These vegetarian enchiladas are filled with black beans and flavorful veggies like green onions and butternut squash. A 5-minute enchilada sauce takes them over the top!
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This vegetarian enchiladas recipe has been a favorite in our house for years. Filled with black beans, cheese, and vegetables like roasted butternut squash and green onions, these enchiladas are fresh, satisfying, and absolutely packed with flavor. I round them out with a 5-minute homemade enchilada sauce, more melty cheese, and spicy jalapeños on top.
I first shared these vegetarian black bean enchiladas in the “Winter Squash” section of our first cookbook, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made them since. To me, the spicy, gooey tortillas and hearty veggie filling are the ultimate form of comfort food. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Vegetarian Enchiladas Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegetarian enchiladas recipe:
- Tortillas – You can use corn tortillas or flour tortillas in these black bean enchiladas. I love the rich flavor of corn tortillas, but flour tortillas are easier to roll and less likely to crack, so they can make this recipe easier to assemble. For the best of both worlds, look for tortillas made with a mix of corn and wheat flour. They’re my go-to for enchiladas when I can find them!
- Butternut squash and scallions – They create the flavorful veggie filling. Sweet potatoes are also delicious in place of the butternut squash.
- Black beans – They add creamy texture and plant-based protein to the filling.
- Canned tomato sauce, adobo sauce, and garlic – Instead of making a classic red enchilada sauce in this recipe, I make a shortcut sauce with these ingredients. The tomato sauce creates the base, while the garlic and adobo sauce make it savory and smoky. It’s super flavorful and comes together in minutes on the stovetop!
- Cheddar cheese – You’ll use some in the enchiladas and bake them with more on top. A shredded Mexican cheese blend or Monterey Jack cheese is also great.
- Jalapeño pepper – It adds a hit of heat and a pop of green to the top of the enchiladas. Feel free to skip it if you’re sensitive to spice!
- Extra-virgin olive oil – You’ll use it for roasting the butternut and simmering the sauce.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
I also love serving these enchiladas with chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and a squeeze of lime juice on top. They offer a delicious fresh contrast to the rich, gooey enchiladas.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Vegetarian Enchiladas
This easy vegetarian enchiladas recipe comes together in 4 simple steps:
1. Prep the filling. Roast the butternut squash until tender and browned, then mix it with the chopped scallions and black beans.
2. Make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the canned tomato sauce, garlic, and adobo sauce and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes for the sauce to thicken slightly and the flavors to meld.
- Recipe tip: Short on time? Feel free to streamline by using your favorite store-bought enchilada sauce!
3. Assemble the enchiladas. Spread 2 tablespoons of the sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Fill each tortilla with some of the black bean mixture, a tablespoon of the sauce, and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll to close and place seam side down in the baking dish.
Pour the remaining enchilada sauce down the center of the enchiladas, leaving the edges of the tortillas bare. This is my biggest tip for this recipe. Don’t fully smother the tortillas in the sauce. I love leaving the edges bare so that they crisp up in the oven. You’ll end up with an amazing combination of crisp edges and soft, gooey middles.
Top with the remaining cheese and jalapeños.
4. Bake the enchiladas. Cover them and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F, then uncover and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling.
Top with cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lime, and serve!
How to Store and Freeze
To store: Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They reheat nicely in the microwave or a 325°F oven or toaster oven.
To freeze: You can freeze these black bean enchiladas before or after baking. If you’re freezing them un-baked, fully assemble them, top them with the sauce, cheese, and jalapeños, and cover and freeze in the baking dish for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge before baking according to the recipe. Note: For this option, I recommend using flour tortillas or tortillas made with a corn/flour mix. 100% corn tortillas are more likely to crack when they’re frozen and thawed.
To freeze them after baking, let them cool to room temp and then cover or seal in an airtight container. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or a 325°F oven.
What to Serve with Vegetarian Enchiladas
Sometimes, we enjoy these veggie enchiladas on their own—they’re filling and delicious enough to be a satisfying meal without any sides! But if you’re feeling fancy or serving a crowd, they pair well with any of these recipes:
Tortilla chips with salsa and/or guacamole would be great too!
More Enchilada Recipes to Try
If you love these vegetarian enchiladas, try one of these delicious enchilada recipes next:
Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
filling:
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions
- 1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
sauce:
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tablespoons adobo sauce, from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the enchilada assembly:
- 6 to 8 corn tortillas, or flour tortillas
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
serve with:
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Avocado slices
- Lime slices, on the side
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the filling: Spread the butternut squash cubes on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Roast until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer the roasted squash to a bowl and stir in the scallions and black beans.
- Make the sauce: In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the tomato sauce, garlic, and adobo sauce. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- In a 9x13-inch baking dish, spread 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the filling, a tablespoon of the sauce, and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll each tortilla and place seam side down into the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the jalapeño slices. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling.
