Vegetarian Enchiladas With Homemade Mole
A baked dish of vegetarian enchiladas is comfort food that will improve your mood – guaranteed. This exceptional recipe combines the richness of red enchilada sauce with a delicious assortment of vegetarian ingredients, including black beans. Unlike many recipes, this sauce cleverly sidesteps tomatoes, offering a twist which is more in keeping with traditional flavours.
Please Note: this post for vegetarian enchiladas is in the process of being updated. The recipe card at the bottom of the post, however, is complete.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my cookie and privacy statement for further details.
Dive Right In
- What Are Enchiladas?
- Why Make Vegetarian Enchiladas?
- Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Red Enchilada Sauce (Mole)
- Filling Ingredients
- Mole Ingredients
- How to Make Vegetarian Enchiladas
- FAQs
- Other Mexican Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
What Are Enchiladas?
Enchiladas, as we know them today, are a Mexican way of preparing corn or flour tortillas. The tortillas are wrapped tightly around a savoury filling. They’re then covered in sauce and topped with cheese, then baked. They are delicious.
Once baked, the result is a bit like a Mexican form of lasagne. Fillings can include meat, cheese, beans, potatoes or vegetables.
Enchiladas started life as street food. Traditionally, they were corn tortillas rolled up and dipped in chilli sauce. Stuffing the rolls came later, but what a very good idea that was.
Why Make Vegetarian Enchiladas?
What’s not to love about bubbling melted cheese, crisp edges, rich spicy sauce, flavoursome filling and soft bread to soak up the flavours and hold everything together? If you need any further encouragement, here are a few more reasons why it’s a good idea to make vegetarian enchiladas.
- Comfort Food – Enchiladas are the epitome of comfort food and this recipe steps things up with its hearty and wholesome ingredients. If you’re after a delicious and satisfying meat-free option that doesn’t compromise on taste, this is it.
- Customisable – You can easily customise the filling to suit your preferences. Swap the peppers for courgettes (zucchini) or add in additional vegetables. If you’re vegan, top the cooked enchiladas with guacamole instead of cheese. Or just use vegan cheese.
- Family-Friendly – These enchiladas are likely to be a hit with the whole family, as they combine familiar flavours with just a touch of the exotic.
- Flavour Experience: These enchiladas offer an appetising mix of flavours that come together in each bite. They combine rich, savoury, spicy, sweet and sour notes which all linger delightfully on the tongue.
- Homemade Goodness – If you make the red enchilada mole from scratch, you have control of the ingredients you use. It also enables you to control flavours and spice levels so you can prepare it just the way you like it.
- Unique Twist – The homemade red enchilada sauce contains no tomatoes. This adds a unique twist to the more modern recipe, taking it back to something more akin to traditional flavours.
Whether you’re looking for a new culinary adventure, a memorable dish to share with loved ones or simply a comforting and flavoursome meal, these vegetarian enchiladas are worth a try.
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Prepare to embark on a taste adventure that takes you all the way to Mexico and back again. This blend of savoury, spicy, sweet and sour notes, ensures a truly satisfying culinary sensation.
Whether you’re a dedicated vegetarian or a seasoned food enthusiast, these enchiladas will capture your heart with their comforting textures and captivating flavours. They’ve certainly captured ours.
I first made these vegetarian enchiladas many years ago, when the MexGrocer sent me a selection of Mexican ingredients to try. I’m so glad they did as I’ve made them many times since.
As the name suggests, the MexGrocer is an online purveyor of authentic Mexican ingredients.
What was in the parcel?
- Jar of chocolate mole sauce
- Tin of black beans
- Tin of pickled jalapeño chillies
- Tin of serrano chillies
- Pack of ten corn tortillas
I love Mexican food, but apart from refried beans, I hadn’t cooked much from that part of the world. So to say I was a little bit excited is probably an understatement.
And what better way to express my excitement than by creating some vegetarian enchiladas using the above ingredients, including the chocolate mole sauce?
All but one of the products gave good results. The corn tortillas were smaller than I was expecting, but were nice and soft when warmed and they had really good texture and flavour.
The tin of pickled jalapeños was really interesting. Not only were they much hotter than I was expecting but contained pieces of pickled carrots and onions too. The black turtle beans were very welcome as they are a particular favourite of mine.
Red Enchilada Sauce (Mole)
But ay ay ay! The chocolate mole sauce was really unpleasant with a horrible bitter, burnt caramel taste. It was also virtually solid, so impossible to pour and difficult to use. I don’t know if there was something wrong with this particular jar or if that is how it’s meant to be. But in order to rescue the meal, we had to scrape it off our enchiladas.
