These Vegetable Enchiladas are made with homemade enchilada sauce and corn tortillas stuffed with corn, spinach, black beans and cheese.
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
✏️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:
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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:
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In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the cheese, beans, spinach, corn, green onions (white parts) and cumin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spray one 10×14 inch pyrex pan with nonstick spray (or two 8×8 inch pans).
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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.
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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.
➡️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).
✔️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.
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- 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.
- These enchiladas are one of those things that taste even better the second day. I love having the leftovers for lunch!
- With the recipe making 16 enchiladas, I can feed my family plus hungry guests!
Vegetarian Dinners to Try:
- Ravioli Primavera
- Spicy Vegetarian Chili
- Cuban Black Bean-and-Yellow Rice Bowls
- Garden Vegetable Lasagna
- Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Tacos
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
Ingredients
ENCHILADA SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- One 14.5-ounce can vegetable broth
- ¾ cup water
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have you ever assembled these ahead of time (minus the sauce)? I want to have a vegetarian option for a Christmas party, but want to do as much the day before as possible…
I have not- but I would think that would work out okay if you don’t add the sauce. Maybe test it out before your party?
These are so awesome!! I had almost everything to make them. My kids aren’t fond of finding beans in their food so I stuck everything in the food processor. I didn’t have veggie broth but had a can of Progresso Santa Fe chicken soup so I drained the broth and used that and threw the solids from the can in the processor with the spinach and beans and cumin and blended…then stirred in the corn and cheese and threw in the CORN tortillas (I made some flour, some corn and the corn were WAAAAY better!) The enchilada sauce is pretty freaking amazing. I am in love with this recipe and my kids asked for seconds and licked their plates! That doesn’t happen often that my 2,3 and 4 year olds ALL like something. Thanks for this recipe!! YUM!…Oh my goodness YUM!
Really glad to hear you had success with these!
Thanks so much! I made this recipe today and my partner and I love it!
Cheers!
Made this and it was so delicious.
What an awesome recipe! I didn’t follow the filling ingredients exactly, but this is what makes the recipe so great – you can mix it up however you like. I added some diced chicken breast and omitted the spinach, and everyone LOVED them. I believe the word ‘magnificent’ was tossed around 🙂 Thank you!
These look delicious 🙂
I made these tonight. They were delicious!!! Thank you.
Always looking for alternate ways to make my favorite meals. Can’t wait to make this and others from your WW list.
I saw both The Impossible and Zero Dark Sixty this week and they were both a big thumbs up. But don’t forget the tissues…..they’re both tear jerkers.
Hi Lori, I can’t wait to cook this enchiladas! Your post, with pictures, is way much better that the site you got it from. 🙂
These look so delicious, I can’t wait to try making them!