A plant-based twist on traditional enchiladas – featuring corn tortillas filled with vibrant vegetables, mushrooms, and beans, topped with chile red sauce or enchilada sauce and plant-based cheese. You’re gonna love these veggie bean enchiladas!
I’m so excited to share this new plant-based enchilada recipe with you. And it’s just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!!! If you aren’t familiar with this Mexican holiday, it commemorates the anniversary of Mexico’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
One thing I truly enjoy is Mexican food. All of it! I’ve already shared several of my favorites. Though I freely admit that these aren’t authentic Mexican recipes. For one, these recipes are plant-based and vegan. And two, I’m not of Mexican descent.
However, I did grow up in southern Florida and was exposed to a lot of latin American and Mexican dishes. And like most food, I have always enjoyed it.
If you love Mexican foods and want to try healthier plant-based versions, check out my Instant Pot Arroz con Pollo, Instant Pot Refried Beans, Jackfruit and Mushroom Tamales, Layered Fiesta Stack, Easy Chunky Guacamole, Rainbow Vegetable Fajitas, Soft Vegan Flour Tortillas, Super Nachos, Grilled Fiesta Bowl, Instant Pot Mexican Rice, Garden Veggie Quesadillas, and Salsa Fresca.
Like each of these plant-based and vegan Mexican recipes, these Veggie Bean Enchiladas deliver wholesome nutrition without sacrificing any flavor or morals. In fact, they’re easy to prepare and absolutely delicious! And since these enchiladas are essentially a rolled casserole dish, they also make a great make-ahead meal.
So let’s chat about the ingredients -> you’ve got a tasty filling, tortillas, a delicious sauce, and toppings.
So, you’re probably going to roll your eyes when you read this; but I love recipes that give you options. And I’ve been criticized a couple of times already for making recipes too “feel free to use this or that”. But let’s get real – unless you’re baking a cake, I believe recipes should be flexible.
And that’s definitely the idea behind these tasty enchiladas. I give you my recommendations, but I also give you options in case you can’t have or don’t like what I recommended. Regardless of the options you choose, I guarantee that you’ll still enjoy these Veggie Bean Enchiladas.
To start, you need a tasty filling. I use mushrooms, vegetables, and beans to created a super wholesome and delicious filling. For the vegetables, I recommend using a variety of colored bell peppers for contrasting flavor and color. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand, including poblanos.
Next up are the tortillas. I’m a purist. I really enjoy corn tortillas in my enchiladas. For one thing, they’re healthier and naturally gluten-free. Plus, most corn tortillas are low in salt, compared to their flour cousins.
But it’s the texture and flavor I’m really after. I’ll be the first to admit that corn tortillas are more fragile and temperamental. I think that’s precisely why so many people and restaurants tend to make enchiladas with flour tortillas nowadays. But corn tortillas have so much more flavor and are a lot lighter.
In the end, it’s up to you. Both are fantastic options! But if you’re asking me, you should really try these with the corn tortillas at least once.
These Veggie Bean Enchiladas wouldn’t be complete with out an Easy Enchilada Sauce or Red Chile Sauce. Which do you choose? Again, it depends on what you like.
Do you prefer an authentic Mexican chile-based red sauce that takes about a little prep and more than an hour to steep and blend? Or do you like a tex-mex tomato-based sauce that can be made in less than five minutes? They’re both delicious, but offer different experiences. Do let me know which sauce you prefer.
And last but not least, you have toppings!! Feel free to top your Veggie Bean Enchiladas with a cheddar cheese, a white cheese (which mimics queso blanco quite well here), or a combination. Standard fare includes sour cream, green onions, and/or guacamole. The choice is yours.
One note I should probably share is that corn tortillas tend to soak up quite a bit of sauce. So if you like more sauce, you can always serve your enchiladas with additional sauce.
Whatever you do, serve these little bundles with some delicious refried beans and Mexican Rice. You won’t regret it!! As a bonus, both of these sides can be made super easy in a pressure cooker one to two days before. So this meal comes together really easy and well if you plan ahead and are short on time.
I hope you enjoy this Veggie Bean Enchiladas as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
And don’t forget to subscribe for new plant-based and vegan recipes today!! Just click on the subscribe link in the header or on the side. I simply love creating and sharing new recipes.
Ingredients
- 5-6 bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- ½ of a large onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp)
- 1½ medium bell peppers, halved and sliced*
- ½ large zucchini, halved and sliced
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp chipotle pepper
- 1½ cups cooked and drained black Beans (1 can)
- 16 ounces (2 cups) Easy Enchilada Sauce or Red Chile Sauce**
- 20 corn (or flour) tortillas, warmed***
- 1-2 cups vegan cheese, shredded (optional)
- green onions, sliced (optional)
- cilantro, chopped (optional)
- your favorite sides (guacamole, salsa, refried beans, rice, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large skillet, sauté the carrots over medium-low heat 5-6 minutes, adding water, broth, or oil, if needed, to prevent sticking.
- Stir in the mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and garlic.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the lid. Sprinkle the cumin, oregano, chili powder, and black pepper, and chili pepper over top. Toss gently.
- Add in the black beans and toss gently again. Remove from heat. Set aside.
- Spread some of the enchilada sauce or red chile sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish.
- Spoon ½ cup of the veggie-bean mixture into a warm tortilla and roll up.
- Place seam down in the casserole dish.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas and mixture.
- Spread enchilada or chile sauce on top.
- If using, sprinkle cheese evenly over the top, as desired.
- Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake 5 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite accompaniments.
Notes
* I use a variety of colored bell peppers for contrasting flavor and color. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
** Feel free to use either my Easy Enchilada Sauce or Red Chile Sauce. The Red Chile Sauce is an authentic Mexican chile-based red sauce that takes a little prep and time to steep and blend in a high-speed blender. The sauce is fantastic on tamales and enchiladas. For a tex-mex tomato-based sauce that can be made in less than five minutes, you may want to try the Easy Enchilada Sauce. They’re both delicious.
*** I prefer corn tortillas in my enchiladas, but they need to be warmed since they can be fragile and temperamental. Feel free to use flour tortillas if you prefer the taste and texture.
Veggie Bean Enchiladas
Equipment
- stovetop
- oven
Ingredients
- 5-6 bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 carrot sliced
- ½ of a large onion sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced (1 Tbsp)
- 1½ medium bell peppers halved and sliced*
- ½ large zucchini halved and sliced
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp chipotle pepper
- 1½ cups cooked and drained black Beans 1 can
- 16 ounces 2 cups Easy Enchilada Sauce or Red Chile Sauce**
- 20 corn or flour tortillas, warmed***
- 1-2 cups vegan cheese shredded (optional)
- green onions sliced (optional)
- cilantro chopped (optional)
- your favorite sides guacamole, salsa, refried beans, rice, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large skillet, sauté the carrots over medium-low heat 5-6 minutes, adding water, broth, or oil, if needed, to prevent sticking. Stir in the mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and garlic. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the lid. Sprinkle the cumin, oregano, chili powder, and black pepper, and chili pepper over top. Toss gently.
- Add in the black beans and toss gently again. Remove from heat. Set aside.
- Spread some of the enchilada sauce or red chile sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish.
- Spoon ½ cup of the veggie-bean mixture into a warm tortilla and roll up. Place seam down in the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and mixture.
- Spread enchilada or chile sauce on top. If using, sprinkle cheese evenly over the top, as desired.
- Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 5 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite accompaniments.