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.
yum yum yum. I’m dragging my partner along for the 2 meatless dinners a week I’m attempting at the moment (you have to start somewhere) and he was very impressed. Thanks for making my journey easier!
Made these for a neighbor and they said they were the best enchiladas they ever had! The second time I made them I subbed kale for spinach and made and froze the sauce ahead of time. Still delicious and so satisfying! Saving this recipe to use forever.
I made some minor alterations to make this gluten free and they still turned out fantastic! My boys hate spinach but all three of them loved this! I have one who has never found an enchilada he likes, but you changed that! Thanks goodness because I love enchiladas! This is now a regular meal at our non-vegetarian house and my boys are learning how to make it themselves. Thanks! Definately going to try more of you recipes!
I will be making the recipe soon…
Just perfect for today. I have never made a red enchilada sauce, and it was delicious. Made everything according to the recipe with the exception of using half a can of jalapenos instead of the green chiles because I didn’t have them. What a lovely, perfect recipe! Thank you!
I have made this 4 times and it’s a hit every single time. My 2 year old devours it, and my husband and I do, too.
I have made this several times now. In fact, it’s now a regular freezer meal and I search the freezer near the end hoping there is another. I used Greek yogurt and added smoked paprika. Otherwise, follow this one exactly and LOVE it. It’s a new favorite.
Hi Kathryne,
Yes, I made this recipe and it turned out GREAT. I loved it and my family did too. I rate the preparation of my recipes as EASY, MEDIUM, and HARD. It certainly wasn’t the easiest to prepare, but it was well laid out and wasn’t the hardest either. I would rate it medium. It was well worth the effort and I will make it again and again.
I’m on a low sodium diet but I really question the amount of sodium that you have recorded on the nutrition label. The label says there is over 1,800mg of sodium in a single enchilada and the recipe makes 6 enchiladas, that’s over 10,000mg of sodium for the entire recipe. I added up the sodium in the individual ingredients and it was far less than 10,000mg. The greatest amount of sodium for all six enchiladas from the individual ingredients in the recipe is the salt (about 1,200mg), the 6 tortillas (about 3,000mg), and the cheese. Far less than 10,000mg. Can you give me a breakdown of the mg of sodium for each ingredient that makes up the 10,000?
Thanks, Ken
Hi Ken! Thank you for your feedback. I try to get it as accurate as possible, but my nutritional information are estimates. You can read more here. I’m happy you were able to calculate this to find out what you needed.
Looking forward to making this however concerned the 100g/4oz green chillies won’t go down well with my 3 year old – what would you recommend as a substitute? Just more spinach/artichoke, or perhaps roasted capsicums or something different flavour wise? Thanks for your suggestions!
Hi Catherine! I would suggest just omitting them for her if that is the case. I don’t find them that spicy, but I understand for a little one!
You’re not wrong about meat heads loving this!
I have been trying have 4 veggo meals a week, but my teen and partner have been hard to convince.
I was worried this one would be too “out there” for them but they absolutely LOVED IT!
so delicious! i cant wait to make it again!
I’m happy you love this recipe, Ainsley! I appreciate your review.
I just made these – they are awesome! Seriously the best enchiladas I’ve ever had.
I’m glad you loved them! Thank you for your review.
This recipe is so delicious! The sauce is the REAL DEAL! Yummmmmy!
Thank you! I’m happy you love it.
We don’t really use/or have canned chilli’ sun Australia. is there an appropriate substitute?
Hi Mel? I just want to make sure I under stand. Are you referring to the green chilis?
These were amazing. I used Kite Hill (vegan sour cream) and made my own cashew cream. Loved these and will make often!! I have shared with several friends!
This was delicious! Straight forward, clear, flavorful, fragrant, satisfying, veggie-rich, and easy!
This is the new family favorite. Absolutely delicious. The enchilada sauce is awesome. Did everything per the recipe except swapped out black beans for cannellini beans as our kids have yet to acquire the taste for black beans.
Wonderful to hear, Kris! Thank you for your review.
Another excellent recipe! And I feel so accomplished, making the enchilada sauce from scratch, and putting the enchiladas together. Kate makes it so easy! I don’t normally order enchiladas in restaurants, but I am already planning when to make my next batch.
Wonderful to hear, Anita! Thank you for your review.
Hi Kate, I’m over 70, have always loved to cook, mostly bake tho, but since I have many health issues now, decided to try eating more organic…altho I hate most cooked veggies, & have NEVER eaten cooked spinach, & gagged when my daughter, from age 4 on up, iloved it so much & preferred it straight from the can, cold! Ugh..long story short, I made & followed your recipe exactly….