Luckily, it didn’t put me off. I now make vegetarian enchiladas on a regular basis. Only now I make my own mole. And I can tell you it’s a very different beast.
By the way, mole is derived from the ancient Aztec word molli, which just means sauce.
I later learned that you’re meant to dilute the chocolate mole with orange juice or apple vinegar. Oh well!
My red enchilada sauce makes use of traditional flavours. Although it’s not made with tomatoes, it doesn’t require difficult-to-get-hold-of dried peppers which then need soaking. It’s really tasty and is quite simple and quick to make.
There’s no need for flour to thicken it and no need to boil it for ages either. In fact, the only precooking required is a bit of grilling. And you can cheat on that part if you want.
Ingredients
I’ve divided the ingredients into three categories, the filling, the sauce and those needed for the final construction.
Vegetarian Enchilada Filling Ingredients
The only slightly unusual ingredient needed to make the filling is jalapeño chillis. And they are actually quite easy to find these days.
Black Beans
Black beans are the key ingredient in these vegetarian enchiladas. They provide protein, fibre and a host of gut-beneficial compounds. What’s more they’re great for soaking up flavours. They’re one of my favourite beans.
I’ve used tinned in the images you can see here. But I also cook my own from dried sometimes too. It’s all a matter of how well organised you are. Dried beans are a lot cheaper than tinned ones and use less in the way of packing too. But you do need to cook them a day ahead of when you need them.
Lime
Limes are very popular in Mexican cuisine and for good reason. They give a wonderful zip to food. Unusually, I add the lime zest to the enchilada filling as well as the juice as that too is packed with flavour.
If you don’t have limes, you can use a lemon instead, but it won’t be quite the same.
Veggies
I like to use peppers, sweetcorn and onion in these enchiladas as they’re all good Mexican ingredients. They’re also quite sweet which balances out the flavours of the beans, cheese and sauce quite nicely. However, you can swap these for others if you like.
Squash, courgettes (zucchini), spinach and mushrooms are all suitable. You can even use carrots, cauliflower and celery if you like. You’ll just need to fry them for longer.
Jalapeño Chillies
Pickled jalapeño peppers give complexity, piquancy and a little heat to the filling. You don’t need much, but I highly recommend you include them.
You can buy whole pickled jalapeño chillies, but it’s easier to find ready sliced ones. Look for them in the word food aisles in your local supermarket.
Red Enchilada Mole (Sauce) Ingredients
Well you could just go out and buy a tin or jar of enchilada sauce, but it’s really not hard to make your own. And it’s much more satisfying.
Red Pepper
A red bell pepper is best for this sauce as its both red and fleshy. It’s this that gives the mole it’s red colour. However, any large fleshy sweet pepper will do at a pinch.
Spices
You can use dried whole Mexican peppers to make enchilada mole, but they’re quite hard to get hold of and they need toasting and then quite a bit of soaking before you can use them.
I use two Mexican chilli flakes instead, which are both fairly easy to get hold of.
Ancho Chilli Powder
Ancho chillies are the dried version of poblano chillies. It’s the most popular dried chilli used in Mexican cuisine and is one of the main ingredients for a traditional enchilada mole.
It’s fairly mild with fruity notes. If you don’t have any, swap it for another mild chilli such as Aleppo chilli flakes or just use a pinch of ordinary chilli flakes.
Chilli Chipotle
Chilli chipotle are actually smoke-dried jalapeño chillis from Mexico. You don’t need to add much as a little goes a long way, but they add a nutty, chocolatey smokiness as well as a bit of heat.
If you can’t get hold of any, use half to one teaspoon of smoked paprika instead.
Other Spices
Fresh garlic, dried oregano and ground cumin are the other spice flavourings in this sauce.
Dark Chocolate
Mexico is, as we all know, the home of chocolate. This is one of the many reasons why I love Mexican food. So the first time I made these vegetarian enchiladas, I included a little of this food of the gods. It was so good, I’ve stuck to it ever since.
However, if you don’t like the idea, though I urge you to try it, you don’t have to include it. I’ve listed it as an optional ingredient in the recipe card which you can find at the bottom of this post.
Vegetarian Enchilada Construction
As well as the sauce and filling, you need bulk and umami to make good vegetarian enchiladas.
Tortillas
For this recipe you need small tortillas. You can use either flour or corn ones. For preference I use whole wheat tortillas as they taste good, are healthier than white ones and are easy to use. However, in the images you see here, they are white ones as that was all I could get.
Corn tortillas are both more traditional and more complex in flavour. However you need to warm them up to soften the prior to rolling.
