Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas
Hearty spinach artichoke enchiladas with a simple homemade red sauce! These lightened-up vegetarian enchiladas will please the whole family.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
I’m on a spinach and artichoke kick. I blame the new bar in town that offers an exceptionally tasty spinach-artichoke dip. Tessa and I order it almost every time we meet for happy hour and I daydream about it in between our weekly sessions. It’s more spinach-y than cheesy (how do they pack so much spinach in there?) and has passed for dinner more than once. I can’t get enough of the combination and Tessa can’t either, apparently!
I caught a mention of spinach-artichoke enchiladas on a menu in Austin and didn’t get a chance to try them, so here we are with my homemade version. I based them off memories of the enchiladas my mom makes at home. She is not one to change it up, so her enchiladas consistently feature green chilis, sour cream, flour tortillas and store-bought red sauce. Oh and cheese on top, of course.
I made sure to incorporate all of the above into these lightened-up vegetarian enchiladas, but took it upon myself to create a healthier from-scratch red sauce. I tried spice-based sauce first, followed by tomato-based sauce and finally settled somewhere in between. My recipe is made with common dried spices, tomato paste for some umami-rich tomato flavor, vegetable broth as base and flour to thicken it up.
I’m always doing my best to accommodate my vegan and gluten-free eaters, but we might need to crowdsource this one. Vegan eaters, I tried the enchiladas without cheese and sour cream and thought they were a bit lacking. Maybe you could add some cashew cream inside and top with creamy chopped avocado.
Gluten-free friends, you could substitute corn tortillas for the flour tortillas. Just be sure to warm the tortillas first so they don’t crack when you bend them. I’m stumped on what to thicken the sauce with instead of flour—I tried using 1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder in place of the flour, but the sauce didn’t sufficiently thicken up and pooled at the bottom of the pan. Let me know if you find a better solution!
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Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas
Hearty spinach artichoke enchiladas with a simple homemade red sauce! These lightened-up vegetarian enchiladas include black beans, a modest amount of sour cream and some golden cheese on top. Recipe yields 6 large enchiladas. You might as well make a double batch of the sauce and freeze it for later!
Ingredients
Homemade red enchilada sauce (yields 2 cups sauce)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Enchiladas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 small red onion)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 heaping cup drained artichokes (either jarred or defrosted frozen), quartered if necessary
- 1 (4-ounce) can green chilis, drained
- 12 ounces baby spinach, preferably organic
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup sour cream
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Handful chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Before you make the sauce, measure the flour and spices into a small bowl and place your tomato paste near the stove. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until shimmering (it should be warm enough that the spices sizzle on contact). Pour in the flour and spice mixture. While stirring constantly with a whisk, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, whisking often, for about five minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will further thicken as it cools.) Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
- To make your enchiladas, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the middle position and upper third. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch pan.
- In a large skillet, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the drained artichokes and green chilis to the skillet, then add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the pan is no longer wet with excess moisture. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the drained black beans and sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour ½ cup enchilada sauce into your prepared pan and tilt it from side to side until the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. To assemble your first enchilada, spread ½ cup spinach artichoke mixture down the middle of a tortilla, then snugly wrap the left side over and then the right, to make a wrap. Place it seam side down against the edge of your pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Drizzle the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas, leaving the very ends of the enchiladas bare. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the enchiladas.
- Bake, uncovered, on the middle rack for 20 minutes. If the cheese on top isn’t golden enough for your liking, carefully transfer the enchiladas to the upper rack of the oven and bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until sufficiently golden and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let the enchiladas cool for 10 minutes (trust me!), then sprinkle chopped cilantro on top and serve.
Notes
Enchilada sauce roughly adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. Enchilada filling based on my spinach artichoke lasagna.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I made these yesterday with a couple of changes. I didn’t have artichokes, so I used mushrooms instead. I added some lime juice to the filling for some extra zing. They were a big hit! Thanks for the delicious recipe :)
Do you know how many calories are in each enchilada?
I don’t, I’m sorry. I don’t offer nutrition facts because they vary so much with home cooking. For instance, for this recipe, I would need to know precisely how many ounces of cheese you actually used, and which brand of tortillas you used.
