A delicious vegan enchiladas recipe with quinoa, vegetables, and black beans! It's so nourishing, protein-rich, and topped with a homemade Mexican-inspired enchilada sauce.
These vegetable quinoa enchiladas are so satisfying and nourishing.
Plus they are a great source of plant-based protein, fiber, and many other nutrients.
These enchiladas are more ingredients and steps than I usually prefer, but we feel it is totally worth it! They are absolutely delicious.
Ingredients for Vegetable Quinoa Enchiladas
For this recipe you will combine and then bake in the oven:
- White quinoa
- Yellow onion: Or use sweet onion or white onion instead.
- Fresh garlic cloves: Or you can substitute a teaspoon dried garlic powder.
- Red bell pepper: Or other color like yellow, orange, or green.
- Roma tomatoes
- Fresh baby spinach
- Diced green chiles: These usually come in a small 4 ounce can. I use mild for this recipe, but you can use medium for a little spice.
- Black beans: Or substitute pinto beans or kidney beans if desired.
- Chili powder: I use mild. Or instead of these separate spices, you can use a Taco Seasoning blend instead.
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Salsa: I like this Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa, but simply use your own favorite salsa or whatever you have on hand.
- Enchilada sauce: I like this Homemade Enchilada Sauce, but use canned or store-bought if desired. You will need about 2-3 cups enchilada sauce for this recipe.
- Vegan shredded cheese: Use your favorite dairy-free cheese like mozzarella, cheddar, or a Mexican-style blend.
- Large flour tortillas: Use gluten-free if desired. I try to find whole grain when possible. Or you can substitute corn tortillas, and stack the layers like an enchilada casserole instead!
Customizing
Make it "meaty": Add your favorite vegan ground beef crumbles. Cook these separately according to package instructions, then stir into the quinoa mixture. You can use this in place of the black beans if desired.
Make it spicy: Add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cayenne pepper, a spicy chili powder, or simply top with hot sauce to taste before serving.
Serving
Serve these as is, or garnish with your favorite toppings before serving. A few ideas include:
- Green onions
- Fresh cilantro
- Guacamole or fresh avocado
- Vegan sour cream
- Finely shredded romaine lettuce
- Nutritional yeast
For more inspiration, also browse all quinoa recipes or enchilada recipes.
Vegetable Quinoa Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 cup white quinoa (uncooked)
- 1 yellow onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2-3 roma tomatoes
- 6 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 4 oz. can mild green chiles
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 cup salsa
- 2-3 cups enchilada sauce (canned or homemade)
- 1 cup vegan shredded cheese (more/less to taste)
- 8 large tortillas (gluten-free if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Cook quinoa according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot, make the enchilada sauce. (Omit this step if using store-bought.)
- Dice onion and bell pepper. Mince garlic.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 5 minutes. (I use 3 Tbsp. veggie broth/water for no-oil sauté method.)
- Add spinach and sauté another couple minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Add cooked quinoa, black beans (rinsed and drained), diced tomatoes, green chiles, spices, and salsa. Stir to combine and cook until heated through. Salt/pepper to taste.
- Place a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Divide quinoa filling evenly down the center of each tortilla. Roll up with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in the dish.
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese shreds, and bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
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Brandon
My mom made these for me a couple months ago and I really liked them so were doing it again tonight thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes
Kaitlin McGinn
Hey Brandon! Awesome, that's so fun to hear you & your mom are enjoying these. Thanks for sharing!
Terri S
I made these 2 nights ago for me and my vegan daughters - OMG - they were amazing. We couldn't speak - we could only look at each other and keep eating! I have taught my children (age 20 and 25) to eat "spicy" from birth. I doubled the spices in your wonderful enchilada sauce and I added minced jalapenos to the filling recipe. We used 2 kinds of vegan cheese - vegan mozzarella from Trader Joe's and shredded vegan cheddar from Whole Foods. I used less cheese than the recipe called for and it was still yumminess overload!
Kaitlin McGinn
Haha, nice! I love how many recipes you're trying from the blog - I'm honored. It's always so fun hearing your feedback. This is definitely a recipe from the archives (posted 5 1/2 years ago!) Definitely need to make it again soon and perhaps spruce up the photos and give it a nice refresh. Wishing you and your daughters a lovely week!
Anonymous
I made these burritos and I really loved them....there were two problems
A. the mixture was too spicy for me. I will adjust this.
B. It seems to me that you are cooking the ingredients twice once in the frying pan and then in the oven... it made it mushy. i think i will only cook it in the frying pan and then build the burrito without the enchilada sauce and not so much cheese...I do love quinoa I eat it almost every day.....i hope to try more of these recipes soon.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Sorry to hear it was too spicy for you. Did you use mild green chiles? Yes, the filling is quite soft. But that's an awesome idea using it as burrito filling instead of baking it with enchilada sauce!
Granmami5
Just made this. Haven't eaten dinner yet but I did taste the mixture and tastes great. I know will be new better tomorrow once the seasonings settle.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thanks for sharing!
Jess
Made these a few weeks ago and froze them in pairs, I finally got around to defrosting and reheating one of them - they are AWESOME! They froze and reheated really well, too. Thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Jess! Freezing them in pairs is such a smart idea and so convenient! So glad you enjoyed them and great to hear they work well as a freezer meal. Thanks for letting me know!
Anonymous
How well do these do as "leftovers"?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
We thought they were great! Leftovers typically only last a day or two in our house, so anything after that I'm not sure. Hope you enjoy!
Kishansam
Did you use flour or corn tortillas?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
I used large flour tortillas, but corn would be great as well! You could also try it as a layered/stacked enchilada casserole with corn tortillas.