These Vegetable Enchiladas are made with homemade enchilada sauce and corn tortillas stuffed with corn, spinach, black beans and cheese.

vegetable enchiladas on a blue plate

Vegetable Enchiladas

These Vegetable Enchiladas are family-friendly since they don’t have any strange vegetables tucked inside, just a combo of spinach and corn + Jack cheese and black beans. You get to make your own enchilada sauce with this recipe, and PLEASE take the time to do so. You’ll find that it’s so darned better than the canned stuff. 100%. This particular sauce is loaded with the flavor of cumin (one of my favorite spices). 

🛒Ingredients needed:

  • olive oil
  • cumin
  • flour
  • tomato paste
  • vegetable broth
  • water
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • grated Monterey Jack
  • canned black beans
  • frozen spinach
  • corn kernals
  • green onions
  • tortillas
  • optional toppings

bowl of enchilada sauce

✏️How to make Vegetable Enchiladas:

*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.

Make the ENCHILADA SAUCE:

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons cumin, flour and tomato paste. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened (5 to 7 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then set aside.

Assemble the ENCHILADAS:

  1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the cheese, beans, spinach, corn, green onions (white parts) and cumin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spray one 10×14 inch pyrex pan with nonstick spray (or two 8×8 inch pans).
  3. Wrap 4 tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. Lay a tortillas on a flat work surface and pile about ⅓ cup of the filling down the middle. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place it seam-side-down in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas (microwaving 4 at a time) and filling until you’ve used it all up.
  4. Drizzle the sauce on top, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped green scallions and serve with desired toppings.

filling vegetable enchiladas

➡️Recipe Tips:

  • If you’re not a humongous fan of cumin, this enchilada sauce recipe is also very good.
  • It’s worth it to hunt down the brand of corn tortillas that I mention in the recipe below: Guerrero.  Many corn tortillas fall apart when you try to roll them up, and this brand does not!  Yahoo!
  • To make this recipe gluten-free: Use ¼ cup rice flour or GF all-purpose flour in place of the regular all-purpose flour. And be sure to use brands of vegetable broth and tortillas that are known to be GF (Guerrero is noted as GF).

vegetable enchiladas in a baking pan ready to go in the oven

✔️What to serve with Vegetable Enchiladas:

  • I like some toppings on my enchiladas, if you do too be sure to sprinkle them with scallions, avocado, sour cream or whatever you’d like.
  • A dish of Spanish Rice served on the side is perfect with these enchiladas.
  • A fresh green salad is also a nice counterpoint to the warm enchiladas.

★How to Store:

Leftovers store beautifully in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. These also freeze well. I’d put two enchiladas each in smaller sized containers. That way you can pull out a meal for one anytime in the next couple months.

two vegetable enchiladas on a blue plate

❤️Why I love this recipe:

  1. I love that this recipe is so easy to make gluten free (see tips on recipe card). My mom was gluten free and it always felt good to be able to make a meal we all could enjoy together. This recipe always reminds me of her.
  2. These enchiladas are one of those things that taste even better the second day. I love having the leftovers for lunch!
  3. With the recipe making 16 enchiladas, I can feed my family plus hungry guests!

Vegetarian Dinners to Try:

If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.

Vegetable Enchiladas
5 from 2 votes

Vegetable Enchiladas

Homemade enchilada sauce and corn tortillas stuffed with corn, spinach, black beans and cheese.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings (2 enchiladas per serving)
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Ingredients

ENCHILADA SAUCE:

ENCHILADAS:

  • 3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (or Jack/Cheddar blend), divided
  • One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • One 10-ounce box frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 cup corn kernels (canned, frozen or fresh)
  • 4 medium green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Sixteen 6 -inch corn tortillas (Guerrero brand is much preferred since they do not fall apart!)
  • optional toppings: sour cream, avocado/guacamole, sliced olives, chopped tomato

Instructions 

Make the ENCHILADA SAUCE:

  • In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons cumin, flour and tomato paste. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened (5 to 7 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then set aside.

Assemble the ENCHILADAS:

  • In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the cheese, beans, spinach, corn, green onions (white parts) and cumin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spray one 10x14 inch pyrex pan with nonstick spray (or two 8x8 inch pans).
  • Wrap 4 tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. Lay a tortillas on a flat work surface and pile about ⅓ cup of the filling down the middle. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place it seam-side-down in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas (microwaving 4 at a time) and filling until you've used it all up.
  • Drizzle the sauce on top, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped green scallions and serve with desired toppings.

Notes

  • To make this recipe gluten-free: Use ¼ cup rice flour or GF all-purpose flour in place of the regular all-purpose flour. And be sure to use brands of vegetable broth and tortillas that are known to be GF (Guerrero is noted as GF).
  • WW Points were calculated using reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 405kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 654mg, Potassium: 616mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 4840IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 435mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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72 Comments

  1. Linda | The Urban Mrs says:

    Wow Lori – you surely have so many movies to catch up. 🙂 I recently watched Django and it’s good if you like Quentin. It’s less bloody than his usual movies. Skyfall is a good movie, too. Silver Linings Playbook is fun to watch as well. In the meantime, let me catch up on this enchiladas. How’s that? >.<

  2. patsy says:

    I am bookmarking those enchilada sauce recipes! I’ve never loved the canned sauces, and making my own would improve our enchiladas even more!

    I’ve been working on healthier dinners, and your recipe has me thinking that skipping the chicken and going all veggie and black beans will be a hit at my dinner table.

  3. Noble Pig - Cathy says:

    I didn’t know that about the magazine…what a total bummer! But these look delish…and I love that plate.

  4. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says:

    Yum, love Mexican food, and enchiladas are a great way to get some veggies into your family!

  5. Jessica says:

    I love the combo of flavors inside. I am so obsessed with enchiladas, it’s not even funny!

  6. kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts says:

    Damn, your stove is clean.

    I never knew making enchilada sauce was so easy! Thanks for that in addition to the ‘whole’ enchilada recipe. (Get it?)

    I got my Penzey’s catalog yesterday and the freebie coupon is for cumin. So one of the things I’ll be trying with my new Penzey’s cumin are these enchiladas (with perhaps sweet potato or cooking greens subbed in for the spinach because I used the last of the farm share spinach in pizza dough).

    Thanks!

  7. Nancy Long says:

    do believe that meat loving hubby will not even know there is no meat in these

  8. David Johnson says:

    I love enchiladas; never dd one without some kind of meat but these look like they would be delicious. I always used wheat tortillas too; been want to try the corn. May use kale instead of spinach.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I like that idea as I do love kale!

  9. Kelly Senyei (Just a Taste) says:

    These are stunning! You make even the least photogenic of foods look so pretty, Lori!

  10. Jessica says:

    I am always looking for a good veggie enchilada recipe. I also like to chop up zucchini, saute it with a little olive oil until it’s *just* tender and add it to the filling.