We love to cozy up with these vegetarian enchiladas on fall nights. Their filling is a sweet & spicy mix of butternut squash, black beans & scallions.
To me, it seems like there’s always a shortage of good vegetarian enchiladas on restaurant menus. So often, you find chicken enchiladas only, or the vegetarian enchiladas look a like cheese bomb on a plate. Now, rather than going out, I make this vegetarian enchilada recipe from the “Winter Squash” section of our first cookbook when an enchilada craving strikes. It’s lighter than most restaurant enchiladas, but it’s still spicy & satisfying. Let’s cook!
Lately, these vegetarian black bean enchiladas have become one of our favorite dinners for cold nights. The spicy, gooey tortillas and hearty veggie filling are the ultimate form of comfort food. I highly recommend you try them out this fall, but before you make them, here’s my #1 enchilada tip: Spread the enchilada sauce down the center of the enchiladas only, leaving the tortilla edges exposed. That way, you’ll get a delicious contrast between the soft, saucy parts and the dry edges that crisp up in the oven.
Vegetarian Enchiladas Ingredients
Unlike some vegetarian enchilada recipes, these are pretty simple to make. The filling here is a mixture of roasted butternut squash, cooked black beans, and scallions (although I think sweet potatoes would be delicious as well). Roll it up in corn tortillas and smother them with this smoky homemade enchilada sauce. Top with cheese if you like. Note – pictured here is not the vegan version, but there is a vegan option in the recipe below, so feel free to omit the cheese if you’re dairy-free.
What to Serve with Vegetarian Enchiladas
Sometimes, we enjoy these sweet & spicy enchiladas on their own – they’re filling and delicious enough to be a satisfying meal without a bunch of sides! But when we’re feeling fancy or we’re serving a crowd, I’ll pair them with cilantro lime rice, cauliflower rice, spiced quinoa, or my Mexican street corn salad. In addition, you could top them with any of the sauces below, or set out tortilla chips for dipping!
Enjoy!
If you love these vegetarian enchiladas…
Try my vegetarian tacos, vegan tacos, quesadillas, or quinoa stuffed acorn squash next!
Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas
- 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
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles in adobo sauce
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6-8 corn tortillas or homemade tortillas
- 2 cups grated white cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Avocado slices
- Lime slices, on the side
- 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. Let 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. Assemble the corn tortillas 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 jalapeños 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.
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!
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!
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.