It was very tasty…AFTER I had to pick out most of the spinach with my fork because I was gagging! Haha, I hope you don’t take offense, my daughter AND son would LOVE these..I chose this recipe because of all the yummy ingredients, I only wish spinach & I could get along. Thank you so much. I’ve checked out alot of your recipes..you work hard, I’m very impressed. I’ll be trying more
Thank you for sharing, Barb! I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of some of my other recipes.
Made this recipe Friday, took some time but was absolutely worth the wait. Tossed a few fresh mushrooms in also.
Very tasty and veg filled entree. However, I made some major modifications because I ran out of time! Had to turn “enchiladas” into “burritos”. I also got raw pinto beans, soaked them, simmered them with a piece of onion and salt, and then followed Kate’s refried beans recipe. So delicious to add in a tortilla with the stuffings above. All else the same (cut the cream ’cause I didn’t have it). Will definitely make it again with the sauce. Also, you have to have A LOT of spinach and filling to make enough enchiladas.
Thank you for sharing what you did, Rachel! I’m glad you still enjoyed it.
I ordered your cookbook “Love Real Food” and it arrived today. I am vegetarian and see many recipes I want to try but I thought I was getting the recipes for many Mexican dishes I want to try. Im interested in the Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas and “Taco Meat” made with Quinua. What is the name of the cookbook that has all these great looking Mexican dishes? billiepeck@hotmail.com
I hope you enjoy it, Bille! enchiladas you are referring to!
I have shared this so many times! This recipe will convert anyone into exploring a vegetarian life. It’s truly the GOAT enchilada variation. Thanks Kate, you’re my favourite recipe source.
I absolutely love this recipe. My husband didn’t even ask “Where’s the beef?” This will definitely be in my ‘Meatless Monday’ rotation. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
I love it! Thank you for sharing.
Really delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Ana!
We love enchiladas and have been making them for years, but these particular ones, are truly amazing!
Thank you!
Loved these enchiladas! I used only the artichoke bottoms and doubled it and they were so yummy!
Thank you for your review, Deanna! I appreciate it.
Can you make these ahead of time, like in the morning and just put them in the oven in the evening?
Hi! I haven’t tried it. I’m a little hesitant that they may get soggy sitting. They do make great leftovers heated up!
Wish I could post a pic !!
Sooo delicious.
Even tho I don’t do dairy, I honestly forgot the sour cream. I love the idea of making my own enchilada sauce. Excellent flavor. My side dish was Mexican style quinoa.
I’m happy you loved it, Julie! Thank you for your review.
These sound delicious but I am on a low sodium diet (1500 mg a day)and this recipe has an enormous amount of that!! Any suggestions on how to even cut the salt in half for this?
Hi Susan, you can omit the salt and use no salt added inputs.
I made these tonight with a small exchange – corn tortillas instead of flour & I dipped them in the homemade enchilada sauce (delish) before rolling them with the filling. The whole family LOVED them. Will definitely make again. (And I had your broccoli cheddar soup – which I’ve made half a dozen times since the new year – for lunch). A full Cookie and Kate day of yummies.
Made this again for the 3rd time and it’s still so good but time consuming. Well worth it.
I’m happy you thought they were worth it!
Hi Kate! Just got your cookbook and tried the Spinach Artichoke Quiche, mmmmmm. Perfect.
The thyme in the crust :) Doubled the recipe to share with neighbors for Easter. Thank you! Looking forward to trying the enchiladas next! Susan
I made these last night and absolutely loved all the flavours. The only thing I had an issue was that my tortillas became gooey under the sauce. Any ideas on how to fix this? I used flour ones and baked it in a glass pan. Should I broil? I really loved these so would love to know what others think or recommend.
I decided to do Meatless May but have already been trying to eat vegetarian for 2 weeks now. I am considering making it a permanent. Thanks, Kate!!! I love your recipes and have tried a few of your recipes with my girls. They love them! Thanks, again. :)
Hi! They won’t be quite crispy like the top ones because of the sauce. Be sure to use the amounts indicated and spread evenly. It’s suppose to help from sticking, but too much won’t get you the desired results. I’m happy you are enjoying my recipes, Violeta!
Hi, I made this exactly according to the recipe—including draining the bottled artichokes well, and draining the black beans (used only a Tbsp.of beans per enchilada). I tried to drain the bottled green chilis, but they were mushy, so it was difficult to drain much liquid out. I also made the sauce, and it was nicely thickened. Wilt/cooked the spinach until moisture was out, and only used a Tbsp. of sour cream. The dish turned out to be a disappointment because, while the flavor was fine, the flour tortillas were inedible, due to their consistency—very gooey and mushy. I think it was due to the moisture that is INSIDE artichokes, which is released in cooking, but cannot be pre-drained. Maybe it is just me, but I was not able to eat the mushy flour tortillas.
Hi Ramona, I’m sorry you didn’t love these. I appreciate your review.