- Serve with fresh cilantro, avocado slices, and lime slices.
Notes
We love love love this. Made it 3x already with no salt added.
Does anyone know a calorie estimation ?
We get about 10 servings out of one batch (not 3). Tin stomachs?
I was short on time and just put my tortillas flat in the pan (cut in half so they would cover the space). I put the filling in, put more cut tortillas on top, and put the topping over all. It was fabulous! Great recipe!
My husband and I loved these, just enough adobo spice to be fun but not overwhelming, could have added a dollop of cool sour cream or similar. Will definitely make again and maybe add a green veg and corn.
So glad you enjoyed them, Claire!
These were so yummy!
So glad you loved them, Liz!
Can I make these a day ahead of time and refrigerate? Will they get soggy?
Hi Nicole, They will be a bit softer, but I think it would still work to make them ahead. The edges of the tortillas will crisp up when you bake them.
What size tortillas work best? Thanks
Hi Andi, you could use 6-inch or 8-inch tortillas.
This recipe is delicious! We were so surprised that we didn’t miss the meat. Even my 11yo grandson loved it.
The only thing I varied from the original recipe was to double the sauce…which was SO delicious!!
Try it!
Made these right before I had my baby to freeze for after I gave birth. I wish I had made more – they heated up beautifully a month postpartum, and were a great “I don’t have time/ mental bandwidth to cook” new parent meal. Would recommend if supporting new parents through a meal train, etc. (or if you just want to make your life simpler and have some healthy-ish stuff on hand in the freezer).
Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Heather! I am always looking for a make-ahead freezer meal! If I do make this for a friend for a meal train, what directions would you leave? Cook from frozen? Let thaw and cook? At what temp.? For how long? Thanks!!
Nevermind! LOL! Lot’s of people have offered thoughts on this below 🙂
I have a question about how you cook your various recipes from frozen. Do you defrost then cook at 350 for an hour or cook from frozen? I have made and frozen two of your meals, but the original instructions for cooking are way different from the 350 for an hour. Thanks.
Hi Lisa, You can let the enchiladas thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake until they’re heated through and the cheese is browned. The timing here will be less than an hour, about 30 to 40 minutes. If you bake the enchiladas from frozen, they will take 1 hour to 90 minutes to heat through. I hope this helps!
How interesting that you used squash in this. Looks delicious! We have made enchiladas but only with cheese and beans. It is nice to try something a little different.
Can you use canned black beans in the recipe>
yep!
Looks delish, but anyone who thinks this is quick and easy has either never tried to peel and dice a butternut squash, or buys them already cut up for a higher price, when this option is available.
Slice the top and bottom off of the butternut to stabilize. Use a potato peeler, to remove the tough skin, it’s much easier. Or cut in half, de-seed, lightly oil & season, then par-bake face down, with skin on, then cool. Once cooled, cube. There are always work around techniques. I didn’t have any squash left from our garden bounty, so sweet potato cubes were used. Try corn, or a can of pozole. I’m sure you can make a very delicious variation to suit your individual tastes. It’s a very yummy recipe. I really hope you get to make and enjoy this deliciousness!
Buy frozen cubes and cook them for an extra 5 or 10 minutes.
This is one of my favorite recipes now! I just made it tonight for the first time. The adobo sauce was great but oh so spicy. I used just 1 tbs and I still could feel it but was enjoyable. I love how easy it was to make this recipe, I got cubed squash from my grocery store and used canned black beans. It was still amazing!
What sauce do you recommend instead of Adobe Chipotle?
Hi Hope, you can try some tomato paste and maybe a mix of chili powder and smoked paprika? I haven’t tried though, the adobo gives such a nice smoky flavor.
I made these last night and replaced the squash with corn, and they were delicious. Just the right amount of spice, and an easier enchilada sauce than other enchilada sauces I’ve made from scratch. Thanks for another great recipe, Jeanine.
I”m so glad you loved them, I bet they’re so good with corn!
Can you make ahead and freeze? How would you reheat. Want in freezer for family meal after surgery. Thanks.
Hi Melody, yes – I would assemble it, then freeze it. To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight and bake it until it’s warmed through and the cheese is bubbling. If you bake it straight from the freezer, it’ll just take longer (probably 45 mins to 1 hour?)
How would you suggest freezing these?
Following!
These enchiladas were absolutely delicious!! We had unexpected company and they were a hit with everyone. I especially loved how easy it was to make the sauce. Will definitely make these again!
My husband and I really enjoy enchiladas but haven’t been able to find any large enough corn tortillas. I am gluten free so we can’t use flour even if the recipe called for them. Where do you find large enough corn tortillas?
Hi Alexandra, my Whole Foods has a big variety of tortillas in various sizes. You could also try a Mexican market.