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This vegetarian enchilada casserole is a delicious and filling vegetarian dinner idea! It’s simpler to make than rolling enchiladas and makes a crowd-pleasing meal where no one will miss the meat.
Who loves a good casserole? I’ll admit: I’m a sucker for cozy comfort food. Sometimes it’s hard to find that hearty comfort vibe with vegetarian recipes: which is why I love this one!
Alex and I made our chicken enchilada casserole and so many readers loved it that we decided to make a vegetarian version, too! Black beans and refried beans add protein, and layered up with veggies, tortillas, and cheese it makes a dinner everyone raves about. I like to serve it with a Mexican chopped salad if I’m feeling fancy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Here are a few reasons I think you’ll love this recipe:
- It has big comforting flavor. There are lots of spices like cumin, garlic powder and smoked paprika, which make it taste just as satisfying as a meaty bake.
- It’s easier than enchiladas. Making this casserole is so much easier than rolling up tortillas, and the filling is deliciously hearty with black beans, refried beans, corn and red peppers. I also like using purchased enchilada sauce (though homemade enchilada sauce works too).
- It’s filling. Often vegetarian recipes don’t feel filling enough, but this casserole is hearty and satisfying.
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This dish is a must-try! It’s not only easy to prepare, but it’s also delicious. I followed the instructions exactly, except I didn’t add corn since I didn’t have any. The result was perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. I will definitely be making this again!” -Tiffany
How to Make Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole
Instead of rolling tortillas like traditional vegetarian enchiladas, this enchilada casserole layers tortillas with a filling of beans and veggies. You can simply cut the tortillas in half and lay them in a layer: like you see below!
Step 1: Place a bit of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan (to prevent sticking). Layer 4 halved tortillas as shown.
Step 2: Spoon over enchilada sauce, bean and vegetable filling, and cheese.
Step 3: Then add a layer of sauce, then 4 more halved tortillas, filling, cheese, and sauce. Add a final layer of tortillas, remaining sauce, then remaining cheese.
Pro Tips for Success
This enchilada casserole is a great weeknight dinner or Meatless Monday recipe that can be put together quickly. Here are a few tips:
- Use either corn or flour tortillas: Corn tortillas provide the most authentic flavor and make this a gluten free recipe, but flour tortillas work well too.
- Grab your favorite enchilada sauce: As I mentioned, I like using store-bought sauce to keep things simple (we like Siete brand generally). But if you like making all things homemade (love that!), our homemade enchilada sauce takes just 15 minutes.
Enchilada Casserole Variations
Here are a few other fun variations for this vegetarian enchilada casserole:
- Spicy: Adjust the spice in this recipe by using mild or hot enchilada sauce, or add chopped jalapeños for extra kick.
- Verde enchilada casserole: Substitute green enchilada sauce or salsa verde for the red enchilada sauce.
- Sweet potato enchilada casserole: Make the filling from our sweet potato black bean enchiladas (or follow that recipe but use the tortilla layering instructions in this recipe).
Side Dish Ideas to Make it a Meal
I love that this is a hearty vegetarian dinner recipe that feels satisfying and filling. I recently served it to my parents with (I’ll be honest!) one of those bag salads from the grocery. When you have time, though, there are so many fun sides for enchiladas and enchilada casserole! Here are some ideas:
- This Mexican chopped salad is one of our favorites, with a creamy cilantro lime dressing and crunchy tortilla strips
- Try our favorite cilantro lime rice or simple chips and roasted tomato salsa
- If you have time to make ahead, this Mexican cornbread is a fun side
Storing Leftovers
Leftover vegetarian enchilada casserole stays good for up to 3 days refrigerated. It also works frozen, though it becomes much softer after freezing. For make ahead ideas, this casserole can be made up to 24 hours in advance, then baked (in a metal or ceramic pan; avoid glass because of the risk of cracking).
Dietary Notes
This enchilada casserole is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan or plant-based, use dairy-free cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Enchilada casserole is perfect for meal prep. You can assemble the entire casserole up to 24 hours before baking and store it covered in the refrigerator. You may need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time if cooking from cold. You can also freeze the unbaked casserole for up to 3 months—just thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Yes! Simply substitute the cheese with your favorite plant-based cheese alternative and use plant-based sour cream or cashew cream for topping.
Serve your enchilada casserole hot from the oven with optional toppings like diced avocado, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, lime wedges, and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Pickled red onions also make a nice tangy addition!
Easy Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole
This vegetarian enchilada casserole is a delicious and filling vegetarian dinner idea! It’s simpler to make than rolling enchiladas and makes a crowd-pleasing meal where no one will miss the meat. It’s a spin on our popular enchilada casserole with chicken—and we like it just as much!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices (6 servings) 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15-ounce can refried pinto beans
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced (1 cup)
- 4 or 5-ounce can mild diced green chilis (optional)
- ¾ cup canned corn
- 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 12 corn tortillas, cut in half
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups mild red enchilada sauce (about 18 to 22 oz)
- Finely minced red onion, green onion, and cilantro, for the garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, make the filling by mixing the black beans, refried beans, red pepper, green chilis, corn, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and kosher salt.
- Spoon some of the enchilada sauce to just cover the bottom of a 9 x 13” baking dish, then make the layers. Top with 4 tortillas to cover the entire dish (see photo), then spoon over ½ cup enchilada sauce. Add half of the filling on top of the sauce, then ½ cup cheese and about ½ cup enchilada sauce.
- Add another 4 tortillas, the remaining filling, ½ cup cheese, and ½ cup enchilada sauce.
- On the top, add one more layer of 4 tortillas. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce (about 1 cup) and sprinkle with the remaining cheese (about 1 cup).
- Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered 5 minutes. If desired, broil for about 1 minute until browned.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with sliced red onion, green onion, and optional cilantro. Slice into 12 pieces and serve.
Notes
For vegan: Use dairy free cheese (we like Daiya brand).
For spicy: Adjust the spice in this recipe by using mild or hot enchilada sauce, or add chopped jalapeños for extra kick.
For green enchiladas: Use salsa verde instead of red enchilada sauce.
what is the sodium content of this recipe. Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole. Thanks
We know many people watch their sodium intake closely, so to be extra careful, we don’t include sodium in our recipe information. This is because ingredients like canned garbanzos and soy sauce can vary in their sodium content, and we wouldn’t want to give you inaccurate info!
If you want, you can still get an estimated sodium breakdown! Just pop the recipe into this handy website: https://whisk.com/recipe-nutrition-calculator/
This way you can check with your own ingredients. Thank you for reading!
This dish is a must-try! It’s not only easy to prepare, but it’s also delicious. I followed the instructions exactly, except I didn’t add corn since I didn’t have any. The result was perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. I will definitely be making this again!
I didn’t see the nutritional information….how many calories per serving?
Added!
Delicious! Followed exactly. Will definitely make again!
Can’t wait to try these recipes!
This is an absolutely delicious casserole that is easy to assemble. We are trying to incorporate more meatless meals into our dinner rotation and appreciate that this casserole has all of the best flavors of traditional enchiladas with a healthier list of ingredients.
Ahhh we are so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for making it :) We’ll keep more meatless meals coming!
*pepper
I don’t see when to add the red pepper & green chilis? Are the provers sautéed first?
This was an accidental omission — the peppers go into the filling step — they are not sauteed! We’ve updated the recipe accordingly!
I made this when it was listed under your Chicken Enchilada Casserole as a vegetarian option. We’re vegan, so I just substituted the cheese with a vegan Mexican cheese blend. When we got to the end of the leftovers, my husband literally said, “I’m going to miss this”! So good!