This Vegan Enchilada Casserole is gluten-free, requires only 10 ingredients, takes only 15 minutes to prepare and is ready after 30 minutes in the oven and a 5 minutes rest. It’s a vegan enchilada casserole recipe that’s full of delicious, healthy nutrition and can be made at the beginning of the week with lots of left overs. TIP: these vegan enchiladas go great with my rice cooker Cilantro Lime Rice and my Easy Watermelon Agua Fresca with Mint and No Sugar.
Hello hungry friends! It’s finally cooling down in the California desert, which means I can now turn on my oven without baking myself! This week, I’ve prepared a super easy, 3-layer Vegan Enchilada Casserole that I think you’re going to love. If you don’t have a lot of time and you want an easy, Mexican-inspired weekday meal, this is your go-to recipe that will give you lots of left-overs for the rest of the week.
Why This Recipe Works
health and nutrient friendly – this vegan enchilada casserole recipe is loaded with 12 grams of protein, 13 grams of dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, and iron as it’s filled with healthy, fresh vegetables and 2 kinds of fiber-rich beans.
quick and easy – with a 15 minute prep time and only 30 minutes in the oven, this casserole is ready to feed your family in 45 short minutes.
dietary restriction friendly – vegan, gluten-free, low-fat (if you omit vegan cheese) and low calorie at only 363 calories per serving; you can’t get any better than that.
ingredient-friendly – calls for only 10 basic ingredients for the enchiladas and a few everyday spices and toppings.
versatile – you can substitute the veggies I used with vegetables you have in your refrigerator. Anything goes with this recipe.
budget friendly – this recipe costs less than $20 to make. And if you use vegetables already found in your fridge, the recipe costs even less.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- enchilada sauce – you can use canned or fresh, red or green. If you need a basic green enchilada sauce recipe, try this vegan creamy green enchilada sauce.
- black beans – can be canned (low sodium preferred) or homemade.
- spinach – should be fresh, rinsed and patted dry before using.
- re-fried beans – in most cases, canned vegetarian beans at your local store are vegan. Be sure to read ingredients before purchase.
- vegetables – bell peppers and jalapeno should be ripe and fresh with no bruising or marks. If you don’t have bell peppers, use any kind of vegetables you have in your fridge.
- tortillas – store-bought corn tortillas may be gluten-free, but may come into contact with gluten during processing and/or packaging. Be sure to read the label carefully before purchasing or make your own.
- toppings – I used avocado, jalapeno, cilantro and fresh lime, but feel free to use your imagination and top with anything that suits your fancy.
How to Make This Recipe Perfectly
Step 1. Saute spinach in vegetable broth until it starts to wilt. Set aside.
Step 2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
Steps 3 Add onion and garlic.
Step 4. Stir. Saute until onion is translucent.
Step 5. Add red and green bell pepper, corn and jalapeno.
Step 6. Stir all veggies until evenly coated with olive oil and cook until almost tender.
Step 7. Add spices: cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, sea salt and black pepper.
Step 8. Stir until spices are well incorporated, then simmer for 2 minutes to allow the vegetables to bathe in the spices. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Assembling the Enchilada Casserole
Steps 1 – 6. To create the bottom layer, add sauce to bottom of the casserole dish. Top with layer of corn tortillas. Add re-fried beans. Top with spinach and then black beans. Add vegetables and more sauce.
Step 7. Top with layer of vegan cheese.
Steps 8-14. Repeat steps 1 through 7 to create the middle layer. You can opt for omitting vegan cheese in this layer like I did if you choose.
Steps 15 – 16. For the final layer, finish with another layer of tortillas, enchilada sauce and vegan cheese.
Step 17. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 Celsius) for 30 minutes or until cheese starts to get bubbly and edges start to brown.
Step 18. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Slice, plate, top with your favorite toppings and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Omit vegan cheese to lower fat content in recipe.
- Reheat in oven for 10 minutes or microwave. If reheating in oven, cover with foil so as not to over-brown.
- The vegetables used in this recipe are what I had in my refrigerator and are interchangeable. Feel free to use any veggies you have in yours.
- Choose low sodium canned beans if not making at home.
- Choose gluten-free tortillas if gluten-intolerant.
- For an extra special treat, pair with my cilantro lime avocado sauce.
FAQ About This Recipe
Store left-overs in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Freeze left-overs by the slice in an individual airtight container for up to 90 days.
Yes, they can. Be sure to remove lid and cover loosely with plastic wrap before defrosting for approximately 10 minutes in the microwave.
More Dinner Recipes You’ll Love
- Better Than Takeout General Tso’s Tofu
- Cilantro Lime Rice in Your Rice Cooker
- Easy Vegan Pot Pie
- Vegan Vegetable Fritters
- Vegan Tomato Zucchini Tart
- How to Make One Pot Vegan Enchiladas
- Vegan Macaroni and Creamy Tomato Cheese
Have you tried my Easy Vegan Enchilada Casserole recipe? Please help other readers out by rating the recipe and leaving a comment below. Other readers will benefit greatly to hear what you thought about the recipe and what, if anything, you did differently! You can also show off your own results by taking a photo and tagging it #VeganVigilanteBlog on Instagram. And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
Easy Vegan Enchilada Casserole
Equipment
- non-stick skillet
- 9×13 casserole dish
- wooden spoon
- spatula
Ingredients
For the Enchiladas
- ¼ cup vegetable broth low sodium
- 1 bunch spinach rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 med yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 med red bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 1 med green bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 med jalapeño diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 15 oz can refried beans vegan & lard-free
- 15 oz can black beans
- 28 oz can green enchilada sauce low sodium; divided
- 15 corn tortillas
- 8 oz vegan mozzarella cheese shredded
Toppings (Optional)
- fresh avocado seeded and sliced
- fresh lime sliced into wedges
- cilantro coarsely chopped
- jalapenos seeded and chopped
Instructions
Preparing the Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 Celsius). Heat vegetable broth over medium heat in large fry pan or wok. Add spinach and saute until almost wilted. Remove, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- In same pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil.
- Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent.
- Add bell peppers, corn and jalapeno. Stir until all vegetables are evenly coated with olive oil. Saute until almost tender.
- Stir in cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, sea salt and black pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Assembling the Enchiladas: The Bottom Layer
- Thinly coat bottom of 9×13 casserole dish with enchilada sauce.
- Place layer of tortillas on top of sauce, side by side.
- Add layer of re-fried beans.
- Add some spinach.
- Add black beans.
- Add half the vegetables with spices.
- Add layer of vegan cheese shreds.
Middle Layer
- Repeat above steps 1-7 to create middle layer. If counting calories and prefer less fat, omit cheese in this layer or all together.
Top Layer
- Top with another layer of tortillas.
- Add some sauce.
- Finish with final layer of vegan cheese.
To Bake
- Bake for 30 minutes. During last 5 minutes, increase heat to broil and remove just as soon as sides start to bubble and top layer is slightly browned. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes or more before slicing, plating and topping with your favorite garnishes.
Video
Notes
- Omit vegan cheese to lower fat content in recipe.
- Reheat in oven for 10 minutes or microwave. If reheating in oven, cover with foil so as not to over-brown.
- The vegetables used in this recipe are what I had in my refrigerator and are interchangeable. Feel free to use any veggies you have in yours.
- Choose low sodium canned beans if not making at home.
- Choose gluten-free tortillas if gluten-intolerant.
- Store left-overs in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze left-overs by the slice in an individual airtight container for up to 90 days.
- When ready to defrost left-overs, remove from freezer and let sit out for at least 4 hours or microwave for 10 minutes on defrost setting.
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