Cheese
Cheese provides the umami hit as well as salt and richness. In Mexico enchiladas are often made with cotija cheese or queso blanco. Neither of these are particularly easy to find in the UK. Luckily, good old cheddar cheese works remarkably well.
Coriander Leaves (Cilantro)
Coriander leaves (cilantro) aren’t necessary to make this recipe. But a few chopped leaves sprinkled over the top of the finished dish, does enhance it, I find. They are entirely optional.
How To Make Vegetarian Enchiladas
Despite the wrapping and folding of tortillas, enchiladas are quite simple to prepare. This even holds true if you make your own homemade enchilada mole (sauce).
For ingredients, quantities and full instructions, head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Enchilada Sauce (Mole)
If you’re going to make your own sauce, it’s best to do this before anything else. If you’re opening a ready-made jar, ignore this part.
The only faffy thing about making this red enchilada sauce is grilling the red pepper and then peeling off the skin. However, you can cheat and buy a jar of roasted red peppers. If you really want to, you can buy a jar or tin of enchilada sauce, but it won’t be as good as this. I have to say that don’t I?
Step 1. Prepare Pepper
Wash the pepper, and place under a hot grill. As soon as the skin starts to blister, rotate it a little with a pair of tongues. Keep doing this until the whole skin is blistered and charred in places.
Immediately place in a covered container or plastic bag and leave to steam for five minutes or so.
Remove from the container or bag, then peel of the skin. It should come off quite easily. Once peeled slit the pepper open and remove the core and seeds.
Step 2. Prepare Onion
Whilst the pepper is grilling, peel and thickly slice the onion.
Fry it in the oil over a moderate heat until it’s soft and just starting to caramelise. Remove from the heat. Don’t wash the pan out as you’ll need it for the filling.
Step 3. Make Sauce
Blitz the pepper, fried onions and all other ingredients, except the water, together in a blender. Don’t forget the chocolate, if you’re using it.
A power blender is particularly good for this as it creates a nice smooth sauce. But use what you have. A stick blender* will still make a good sauce.
Once you have a paste, add the water and blitz again until you have a nice thick sauce. It should be pourable, but not too liquid. Slightly thicker than the consistency of double cream is good.
Set aside until needed.
Top Tip
You can make this up to two days in advance if you want to get ahead. Just keep it in a covered container in the fridge.
How To Make Vegetarian Enchilada Filling
You actually need two fillings to make the stuffing for these vegetarian enchiladas. But both are quite simple and once requires no cooking at all.
Step 1. Marinade Beans
Drain and rinse your beans if they’re from a tin, otherwise just drain. Maybe it’s just a personal thing, but I don’t like the taste of tinned bean water. That is, unless you put loads of sugar in to mask the taste. These brown sugar aquafaba meringues are good.
Place the beans in a small bowl. Mince or finely grate the garlic and add to the bowl. I use a microplane* for this – it’s fabulous.
Scrub and dry your lime, then finely grate the rind into the bowl too. Add the juice and salt and give a good stir. Leave to marinate whilst you make the other filling.
Step 2. Fry Veggies
Dice the onion, then fry in the oil over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes until soft. Use the same pan that you used to fry the onions in for the sauce.
Dice the sweet pepper and add to the pan. Turn the heat down a little and fry for five minutes, giving everything an occasional stir.
Meanwhile, finely chop the red chilli and dice the jalapeño slices. If you don’t like things too hot or are cooking for children, you might want to leave the chilli out. But do keep the jalapeño as it really adds to the flavour.
Add them to the pan along with the sweetcorn and fry for a further two minutes until everything is soft. Stir in the cumin, fry for a few seconds then turn off the heat.
How To Construct Vegetarian Enchiladas
Once you’ve made the filling and the sauce, it’s just a case of stuffing the tortillas, layering them and then baking. You’re very much on the home stretch.
Step 1. Bottom Layer
Lightly grease your baking dish. Spread a third of the red enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish.
Step 2. Wrap Tortillas
Place a spoonful of the beans in the middle of a tortilla, followed by a spoonful of the peppers.
Fold one end over the filling, tuck the sides in, then roll up ensuring none of the filling escapes. It’s very easy to overfill, but conversely, they should feel stuffed when rolled.
Top Tip
If you have the space, lay all of the tortillas out at once, so you can divide the filling between them evenly. This also makes it easier to avoid leftovers.
Step 3. Tortilla Layer
Lay the tortillas on top of the sauce, seem side down.
Try and pack them in as tightly as possible. This helps to contain the fillings.
Step 4. Add Sauce
Pour or spoon the remaining sauce over the centre of each tortilla row. Leave the sides sauce-free so they have a chance to crisp up in the oven.
