Vegan Enchilada Casserole makes a perfect weeknight dinner! These delicious mini enchiladas are made with beans, vegan tortillas, enchilada sauce, and seasonings. Make this baked vegan Mexican food in just 30 minutes.
My first time with Mexican cuisine
The first time I ever tasted Mexican food was way back in college. The world cuisine was just making its entry into the Mumbai food scene and the local restaurants began serving dishes like pasta, tacos, enchiladas, and pizzas to name a few. My bestie was gung-ho about Mexican food so I decided to try this cuisine out for myself. And I am so glad I did! In fact, an enchilada was the first Mexican dish I ever had!
That day I discovered a cuisine that eventually went on to become one of my favorite today! It's flavors remind me of the Indian cuisine sometimes. Maybe that's why!
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The "What to cook on a weeknight" struggle!
I know this is a common pain point for all of us. I have so many readers write to me asking for easy to make weeknight meals that are vegan or vegetarian. Mexican cuisine is definitely one of the go-to cuisines when you need to cook up something real quick that's also loaded with flavors. Cooking Mexican food need not be daunting at all. It is one of the easiest and simplest cuisines with some appetizing flavors.
Take this recipe for example. Not only is the sauce easy to make, but this whole recipe is! I prefer making enchilada casserole over traditional enchiladas because there is no need to roll anything up. It all gets perfectly baked together in the oven! YUM!
Have you tried making Mexican Pani Puri yet? If not, then you must try this fusion dish...you will love it!
Why I love this vegan Mexican food
This vegan taco lasagna with tortillas is one of the most preferred vegetable-packed dinners loaded with fresh Mexican flavors!
- Vegan and gluten-free
- Protein-rich
- Cheesy and delicious to taste
- Super easy to make
Here's how to make it
If you love Mexican food, then you will love this easy vegan enchilada casserole with tortillas. Let's get making! The first step is to prepare the vegan enchilada sauce.
1 - Dry roast the garlic cloves in a skillet or a grill pan till they turn golden. Take them out onto a plate.
2 - Then add and dry roast tomatoes next. Roast for 4-5 minutes or till they get a bit charred.
3 - Let it cool down a bit and then grind it to a smooth paste along with green chilies. You can also use a jalapeno instead. (The images got jumbled up)
4 - In the same skillet, add tomato puree and cook it for 2 minutes. You can use homemade tomato puree as well.
5 - Then add the ground tomato-garlic paste to the pan. Bring it to a boil and reduce the flame to a medium.
6 - Add salt, coriander-cumin powder, and mixed herbs to the mix. Mix, and cook for a minute. Take out a cup of this sauce and preserve it for later use.
7 - Then add boiled Rajma/kidney beans to the pan. You can also add canned beans. Mix it all together lightly and mash some lightly. Cook it for 2 minutes. Take it off the pan. Vegan enchilada sauce is ready.
8 - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Take mini casseroles and smear some cooking spray or oil. Then layer with a generous spread of guacamole.
9 - Place a mini tortilla over it. You can lightly toast it before or use it as is. I have used gluten-free tortillas here.
10 - Spread some vegan enchilada sauce over it.
11 - Then add chopped bell peppers and vegan cheese.
12 - Place another tortilla over it and follow the same steps until the casserole fills up. I added up to 4 tortillas in total. Lastly, add some sauce that was preserved. Bake them for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Serving suggestions
Vegan Beans Enchilada Mini Casserole is ready! For some more enchiladas seasoning, garnish with chopped cilantro and mixed herbs. Add some vegan sour cream on top as well. Allow it to cool a bit and then dig in. The sauce is perfectly tangy and spicy, the beans are juicy and the tortillas are moist yet crisp. All in all, a winning dish. Serve this as single servings for lunch/dinner/brunch. You can also serve some Cucumber Salad on the side.
Top tips, recommendations, and suggestions
Feel free to add more veggies to this, like onions, potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, sweet potatoes, corn, or even other beans like black beans or black-eyed peas. Even the sauce can be customized based on what you have. Even a layer of homemade salsa or vegan mayo makes this casserole taste great! If you don't have mini casseroles, you can make it in one big baking dish. Throw in some flavored rice to make it more hearty.
You can also prepare your own enchiladas seasoning by mixing oregano, paprika, cumin powder, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, sugar, salt, coriander powder, and Chipotle chili powder. Add this prepared enchiladas seasoning while making the sauce. Adding guacamole or enchilada sauce at the bottom prevents the first layer of tortilla from going hard.
These vegan lasagna tortillas can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers for the next day. The vegan enchilada sauce can be made ahead and frozen. You can also make and cook it all the way through, wrap, and freeze it for a few days until you want to serve it. Then reheat the full casserole in the oven.