This looks great! I love enchiladas, and I’m always trying new adaptations to black beans and spinach, my all-time fav. I love using kake instead of spinach these days, it’s less watery and holds up a little better when sautéed. Sweet potatoes are also an awesome addition. When going G-F, I use any G-F flour baking mix (Costco has a great one) sub equally part for part. Bob’s red mill has one as well, and it comes in much smaller quantity. Or you can use most any G-F flour (stay clear of soy, as it’s really bitter, and coconut, as it’s very grainy), but most nut flours should do the trick for your sauce! I can’t do cow cheese, but chèvre would be a good sub for the sour cream. Or vegan sour cream (tofuti does a good vegan sour cream and cream cheese). Looking forward to making these tonight! Thanks!
Okay. Made these for dinner last night and they were AMAZING. I would have paid for these at a restaurant! I was also surprised that I made something from scratch that was so good! My husband and I are so excited to eat the leftovers.
Hi — this is my first time posting, but I’ve been cooking a ton from your blog — your recipes are always spot on. My husband has a kidney disease that means he shouldn’t really eat meat (of course he does anyway, whenever he can get away with it), so I try to cook vegetarian at home. I’m a meateater, and so your recipes are a lifesaver because they are so delicious, even for non-vegetarians!
I made this recipe last night, and I thought it was amazing. I had two comments: (1) it took a long time to boil off the water from the spinach — maybe 15 minutes? You might want to mention that (assuming that wasn’t an anomaly!) so that your readers aren’t surprised and/or give up too early and end up with soggy enchiladas, and (2) if you have 1.5 martinis while you prepare this recipe, it’s possible that you will assemble the enchiladas without the beans and sour cream. I’m happy to report that disassembly of the not quite correct enchiladas was not a disaster and I was able to save them :).
Thanks, Katie! Your martini story made me laugh. Been there. :)
I am a fan of this easy enchilada sauce and recipe and find it fun to play around with the recipe when mood strikes or depending on what veggies I have on hand…when feeling a bit spicy I love throwing in Sriracha or cayenne in the sauce , the heat mixed with the sweetness of the cinnamon is a fun party of complementary flavors in your mouth.
I’m thinking of putting it together a day ahead and just baking it for a dinner party. Has anyone done this with successful results or do the enchiladas get too soggy with the sauce overnight? Any tips or feedback is much appreciated. Thanks
Hi Eliabath, I haven’t tried refrigerating the enchiladas overnight before baking. I would probably wait to add any sauce until right before baking, just to be on the safe side. I think they’ll be great that way.
So delicious! I replace sour cream with Greek yogurt because I can’t digest the sour cream. This is my go-to enchilada recipe.
These.were.so.delicious. They are now my go-to enchiladas! Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! Thank you, Susan!
Can this be made ahead & frozen?
Hi Eileen, that’s a good question. I think so, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Love this and all of your recipes! Was hoping to bring it to a friends this weekend. Could i assemble it the night before or will it get soggy? Thanks!
Ok, I made them tonight in two pans- no cheese and yes cheese (for husband/daughter) and no sour cream in either. Amazing. My 3.5 year-old gobbled them up and my husband said “award winning”!!!! (Baby fell asleep before they came out, but she’ll get some next time; they’re GONE!! ;)
Since I stopped eating milk products, I truly don’t miss cheese, etc. I found the flavors in your sauce + artichokes left nothing to be desired! Will become a regular meal around here. Thank you!!
Do you think making ahead and refrigerating or freezing would be okay??
Made this last night. Our family’s favorite enchiladas EVER. My daughter demanded that I get a copy of your cookbook!! Thanks for a keeper. Oh, and I said I would use store bought enchilada sauce next time to save time, and I had a mutiny on my hands. Perfect recipe. Thanks!
This is excellent! I came across this recipe totally on accident, when looking for an enchilada sauce recipe, and was startled by how great and simple this dish is! I’ve just made it for dinner, and we all loved it! I didn’t have artichokes, but will use them next time, I’m sure it takes the flavors to a whole different level! Thank you so much for sharing this!
I made this recipe tonight for a friend who eats meat. I wanted to show him you can still eat things that anamazing without animal products. He was impressed! I only altered a few of the dairy ingredient a with non dairy. I paired it with some homemade guacamole and chips.
Sounds *delicious* Stephanie. I’m happy your friend liked it, too!
This recipe was awesome! I made them last night and we were going on about how good they are. I had some leftovers and I was excited all day to come home and have them. Thanks!!
So sweet, Gordon! Sounds like they came out delicious.
After having never made enchiladas in my life, I’ve made them twice in the past two weeks and am already looking forward to having them again. Thank you for this excellent recipe! I made it vegan with homemade cashew sour cream and daiya topping and it turned out so well. Your enchilada sauce is fantastic!!!