You want just enough sauce for the tortillas to soak up, but not so much that they go soggy.
Step 5. Cheese Layer
Grate the cheese and scatter it over the top so that both the tortillas and sauce are all, more or less, covered.
Step 6. Bake
Bake in the centre to top part of the oven. You need the top heat to get those all important crispy edges, but you need bottom heat too so the enchiladas don’t go soggy and fall apart.
The enticing scent emanating from the oven always makes me hungry.
The enchiladas are done when the cheese is melted and bubbling, the top is golden and the sides have crisped up and bronzed a bit.
Once you’ve removed the dish from the oven, leave it to settle and cool slightly for five minutes. If you like, scatter some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) over the top, then serve.
Vegetarian Enchiladas FAQs
You need small tortillas to make enchiladas. Go for those measuring between 16-20 cm (6-8 inches). It very much depends on the size of your baking dish.
Wheat tortillas are easier to manage, but corn tortillas are more authentic and have a more interesting taste. They are also gluten-free. If using wheat ones, try whole wheat which are not only tastier, but also healthier.
What you want with an enchilada is for the tortilla to soak up the sauce, but not get soggy. The secret to getting this just right is the amount of sauce you use. Don’t swamp them, just lightly cover them and make sure the sauce isn’t too watery. It needs to be fairly thick.
Don’t cover your tortillas in sauce. Pour it down the middle, but keep the sides clear. This allows the sides to go deliciously crispy. Also make sure you don’t take them out of the oven until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
Follow the recipe at the bottom of this post, but omit the cheese. Instead top the baked enchiladas with guacamole or just smashed avocado. This gives the creamy quality provided by the cheese. Or just swap the cheddar for vegan melting cheese.
Enchiladas are quite filling, so light accompaniments work best. Pico do gallo (Mexican salsa), green salad leaves, guacamole and sour cream all work.
However, if you want more of a spread, serve with Mexican rice, sweetcorn salad and something like a cucumber salad. Chips (French fries) work surprisingly well too.
To get ahead, you can make the sauce up to two days before you need it. You can even prepare the fillings then too. But if you don’t want your enchiladas to fall apart or turn out soggy, you need to bake them as soon as you’ve wrapped the tortillas and poured the sauce over the top.
Other Mexican Recipes You Might Like
- Black bean and corn salad
- Chocolate refried beans
- Egg & beans on toast: Mexican style
- Mexican brown rice: healthy & delicious
- Papas a la Mexicana
- Smokey sweetcorn pepper fritters
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these vegetarian enchiladas, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for rolling tortillas?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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Choclette x
Vegetarian Enchiladas. PIN IT.
Vegetarian Enchiladas With Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Equipment
- stick blender (affiliate link) optional
- microplane (affiliate link) optional
Ingredients
Enchilada Filling
- 400 g tinned black beans or 250g cooked beans
- 2 clove garlic grated
- ½ lime zested and juiced
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral oil
- 1 small onion peeled and diced
- 1 large sweet pepper yellow, orange or red – diced
- 2 tbsp frozen sweetcorn can use canned or kernels from freshly cooked cobs
- 1 small red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 10 slices pickled jalapeño pepper finely chopped (I used ready sliced)
- ½ tsp ground cumin
Enchilada Sauce (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral oil
- 1 small onion peeled and thickly sliced
- 2 clove garlic
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp chipotle chilli flakes or swap for ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ancho chilli powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 5 g dark chocolate grated or finely chopped (optional)
- 100 ml water
Enchilada Construction
- 10 small tortillas wheat or corn (see note 1)
- 250 ml enchilada sauce homemade or shop bought (see note 2)
- 115 g cheddar cheese (4oz) grated
- 10 g coriander leaves (cilantro) (optional) – chopped
Instructions
Enchilada Filling
- Drain and rinse the beans then drain again. Place them in a bowl along with the garlic, lime zest and juice and salt. Give a good stir, then leave to marinade whilst you get on with the rest of the filling.400 g tinned black beans, 2 clove garlic, ½ lime, ¼ tsp sea salt
- Fry the onion in the oil over a moderate heat for two minutes until translucent.1 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 small onion
- Turn down the heat a little and add the peppers. Fry for a further five minutes, stirring occasionally.1 large sweet pepper
- Add the sweetcorn and chilli and fry for a further two minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry for another minute. Turn off the heat.2 tbsp frozen sweetcorn, 1 small red chilli, 10 slices pickled jalapeño pepper, ½ tsp ground cumin
Enchilada Sauce (optional)
- Place the pepper under a hot grill for five minutes, turning it as soon as one side blisters and starts to blacken. Keep turning until all of the skin is blistered. Place immediately into a covered container or plastic bag. Leave for five minutes or more to steam. This will help to loosen the skin.1 red bell pepper
- Meanwhile, fry the onion slices in the oil over a medium heat for five minutes until soft and just starting to caramelise.1 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 small onion
- Peel the skin off the pepper and discard. Remove the stem and seeds.
