.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 12 enchiladas in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, enough for 4 to 6 people. The filling copies the Mi Casa plate: sweet corn, roasted red pepper, Swiss chard and onion under tomatillo salsa verde.

For the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos (about 10 medium), husked and rinsed
• 1 small white onion, cut in quarters
• 2 serrano chiles or 1 large jalapeño, stems removed
• 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

For the Vegetable Filling

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and diced (or 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers)
• 1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (about 10 ounces), stems diced, leaves sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

For Assembly and Toppings

• 12 corn tortillas, 6-inch
• 1/4 cup neutral oil, for softening the tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Chopped cilantro and lime wedges

Equipment

• Rimmed baking sheet, for roasting the tomatillos and peppers
• Blender
• Large skillet, 12-inch
• Small skillet, for softening tortillas
• 9 x 13-inch baking dish
• Tongs and a paper-towel-lined plate
• Aluminum foil

How to Make Vegetarian Enchiladas

1. Roast the sauce vegetables. Heat the broiler. Spread the tomatillos, onion, chiles and garlic on a baking sheet. Broil 5 to 7 minutes per side, until blackened in spots and soft.
2. Blend the salsa verde. Peel the garlic. Blend everything on the sheet with the cilantro, broth, salt and lime until smooth.
3. Fry the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium-high. Pour in the sauce carefully; it will spatter. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until it darkens slightly. Taste for salt.
4. Roast the peppers. Char the bell peppers and poblano under the broiler or over a gas flame, turning, until black all over. Steam them in a covered bowl 10 minutes, then peel, seed and dice.
5. Cook the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook the onion and chard stems 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano for 30 seconds.
6. Add the vegetables. Stir in the chard leaves until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the corn, beans, peppers and salt. Cook 3 minutes, until any liquid is gone.
7. Finish the filling. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of the salsa verde and 1 cup of the Monterey Jack.
8. Heat the oven. Set it to 375°F. Spread 1 cup of salsa verde over the bottom of the baking dish.
9. Soften the tortillas. Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a small skillet over medium. Dip each tortilla for 5 to 10 seconds per side, just until soft. Drain on paper towels.
10. Roll. Put about 1/3 cup of filling across the lower third of a tortilla. Roll it up and set it seam side down in the dish. Repeat with all 12.
11. Sauce and cheese. Pour the remaining salsa verde over the rolls, covering every edge. Top with the rest of the Monterey Jack.
12. Bake. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese melts.
13. Top and serve. Rest 5 minutes. Add queso fresco, lettuce, crema, radish, avocado and cilantro. Serve with lime.

Short on time? Use a 16-ounce jar of salsa verde and jarred roasted peppers. Total time drops to about 40 minutes.

Best Vegetables for Enchiladas

Good enchilada vegetables are either sturdy enough to hold their shape in a baked roll or soft and saucy enough to bind the filling. Cook every vegetable before rolling, so the tortillas do not go soggy.

• Sweet corn: Sauté or char (why it works: Sweetness against a tart sauce)
• Roasted red pepper: Char, peel, dice (why it works: Smoky and soft)
• Poblano chile: Char, peel, dice (why it works: Mild heat, deep flavor)
• Swiss chard or spinach: Wilt, squeeze dry (why it works: Bulk without heaviness)
• Zucchini: Dice, sauté until browned (why it works: Mild, takes on spice)
• Mushrooms: Sauté until dry (why it works: Savory, meaty texture)
• Sweet potato: Dice, roast at 425°F (why it works: Creamy, binds the filling)
• Cauliflower: Roast until browned (why it works: Holds shape, absorbs sauce)
• Black or pinto beans: Drain and rinse (why it works: Protein, keeps rolls full)

Squeeze greens and cook mushrooms until their liquid is gone. Wet vegetables are the main cause of soggy enchiladas.

For roasting technique, our guide to charring and peeling poblanos shows the method step by step.

Red or Green Sauce for Vegetarian Enchiladas

Both work. Green sauce is the better match for vegetables, and red sauce suits beans and cheese.

• Green (verde): Tomatillos are a small green nightshade fruit in a papery husk, domesticated in Mexico. Their tart flavor brightens sweet corn and squash.
• Red (rojo): Red chile sauce is made from dried chiles. It is earthy and works with black beans, potatoes and cheese.
• Creamy (suizas): Enchiladas suizas are topped with a milk- or cream-based white sauce. Stir sour cream into green sauce for a quick version.
• Mole: Enchiladas con mole are served with mole instead of chile sauce. Some mole recipes call for chicken broth or lard, so check before you cook.

To make the green sauce on its own, or double it for chips, follow our step-by-step tomatillo salsa verde. It keeps for days in the refrigerator.

How to Make Vegan Enchiladas

This recipe becomes vegan with four swaps. The sauce and filling are already plant-based, because they use vegetable broth and olive oil.

1. Cheese in the filling: Leave it out and add 1 extra cup of beans or diced roasted sweet potato. Mash a few beans to bind the mix.
2. Cheese on top: Use a plant-based shredded cheese, or skip it and add more sauce plus toasted pepitas.
3. Crema: Blend 1 cup soaked raw cashews with 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons lime juice and a pinch of salt.
4. Broth and tortillas: Check that your broth is vegetable broth and your tortillas list no lard.

Vegan enchiladas bake the same way. Without melted cheese on top, cover the dish with foil for the first 15 minutes so the edges stay soft.

