Enchiladas are a must in my house. I've made every variety imaginable and continue to experiment with new fillings and enchilada sauce. The idea for this recipe came from a local PBS station here in Pittsburgh, WQED. They have a show called QED Cooks where they cook local favorites and some non-local favorites. On a recent episode, they made chicken enchiladas, and they blended up enchilada sauce with kidney beans as part of the filling. I had never thought of doing that and was instantly intrigued. So, of course, at my first opportunity I needed to go to the store and try this out. Thus, these vegan enchiladas were born!
This recipe is simple, it requires a few steps but it's worth it! Start by sauteing chopped broccoli florets, bell pepper and one small onion in olive oil until the vegetables are slightly softened. Add in cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Next, add in black beans, corn and spinach.
While that cooks for a few minutes, make your 'filling sauce'. Blend 12 ounces of enchilada sauce with 15 ounces of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed. (I use jarred enchilada sauce but you can definitely use a homemade sauce here!) Pour this over your filling and stir to combine.
Now it's time to assemble your enchiladas! Ladle some enchilada sauce, not the bean/sauce mixture, just the plain enchilada sauce, on the bottom of your pan. Take your tortilla shells (I use them right out of the bag, but you can warm them for a few seconds in the microwave first) and put about ½ cup of filling down the middle of the tortilla shell. Wrap it up and put it seam side down in your pan. Continue until your filling is all used up. I was able to get 9 enchiladas from this recipe. Pour the remaining plain enchilada sauce over all of the enchiladas and spread so everything is covered. Cover and bake on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Serve with your favorite toppings. I used vegan sour cream, cilantro and chopped green onions for these. But I love guacamole, hot sauce or diced red onion too. You can also add vegan cheese to the top of these enchiladas after pouring the sauce over all of them and bake as directed.
Vegan Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ½ cups broccoli florets, chopped about one head of broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 15.5 ounces can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 12 ounces can of corn, drained and rinsed if using fresh, use two ears of corn
- 5 ounces spinach
- 24 ounces enchilada sauce, divided in half
- 15.5 ounces can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- green onion and cilantro, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9 by 13-inch pan with olive oil or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until simmering. Sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the chopped broccoli florets, bell pepper and vegetables are slightly softened.
- Add in cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper until fragrant. Next, add in black beans, corn and spinach. Stir and cook until spinach is wilted.
- While your vegetables are cooking, make your 'filling sauce'. Blend 12 ounces of enchilada sauce with 15 ounces of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed. Pour this over your vegetable filling and stir to combine.
- Pour ¼ cup of the remaining enchilada sauce on the bottom of your pan, not the bean/sauce mixture, just the plain enchilada sauce. Assemble your enchiladas. Put about ½ cup of filling down the middle of a tortilla shell. Wrap it up and put it seam side down in your pan. Continue until your filling is all used up.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
- Let the enchiladas rest for about 10 minutes and serve with your favorite toppings.
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