- Place it in a blender or suitable container for use with a stick blender. Add the fried onions, garlic, salt and dried spices. Also add the chocolate at this point, if using.2 clove garlic, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp chipotle chilli flakes, 1 tsp ancho chilli powder, ½ tsp sea salt, 5 g dark chocolate
- Blend until you have a thick paste, then add the water. Blend again until you have a smooth sauce that's the consistency of double cream – sort of. Set aside until needed.100 ml water
Enchilada Construction
- Turn your oven on to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Lightly grease a 20 cm (8inch) square (or similar) ovenproof dish. Pour a third of the sauce into the base and spread it to just cover the bottom.
- Place a tablespoon of beans in the middle of each tortilla followed by a tablespoon of the pepper mixture.Fold one end over the filling, tuck the sides in and roll up as tightly as you can, but without the filling falling out. Place in the dish, seem side down, on top of the sauce. Repeat until they're all filled, making sure you pack them in tightly.10 small tortillas
- Pour the remaining sauce over the tortilla rolls, ensuring you leave the sides uncovered, so they can crisp up.
- Scatter the cheese over the top and bake in the middle to top part of the oven for 25 minutes or until the top is golden and the uncovered parts of the tortilla are crisp.115 g cheddar cheese
- Allow to sit for five minutes, then scatter some chopped coriander over the top and serve.10 g coriander leaves (cilantro)
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
This post contains affiliate links which are marked with an asterisk* or (affiliate link). If you buy through a link, it won’t cost you any more, but I might get a small commission. Thank you for your support of the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
These vegetarian enchiladas are incredible! I love the chocolate mole sauce, so flavorful!
It really is. You don’t need much chocolate, but it does make a difference.
This recipe was so easy to follow and turned out great. I used dairy free cheese instead of regular cheddar and it still was a hit!
Now they’re are decent vegan cheeses around, it makes vegan cooking so much easier. Glad it worked.
Don’t skip the enchilada sauce! It totally makes this dish! The pickled jalapenos are a nice touch too. 🙂
This dish has all the things that I love! And that unique sauce, blew me away! Cannot wait to try this one.
I hope you like it as much as we do. Let us know how you get on if you do make it.
I think the cheese on top and parsley make them look so appealing.
Looks gorgeous; lovely to see exciting vegetarian recipes 🙂
Awesome…tempting ! Thank you for linking it to my event
scrumptious enchiladas…we adore Mexican cuisine and enchiladas were the first thing Mexican we ever had…yumm 🙂
OMG simply gorgeous. Lovely dish and with chocolate too!!!Thankyou for sending the entry to Lets cook with cheese event please do send it to Flavours of Mexico too event details at simply.food
Gorgeous looking enchiladas. I too love Mexican food. I have not tried mole sauce, shame your pot did not turn out well . what did the company say? anyhow a great recipe and encourages me to try cooking more than just burritos at home cx
I am mouthwatering. This is an excellent dish. I am a big fun of Enchiladas. Mexican food is one of my favourites after Italian.. of course 🙂
How galling for you that it was the chocolate that wasn’t good! I’m another fan of mexican food and the enchiladas look great.
what a shame – I love enchiladas but have never made a mole sauce for them – or had a jarred mole sauce either. My experience of mole is making chilli no carne with chocolate as part of the sauce (which was delicious). Now I am wondering about making a mole sauce – will be interested if you find a good recipe
shame about the sauce, I have eaten chocolate mole before and it was stunning, maybe it was a transport thing… the enchiladas looks incredible, I do love mexican food!… and thank god for them for inventing chocolate!
The actual enchiladas look great, shame the sauce was so bad!! I’ve never actually tried a proper mole sauce (despite spending 5 weeks in Mexico!) but I always add a square of dark chocolate when making chilli and it makes a huge difference, so I can see how in principle it should work really well…
Oh wow Nat, five weeks in Mexico! That’s a proper amount of time to get a feel for a place. Did you enjoy it. I’d love to go. I don’t know what was wrong with the sauce. I can’t believe it was meant to taste like that. But I’ve been meaning to make a mole with chocolate for a long time now, so I will make this again.
Absolutely delicious! I love Mexican food.
Thanks Debs, me too.