For more plant-based Mexican cooking, try these meatless tacos with beans and cauliflower.

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Enchiladas

Corn tortillas are made from maize treated with alkali, a process called nixtamalization. The dough is ground hominy, salt and water, with no wheat.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. People who avoid it should skip flour tortillas and check the labels on corn tortillas, broth and spice blends.

Crumbs from a shared cutting board or toaster can be enough to cause harm for someone with celiac disease. Use clean tools and a clean skillet for softening the tortillas.

Flour tortillas also hold more sauce without tearing, but they change the dish. Read how corn tortillas stack up against flour before you swap. In Breckenridge, you can order gluten-free enchiladas at Mi Casa on corn tortillas.

Tips for Enchiladas That Hold Together

• Warm every tortilla. Cold corn tortillas crack when rolled. Cooled tortillas turn rubbery as their starches stale, so soften them right before rolling.
• Oil, not water. A quick dip in hot oil seals the tortilla so it soaks up less sauce in the oven.
• Dry filling. Cook off the vegetable liquid before rolling.
• Sauce the bottom. A layer of sauce under the rolls stops them sticking and drying.
• Cover the edges. Any tortilla not under sauce turns hard and crisp in the oven.
• Do not overfill. About 1/3 cup per 6-inch tortilla rolls cleanly.

Variations

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Roast 2 cups diced sweet potato at 425°F for 25 minutes. Use it in place of the chard and corn. Red chile sauce suits this version.

Spinach and Mushroom Enchiladas

Sauté 8 ounces sliced mushrooms until dry, then wilt 5 ounces spinach. Squeeze the spinach well. Stir sour cream into the green sauce for a suizas-style finish.

Cheese Enchiladas

Fill each tortilla with Monterey Jack, a little queso fresco and diced onion. Top with red chile sauce. This is the simplest meatless enchilada.

Enfrijoladas

Skip the chile sauce. Dip folded tortillas in thinned, warm refried beans, fill with crumbled cheese and onion, and serve straight away.

Holiday Pan

A tray of meatless enchiladas fits a family holiday table. See more meatless dishes for a Mexican Christmas table.

High-Altitude Notes

Breckenridge sits at 9,601 feet. Water boils at about 198°F at 7,500 feet and about 193°F at 10,000 feet, against 212°F at sea level.

That changes three steps in this recipe:

• The sauce reduces faster. Liquids evaporate faster at high elevation. Add broth if the salsa verde gets thick, and cover the dish if baking runs long.
• Frying oil runs cooler. Lower frying temperatures about 3°F for every 1,000 feet. Keep the tortilla oil at medium.
• Simmered food takes longer. Food simmered or boiled cooks at a lower temperature. Dried beans cooked from scratch will need extra time; canned beans avoid the problem.

Oven temperatures are not affected by elevation, so the 375°F bake stays the same.

Make-Ahead, Freezing and Reheating

• Make the sauce ahead. Salsa verde keeps in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
• Make the filling ahead. Cool it fast and refrigerate it in a shallow container for up to 3 days.
• Assemble the night before. Roll the enchiladas, but keep the top sauce and cheese separate. Add them just before baking.
• Freeze. Wrap the rolled, unsauced dish in plastic and foil. Keep the freezer at 0°F and use within 2 to 6 months for best quality.
• Leftovers. Refrigerate within 2 hours in containers 3 inches deep or less. Eat within 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or microwave a single portion. Heat leftovers to 165°F, until hot and steamy.

What to Serve with Vegetarian Enchiladas

Rice and beans make the classic plate. Use vegetable broth for the rice to keep the meal meat-free.

Something fresh balances the cheese and sauce: a cabbage and lime slaw, sliced radish, pickled red onion or a green salad. Grilled corn or fried plantains add a sweet side.

For drinks, desserts and more pairings, browse these more side dishes for enchilada night.

Frequently Asked Questions

What vegetables go best in enchiladas?

Corn, roasted peppers, poblanos, greens, zucchini, mushrooms and sweet potato all work. Cook them first so the filling is dry. Beans add protein and help hold the rolls together.

Are vegetarian enchiladas healthy?

They can be. A pan built on vegetables and beans is lighter than one built on cheese. Use less cheese and crema, more vegetables, and keep the tortilla oil to a quick dip.

Is enchilada sauce vegetarian?

Not always. Some recipes and canned sauces use chicken broth. Make the sauce with vegetable broth, or read the label before you buy.

How do you keep vegetarian enchiladas from getting soggy?

Cook the liquid out of the vegetables, soften the tortillas in hot oil, and do not drown the dish in sauce. Bake uncovered so excess moisture can escape.

Can you freeze vegetarian enchiladas?

Yes. Freeze the rolled tortillas without the top sauce, wrapped well, for 2 to 6 months. Thaw the sauce, pour it over and bake covered until hot in the center.

Veggie Enchiladas at Mi Casa in Breckenridge

At Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, our veggie enchiladas are filled with sweet corn, roasted red pepper, sautéed Swiss chard and onion. We top them with tomatillo salsa verde, queso fresco and lettuce, on corn tortillas, with Oaxacan rice and black or charro beans.

They can be prepared gluten free on request. Tell your server if you eat vegan, and we will walk you through the options; we are not a vegetarian or vegan kitchen.

We have served Breckenridge since 1981, at 600 South Park Ave, steps from the Peak 9 base. We are open daily from 11:30 am to 9 pm. See every plate on the scratch-kitchen enchilada and fajita menu.

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