Food & Drink Magazine

Vegetarian Enchiladas

By Sweetpeasandsaffron

These vegetarian enchiladas are packed with sweet potatoes, black beans, and melty cheese, creating a flavorful, hearty, and satisfying meal everyone will love.

Plant-based meals can be anything but boring! These roasted portobello tacos, and hearty black bean and corn salad are meals that we have on repeat! They are fresh, light and easy to make.

A plate of vegetarian enchiladas topped with avocado and sour cream

If you’re craving a hearty, flavorful, and wholesome meal, these vegetarian enchiladas are the perfect choice.

Packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like sweet potatoes, black beans, zucchini, and kale, they deliver a satisfying bite in every forkful. The combination of melty cheese, smoky green chiles, and warm spices creates a comforting dish that’s both nutritious and delicious.

Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe

  • Packed with Flavor & Texture – A perfect balance of sweet potatoes, smoky green chiles, hearty black beans, and melty cheese in every bite.
  • Nutritious & Satisfying – Loaded with fiber, protein, and vitamins from kale, zucchini, peppers, and beans, making them both filling and wholesome.
  • Crowd-Pleasing & Versatile – Easily customizable with different veggies or cheeses, and perfect for meal prep or weeknight dinners!

Ingredient notes

an overhead shot of the ingredients for vegetarian enchiladas
  • Tortillas - flour tortillas, gluten-free, or corn tortillas.
  • Vegetables - sweet potatoes, zucchini, peppers, onion, corn and kale.
  • Beans - I use black beans in this recipe, but pinto beans are also an excellent choice.
  • Cheese - shredded cheddar, Monterey jack, Colby jack, or a mix with pepper jack is lovely if you like a little kick.
  • Enchilada Sauce - your favorite variety. I use red but it is also nice with green enchilada sauce.
  • Canned Green chilies - this adds a nice kick!

Step by step directions

1. Cook the Sweet Potatoes - Place sweet potato cubes into a medium pot and fill to cover with water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are softened. Strain the sweet potatoes in a colander and set aside.

sweet potatoes in a pot of water
vegetables in a large skillet that have been cooked until tender

2. Saute the Vegetables - Next, add oil to a large skillet and add the onion, red pepper and zucchini. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the sweet potato, corn, black beans, green chilis, and shredded kale. Cover the pan for 2 minutes, cooking on medium-low heat, just until the kale is wilted. Remove from the heat, salt and pepper to taste.

cooked vegetables and sweet potatoes in a skillet
cooked vegetables, black beans, corn and kale in a large skillet

3. Assemble the Enchiladas - Grease a 9”x13” baking pan with cooking spray. Lay a tortilla on the counter and spread a little enchilada sauce, then top with the filling and cheese Roll up the tortilla and place into the greased pan. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the prepared enchiladas and top with cheese.

tortilla with enchilada sauce with filling
tortilla with enchilada sauce, filling and cheese

4. Bake - Bake the pan of enchiladas for 20 minutes or until they are cooked through and the cheese is melted. Turn the heat up to 400°F for 5 minutes to make the cheese more bubbly and golden. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying!


Serve

Enchiladas are amazing served with rice, beans, or a big salad. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Easy Mexican Rice
  • Enchilada Rice
  • Rainbow Salad
  • Avocado Caesar Salad
  • Easy Pinto Beans
a casserole dish filled with vegetarian enchiladas

FAQ

Why do I need to cook the sweet potatoes first?

Without the extra step of precooking the sweet potatoes, they will not be tender after baking. If you need a shortcut you can check the prepackaged fresh produce at your grocery, some have cubed sweet potatoes that come in steamable bags.

How do I prevent soggy enchiladas?

Vegetarian enchiladas will have far more moisture than their meat-based counterparts. There are two things you can do to prevent soggy enchiladas:
1. When cooking the filling mixture, try to cook until most of the steam has stopped emitting.
2. Do not overload the enchiladas with sauce.

Storage + reheating

Storage:

  • Refrigerate: Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze: Wrap individual portions or the entire dish tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating:

  • Oven: Cover with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20-25 minutes (30-35 minutes if frozen).
  • Microwave: Heat individual portions on medium power for 1-2 minutes, checking and stirring as needed.
  • Stovetop: Reheat in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of water for moisture.
a casserole dish fill of enchiladas
an overhead shot of vegetarian enchildas

Variations

  • Butternut Squash can be substituted for Sweet Potatoes.
  • Kale can be substituted for Spinach.
  • You can use pinto beans, red kidney beans or white beans instead of black beans.
  • Poblano peppers can be used instead of bell peppers.

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an overhead shot of vegetarian enchildas
Print

Vegetarian Enchilada Recipe

These vegetarian enchiladas are packed with sweet potatoes, black beans, and melty cheese, creating a flavorful, hearty, and satisfying meal everyone will love. Course DinnerCuisine MexicanDiet Vegetarian Prep Time 30 minutes minutesCook Time 20 minutes minutes Servings 4 people Calories 576kcal Author Denise Bustard

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 casserole dish

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet potato approx. 456 g, diced into small ½” cubes
  • ½ medium white onion approx. 200 g, diced small
  • 1 red bell pepper approx. 290 g, diced small
  • 1 medium zucchini approx 300 g, diced small
  • 1 (8.5 oz) can corn
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 4oz can mild diced green chiles
  • 2 cups shredded kale, loosely packed
  • 1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
  • 2 ½ cups shredded cheese I used a Mexican-style cheese blend
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 8 large flour tortillas

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Cook Sweet Potatoes: Place sweet potato cubes into a medium pot and cover with water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are softened. Strain and set aside.
  • Add oil to a large skillet and add the onion, red pepper, and zucchini. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until onion is translucent.
  • Add the cooked sweet potato, corn, black beans, green chilis, and shredded kale. Cook for about 2 minutes, just until the kale is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  • Assemble the Enchiladas: Grease a 9”x13” baking pan. Lay a tortilla on the counter and spread with a spoonful of enchilada sauce. Add the filling and cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place it into the greased pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
  • Top the enchildads with the remaining sauce and shredded cheese.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until they are cooked through and the cheese is melted.

Notes

If you like your enchiladas saucy, you may want to increase the enchilada sauce to two 10-ounce cans. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2 enchiladas | Calories: 576kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 1254mg | Fiber: 12g

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