I just made this to add to enchiladas for dinner tonight. It tastes really good and I’m sure it will enhance the meal. I actually had some beef broth left over so I used that but added some chicken bouillon and a little seasoned salt.
Thanks!!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Linda! Thank you for your review.
Thank you for the recipe, I made this tonight, and it was really delicious!
I made a couple of changes, mainly because I was not paying close attention. I didn’t realize the recipe said 12oz of spinach, and I only bought one 5 oz clamshell. So I used that, and doubled the black beans instead. Also, I like red sauce fine, but I love green sauce, so I used a good canned green sauce (Hatch brand). Other than that, I followed the recipe, topped with some avocado. It was really delicious, and next time I will buy more spinach!
Made this tonight for meatless Monday. My family doesn’t like beans so just increased artichokes. Also added some cheese and a little more sour cream to filling (maybe 1/2 cup). It was delicious. Made with suggested enchilada sauce with added chipolte. This was a hit! Will definitely make again.
Hey couldn’t you not use cornstarch as a thickener for your enchilada sauce, as its gluten free…
Hello,
I want to make this tonight. Can I assemble it and hold off baking it for an hour or so?
Thanks,
Jean
Hi Jean, sorry for my delay! What did you end up doing?
I have made these a few times and love them. They are my favorite over the meat enchilidas. I’m Mexican and they are amazing!!!
I’m glad they meet your approval! I appreciate your review, Della.
Can the green chilies be left out? Can I substitute some kind of spice for them. My husband and I cannot eat any kind of peppers. I know many recipes call for peppers and it’s hard to know what to use in place of them or leave them out altogether. Thank you.
Hi, you can omit them if you like. Let me know what you think!
I used an equal measure of quinoa flour and chickpea flour then followed the rest of the recipe. Worked out great.
Delicious meal. My family love it. Definitely it will be on my twice monthly menu. Thank you so much
I’m happy you all enjoyed them, Kim! Thank you for your review.
A friend gave me Kate’s cookbook a couple of years ago, and I have made so many of the recipes. Every single one has been excellent. I am a vegetarian, and my husband is not, but he has been happy with everything I have made. I am in Colorado for a month (I live in Maryland), and my grown children and some cousins are coming for a week. I have planned my week of cooking around so many of Kate’s recipes (enchiladas, pasta e fagioli, breakfast frittata etc.).
Thank you, Cookie and Kate is my go-to for all dishes vegetarian and vegan.
Terri
When and where did you add the Monterey cheese
Hi Claudia, see step 6.
Love spinach & artichoke everything!!! Thank you for this great recipe! Can’t wait to try these — mine are baking in the oven now. I “powered these up” for my high school athlete by doubling the black beans, using 8 oz of jack cheese, and swapping out the sour cream with 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt + 1TBSP olive oil. Kept everything else the same. I got 10 or 11 enchiladas.
I’ve made this now a couple of times with a few variations (more garlic and spice). I’m veg and appreciate tasty and healthy alternatives to meat. Takeaway is Your enchilada sauce recipe is hands down THE BOMB and I will never, ever buy store made sauce again. THANK YOU!
Kate, I love every recipe of yours I’ve tried, but this one is a staple in our house! My SO and I just made it again, this time using his homemade corn tortillas and it is fantastic. I love that I can prep the components ahead of time and then just assemble and bake for a delicious veggie packed meal that is hearty enough to feed a crowd. Thank you for your wonderful blog!!
Hello! I have found oat flour to thicken up liquids it’s done wonders for me. You can use practically the same ratio as flour. Hope this helps!
Thanks for such a delicious recipe! It was a hit! And I plan to use again. I forgot the apple cider vinegar, and I have a feeling that makes a subtle and v nice difference. So next time :)) Also, I wasn’t clear about adding the black beans to the artichoke and spinach mix, so I filled 3 with (adding beans), and 5 without. Tonight we’ll taste the difference with leftovers. Also, I always like to pour sour cream over the top of red sauce (over the enchiladas), then sprinkle cheese on top. And I never thought of sprinkling cilantro on top. My Mexican grandmother never did that. My mother never did that, and I’ve never seen a restaurant do it. And it is such a nice touch. Your red sauce has a very authentic savory taste. And v good balance between flavor and heat. V v good!! Really going to be my go-to recipe for enchiladas now.
PS! I know some US restaurateurs like to offer Americans the option of flour tortillas or corn for enchiladas. But the Mexican in me…smh. A flour tortilla is used to make a burrito. So it’s either an enchilada, by definition wrapped in a corn tortilla, or a burrito wrapped in flour tortilla. That said, the yeild for corn tortillas is really about 8 to 14+/- (if you mix the beans in) Or like you say, 6 whopping big burritos:)))
Just keeping the Mexican cuisine claro. :) Thanks again for sharing.