Yes! An enchilada convert :)
Do you think cornstarch would work as a thickener instead of flour?
It might! I haven’t tried. I have successfully used Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free blend.
I just wanted to say I love your recipes, Kate. Thanks for all your hard work. Love to Cookie (who is super cute; my son wants a dog just like her!).
Thank you so much, Alayne. Cookie says hi! So cute that your son wants one like her. I found her on petfinder.com; maybe you’ll get lucky there like I did!
This was amazing! My family loved it and we’re adding it to the “favorites” file :) It was definitely worth the time to make the enchilada sauce from scratch.
I think so, too! I’m glad this is on rotation now, Deb :)
Just made these tonight and they are fantastic…another great recipe!
Thank you, Lora!
I made this recipe last night for dinner and it got rave reviews from everyone. The enchilada sauce is so yummy, and the artichokes are definitely the secret ingredient here– they add a lot of depth and originality. I never fear when I made a recipe from your website, it has never disappointed.
I love that, Allison! I’m so happy it was a hit.
Yum, the enchilada sauce is so delicious. I also have treasured memories of my mom’s homemade enchilada sauce growing up and no recipe, so I scoured online for the recipe that sounded the closest to how it tasted. This was very close, if not better!
I was cooking for a couple of vegans, so substituted Kite Hill almond cream cheese for the sour cream and Parmela Creamery aged cashew nut cheese for the jack cheese on top.
Thanks for sharing your excellent recipe!
Your vegan version sounds excellent, Tom!
These were amazing! I added more artichokes because who doesn’t love artichokes!
The best part? The next morning, I diced up a leftover enchilada, threw it in a pan and scrambled a few eggs with it for a delicious breakfast. I am definitely making these again!
Enchilada scramble is a great idea, Jacalyn! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Kate,
This is on my list of things to make but first I’d like to clarify what type of jarred artichokes you recommend. In Australia they are usually marinated and a bit vinegary, or we can also get them in brine. Is it brined you used?
I’m looking forward to making this one soon … I, too, have had some vegetarian lasagnes that were disappointing for the amount of effort they involved!
Cheers
Sam
Oops … I’ve just realised I commented in the wrong recipe, but my question applies to both recipes!
Hi Samantha, I’m sorry for the delayed response! I used marinated artichokes that were not brined.
Hello, I made this wonderful dish – just substituted corn flour for the wheat flour in the red sauce, and as I had no vegetable broth on hand used a whole can of tomato paste (5.5 oz) to give more body / flavour to the water that I used instead. It worked. Also for those who need to avoid gluten, I used corn tortillas instead of wheat. I loved the combinations of flavours. Thank you !!
I’m glad that worked just as well, Jan! Thanks so much for the note.
I see corn in the first few photos, should I add those in as well? I don’t see it in the list of ingredients.
Sorry, that’s not corn, it’s just the artichoke!
Made this last night and it was amazing! Definitely adding to the repertoire.
Yes! So good to hear that.
This was DELICIOUS. I made both a regular and gluten free version, replacing the regular flour with Pamela’s Artisan Dairy Free GF flour. I worked perfectly and the sauce thickened nicely. I don’t know where you get your ideas for recipes but they are amazing!
Thank you, Cindy! I’m real big on experimentation– each of my recipes takes multiple iterations to get just right, so I’m glad you enjoy their final products!
After trying my first recipe from your site last night (the lentil soup, which was a huge hit!) I made these tonight, and they were the best enchiladas I’ve ever had! My husband, who will usually complain about a meatless dish, and my 2 year-old both devoured their plates! I love the home-made sauce, which was surprisingly easy to make and the hearty, but super healthy filling. Thank you for putting out these great recipes, I am a new fan of your blog! I can’t wait to try more!
Thank you so much, Lina! I’m so glad you found my blog. Thanks for reading.
Hi!! How do you recommend to cook the artichokes if bought fresh not canned?
I am very interested in trying this, but I just can’t fathom an enchilada without chicken! I may half the beans and add shredded chicken as well, what are your comments?
These were delicious! We had some extra filling and sauce after putting together the enchiladas (and the baking dish was full), so I turned them into quesadillas for lunch the next day and they were equally great. Thanks for a yummy recipe!
Made the sauce and thickened it with cornstarch. Worked great.
Great!