Some favorite recipes from the world cuisine
- Lebanese Rice With Vermicelli
- Moroccan Eggplant Zaalouk
- Pakistani Aloo Bharta (Spiced Mashed Potatoes)
- Thai Basil Stir-Fry Noodles
- Sri Lankan Veggie Curry
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Vegan Enchilada Casserole With Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
To prepare the enchilada sauce
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 tomatoes
- 2 green chilies or 1 jalapeno
- 1 can tomato puree
- Salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp coriander-cumin powder
- 1 tbsp mixed herbs
- 8.3 oz kidney beans cooked or canned
To prepare the enchilada casserole
- 1/2 cup guacamole
- 8 mini tortillas gluten-free
- 1 bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/4 cup vegan cheese grated
- 2 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp vegan Sour cream
Instructions
To prepare the enchilada sauce
- Dry roast the garlic cloves in a skillet or a grill pan till they turn golden. Take them out onto a plate.
- Then add and dry roast tomatoes next. Roast for 4-5 minutes or till they get a bit charred.
- Let it cool down a bit and then grind it to a smooth paste along with green chilies. You can also use a jalapeno instead.
- In the same skillet, add tomato puree and cook it for 2 minutes. You can use homemade tomato puree as well.
- Then add the ground tomato-garlic paste to the pan. Bring it to a boil and reduce the flame to a medium.
- Add salt, coriander-cumin powder, paprika, and mixed herbs to the mix. You can also add enchilada seasoning instead. Mix, and cook for a minute. Take out a cup of this sauce and reserve it for later use.
- Then add boiled Rajma/kidney beans to the pan. You can also add canned beans. Mix it all together lightly and mash some lightly. Cook it for 2 minutes. Take it off the pan. Vegan enchilada sauce is ready.
To prepare the enchilada casserole
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Take mini casseroles and smear some cooking spray or oil. Then layer with a generous spread of guacamole.
- Place a mini tortilla over it. You can lightly toast it before or use it as is. I have used gluten-free tortillas here.
- Spread some of the prepared vegan enchilada sauce over it.
- Then add chopped bell peppers and vegan cheese.
- Place another tortilla over it and follow the same steps until the casserole fills up. I added up to 4 mini tortillas in total. Lastly, smear some sauce that was preserved.
- Bake them for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Once done, garnish with chopped cilantro and mixed herbs. Add some vegan sour cream on top as well. Allow it to cool a bit and then dig in.
Notes
Nutrition
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Was not in a mood to make regular lunch. So Tried this with my sons. Didn’t imagine it could be so tastyyyy. We all liked it. Going to make it again n again. Thanks for the simple yet tasty rcp😄
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you. 🙂
What a colorful and tasty dish! I really appreciate the process photos and clear instructions. You make cooking easy!
Thank you so much
A perfect weeknight meal for my family. Can't wait to try it!
thank you so much
This such a wonderful meal for meatless Monday. I love the layers of guacamole and sauce and tortilla.
I know right! It tastes so good. Thanks 🙂
It is on my to-do list to make. thanks for the detailed recipe..
Thank you so much
This looks so good - I love enchiladas. I like how it is contained in the tortilla without needing to be rolled, it would be easy to make these and bring to work to reheat. A perfect vegan recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Yess..glad you liked it. Thank you
I love that this is made without having to roll up tortillas! Makes it so easy -- and YUMMY!
That was the best part! 🙂 Thank you.
I made this for my family for dinner and it was so delicious and easy! The kidney beans were amazing in this. Thank you!
I am so happy to hear that, thanks.
This is such a delicious and comforting vegan recipe! My whole family loved it!
Thank you so much. That makes me happy to know
I was just looking through my pantry deciding how to use up some ingredients. This looks like the perfect recipe for it. Thanks!
I am so glad to hear that! Let me know how it turned out 🙂
This looks SO comforting for a weeknight dish. I can imagine my family will LOVE all the incredible flavours you've added to this recipe, especially the mixed herbs and jalapenos. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much
This was fantastic, and the homemade enchilada sauce was to die for!
Thank you so much
We are trying to have more meat free dinners and this sounds like the perfect option for a weeknight dinner that the whole family will enjoy. It looks delicious!
Yes, its the perfect family dinner! Thank you
This is a casserole that I need to make very soon! It looks tasty!
This casserole has all of my favorite things! Vegetarian style Mexican dishes are the best!
Oh my! This casserole is a must-try!
My family would devour this! And it looks way easier than rolling enchiladas.
Yum! I love enchiladas! I first had them in college too. This is perfect for Meatless Monday!