If you are looking for a quick weeknight dinner, this vegetarian enchilada is perfect. It comes together in under 30 minutes and requires minimum effort.
There are days when I just don’t want to cook!
You know the days I am talking about, right?
The traffic was a nightmare and you had a tough day at work.
Once in a while, it is ok to not cook a dish from scratch.
For me, I spent the holiday season cooking up a storm and I couldn’t bring myself to cook a huge meal yesterday.
I was just popped!!
Personally, I am taking a vacation from my kitchen. There is going to be a lot of take-out for the next couple weeks.
I give you permission to take a vacation too!
This vegetarian enchilada recipe is quick and fast. It will guarantee that you won’t be in the kitchen for more than thirty minutes.
I have often been asked to make recipes for college students, who neither have the time nor the energy to cook from scratch. Not to mention, they have flies in their wallet where there should be money.
So, this vegetarian enchilada would be perfect for them because they are using cheap ingredients to make a healthy, fulfilling recipe.
I like adding tomatoes to this recipe. Cherry tomatoes make a great addition to the recipe and also give it a little healthy flare. When you bite into this tomato, your vegetarian enchilada gets a whole new level of wonderful deliciousness. I like to marinate the tomatoes with oil and some of that taco seasoning.
Also add onions to your vegetarian enchilada because it will add a crunch to your dish. Can you imagine the burst of flavors when you bite into this? The spicy beans, the onions and the tomatoes make for a wonderful taste.
I use the large tortillas because you can get full in just one enchilada. You can try it with the smaller ones but I don’t recommend it. Put in vegan refried beans in this recipe
In a baking dish, the large tortillas sit nice and snugly. These is important because they cook faster when they are together. They give their heat to the other and vice versa.
You are definitely going to need the whole can of enchilada sauce. Infact, don’t be afraid to use more than one can. When the sauce is in the oven, it will burn off. So, the more sauce you have, the better. If you prefer a gluten-free enchilada sauce, I have you covered
Now, comes the best part! The CHEESE!
Sharp cheddar cheese is so awesome in this recipe. I have experimented with several other cheeses for this recipe and nothing comes close to this cheese. It adds a wonderful sharpness to the vegetarian enchilada. Combined with tomato, onions and beans, you will be in heaven with your first bite!
So, are you planning to get take out for the next few weeks?
If you like this enchilada recipe, check out my enchilada casserole made with fresh veggies
Recipe Details (makes 4 vegetarian enchilada)
Vegetarian Enchilada
Ingredients
- 1 can vegetarian refried beans 16oz can
- 1 can enchilada sauce 10oz can
- 1/2 tsp taco seasoning
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 large tortillas
- cilantro for Garnish
- 3 tsp water
- 2 cups sharp cheddar finely shredded
Instructions
Pre-preparation
- Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees
- In a mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, 1 tsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of taco seasoning. Set aside for 10 minutes
- Chop the onions finely
- Open the tin cans
- Spray the baking dish with cooking spray or you can oil it.
Preparation
- In a medium sauce pan, add the remaining oil
- Add the cumin seeds and allow them to brown just a little
- Add the refried beans
- Add the water and the taco seasoning
- Stir well for about 5 minutes
- Take 1 tortilla and heat it up for about 7 seconds in the microwave
- On a chopping board, place the warm tortilla
- Put a spread of the beans in a line on the tortilla
- Add 3 cherry tomatoes
- Add the onions
- Roll them up tightly and place it on the baking dish.
- Repeat for the remaining tortillas
- Generously spread the enchilada sauce on the vegetarian enchiladas
- Add the shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the enchiladas
- Place in the oven for about 18 minutes or until cheese is melted
- Garnish with the coriander and red onions
- Keep a side of the enchilada sauce for your guests.
Heather H says
Nowhere in the ingredient list does it mention Cheese. How does that work, when you clearly say to use cheese in the instructions but not listed in ingredients hmmm?
Healing Tomato says
I am sorry for the confusion, Heather. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I have updated the recipe with the correct cheese information
KC Kahn the Kitchen Chopper says
Hi Rini, Lovely seeing you at our #theWeekendSocial. Please join us again next week! 🙂
Liz says
We all need these shortcut recipes throughout the year! Your vegetarian enchiladas look terrific. I’m making split pea soup for the hubby and am going to use the seasoning packet that came with the peas…easy and tasty!
Healing Tomato says
Good Idea! I always put away the seasoning packets and hope to use them somewhere else. Thank you for liking my enchiladas.
Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen says
I feel you on wanting to take a vacation from the kitchen…we’re headed out for pizza tonight! 🙂
Healing Tomato says
Great! I am hungry for pizza too! Hope you had a great pizza outing. Thanks.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I can SO relate to wanting some time away from the kitchen. In addition to the holiday cooking, my (very) elderly father-in-law is staying with us and he wants 3 cooked meals a day. He’s been gone all week for his birthday (93) and I have done NOTHING but tidy up and rest.
I would love this really easy dish. I’m not sure we can get all those ingredients here in Australia but I’ll look. The enchilada sauce is the one iffy thing. Maybe I could make that and go lazy on the rest of the stuff.
It looks terrific!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you Maureen. I feel for you! It cannot be easy cooking 3 meals a day for you father-in-law. I am glad that you have 1 week off. If I was in Australia, I would totally lend you a hand. It must be hard cooking so much and then having time for blogging and social media. My chef hat off to you!
Shobelyn Dayrit says
This looks very delicious.I do “kitchen vacationing” sometimes too. I do this on Sundays when we go for Chinese buffet ( so bad for the waist) . This enchilada is really a great idea. It does looks very easy to make.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you Shobelyn. There is nothing wrong with Chinese Buffet. We do an Indian Buffet on Saturday. Now, that is bad for the waistline. Either way, both our kitchens thank us for giving them a day off. 🙂
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Love the simple no-cook filling! These look delish!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you so much Becca. I am so glad you liked it.
Helen Barnes says
This is a nice recipe. It its hard to find simple vegetarian enchilada. My kitchen asked for a vacation! 🙂
Healing Tomato says
Thank you for your kind words. I know how hard it is to get vegetarian enchilada that is quick. You must ALWAYS obey your kitchen!! Give it a vacation and buy it some flowers too. 🙂