Making these for the second time because they were so good the first time! Two questions: 1) do you take stems off of the spinach? After I started pouring spinach in, I had to quickly pull some of the biggest stems off because I thought it would bother me eating them…but maybe that’s unnecessary. 2) I used heaping 1/2 cups full but still had leftover filling, wondering if you typically have a little left over? I might have used too much onion…anyway thanks for the creative, delicious and easy recipe (well I cheated and bought Trader Joes enchilada sauce which made it easy!) Thanks again!
Great recipe! The Enchilada sauce was incredible! They were so filling that I only ate 1 enchilada at a time—but it meant that I got to enjoy them for a few extra days! :)
Perfect! Thanks, Cindy. :)
I love this sauce! Enchilada filling is creamy and so yummy, tastes a lot less healthy than it is!
AMAZING!!! I made these on a whim because they looked so good, and they did not disappoint! I’ve never really eaten artichokes, but I got some good quality jarred ones and they really add a nice flavor.
Wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce, so I added some sour cream, a bit of milk, and shredded cheese, and that did the trick.
Never made enchiladas before, but will be making these again!
Gluten free version: use ground almonds or pepitas to thicken the sauce.
Perfect. Thanks, Ellen.
I made this recipe tonight. The prep took 45 mins vs the 10 and my sauce did not thicken. I added extra flour and cornstarch and got a little better results but still seemed thin. It was good but seemed like a lot of work for what I ended up with.
Sorry this didn’t meet your expectations, Kerrie. Did you let the sauce cool at all? That usually helps to thicken it.
These enchiladas are my new favorite! I love how easy and flavorful the sauce is!
Hooray! Thanks, Kailey.
Hi Kate,
Love so many of your recipes! Your book is beautiful too. Here in Australia, Vegan sour cream and cheese are available (and surprisingly delicious if you pick the right brand!Tofutti & Bio cheese for any vegans in Australia) so I’ll try the vegan version of this and let you know the result. Looking forward to it!
Yes, please let me know how the vegan version works out, Kate! I hope it goes well.
I made these for lunches to take to work this week – so delicious! Instead of black beans I used white northern beans, which went really well with the artichoke. I have an enchilada sauce recipe that I usually make, but the addition of the vinegar made a subtle yet delicious difference that I will be adding to my recipe from now on. Thanks for such an easy yet “meaty” vegetarian recipe!
You’re welcome, Kelli! White beans sound great with these.
Did this recipe a few times now… the enchilada sauce is awesome..very very hot… want to make sure this is accurate 2 teaspoons ground chili powder?
I really loved these– the homemade enchilada sauce was delicious! I was so happy to have the leftovers to eat for lunch the next day.
Great! Thanks, Marny.
These look scrumptious! Can they be made a day or two before & refrigerated. I’m having a large outdoor party with a taco bar, but would love to add these to the menu. I have large chaffing dishes for serving them to guest & a warming drawer that could keep the extras warm. I have about 70 people coming. Thank you, Kim
Hey Kim, did you end up making these ahead? How did they turn out?
This meal turned out absolutely AMAZING! My husband is a vegan, so we excluded the sour cream and cheese. The flavor was excellent!! Will definitely be cooking again!
Wonderful! Thanks, Carrie!
Have you tried corn starch to thicken instead of flour for gluten free sauce? Also, using thinly sliced zucchini, 3 overlapped instead of tortillas makes low carb and gluten free option. Sorry, no good thoughts or suggestions for the dairy replacement though. Recipe sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful recipe. I really like that you concocted a terrific red sauce with vegetable broth. Much as I like to make and use chicken broth, I get tired of it being called for in everything, especially when I try to cook economically, with an eye toward animal welfare, so chicken is only an occasional purchase.
I used a bunch of leaf spinach instead of baby spinach. I cooked my brined beans with a smashed garlic clove, a bit of onion, and a dried chipotle pepper. I am lucky in that our Texas grocer, HEB, offers great store-brand frozen artichoke quarters. I garnished with more sour cream, toasted pecans, and raisins as they do at a restaurant here.
Will definitely make often.
Yum! This all sounds great, Elizabeth. I’m glad you were happy with the veggie broth sauce, too!
Kate this is another great recipe! I made double the batch for dinner tonight and tweaked it a tad by using some Old El Paso to flavour my vegetables (don’t judge me haha) and I also added a tsp of tex mex cheese in each tortilla! I lo e your blog as I’m really venturing into then vegetarian lifestyle! A God Sent!
No judgments here! I love when readers figure out ways to use what they have on hand with my recipes. I’m happy you’ve been enjoying cooking veggie!
These are so good. I am excited to have enough for lunch all week! Thanks:)