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.
Love this recipe, always a crowd pleaser and comes together quickly. I’ve made it with sweet potatoes when butternut squash is not available and it turns out great!
Hi Kendra, I’m so glad you’ve loved it so much!
Wow!!! This recipe is amazing. Instead of corn tortillas we used flour, and instead of squash we used sweet potatoe and added green pepper. For the sauce I had fresh tomatoes that were getting very dark so I went ahead and made my own (very chunky and spicy) sauce out of those and used it instead. This is definitely a recipe we’re going to make over and over again. So so so delicious! (Currently eating the leftovers, STILL AMAZING A DAY LATER).
If I freeze this would I do before or after sauce? Or if I made before work do you think it would be ok sitting all day, then saucing and baking? Thank you!
Is there a secret to getting the corn tortillas to roll? Since they’re small and fairly brittle they cracked and made for more of a delicious enchilada casserole, but would love to figure it out for future recipes!
I made this recipe last night. Quick, easy and absolutely delicious!
This is one of my favorite recipes from your cookbook and I make it often! I’m doing a lot of freezer prepping before I have my second baby in July, and I want to make a couple batches of this and freeze it. What do you think about freezing and thawing/would cooking temp and times remain the same?
Tried this meal for the first time last night & it was absolutely delicious. A hit for my husband & I plus our guests loved it!
This looks so yummy I am excited to try this love enchiladas and love butternut squash so it got to be good. I was wondering if I could use Chipotle seasoning instead of the adobo sauce.
Hi Kellie – you can, especially if you have a seasoning that you really love. I’ve always found chipotle powders to be more spicy and not as smoky and flavorful as the can of chipotles in adobo. But in a pinch, it will work. I’d just add it to taste. Hope that helps!
Great Winter Recipe. I will definitely be giving this a try. I love butternut squash and using it in different recipes is something I’m always trying to do.
I decided to make this as more of a casserole dish and it was fantastic! All the flavors and textures melded perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
A good amount of snow and (even) chillier weather is headed my way this weekend — I’m excited to be snowed in with a good book, a few movies, and this recipe!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Just made this for dinner and it’s super tasty, not heavy or greasy like traditional enchiladas! Thanks!!
Hi Lynn – I’m so glad you enjoyed these!
Love your blog and am loving your cookbook this winter too! I’m wondering – what is the bright yellow contraption that you’re using to hold your book open in the second picture from the top of this post? Would love something to hold my cookbooks open while using them!
Ha, it’s just one of those lemon squeezers – it was laying around, it was heavy and I was trying to take the photo by myself :).
So glad you’re enjoying the book!
So excited to try this! It looks amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
Excited to try this! Just curious about whether you’d say this is spicy or not. We like spice but our 5-year old does not… 🙂
Hi Kristin, I wouldn’t say this is overly spicy. The adobo sauce in the sauce is the only thing that’s spicy – instead of 3 tablespoons you can use 1 (or add it to taste). And just skip the jalapeños!
It looks delicious, I have no idea how I overlooked it in your book.
Thank you for pointing that out!! So glad you like the recipe 🙂 xo
I LOVE this recipe. Definitely one of my faves in your cookbook!
(I also wanted to let you know that you have a typo… In the second sentence, it should be “too cold.” I know it was just a quick mistake, but I just wanted to let you know!)
This is one of the recipes I’ve bookmarked in your cookbook (which is quickly becoming a regular in my kitchen!!) Sending hugs from CT <3
I never know whether it’s a “Big Night” (the movie) thing or what, but to me, the tortillas for enchiladas must be well-dipped in the sauce. That’s how it was in the Mexican restaurant where I worked at age 15, and so it must be forever.
Squash plus black beans plus corn tortillas smuggled to France from a real tortilleria: YES.