Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
This roasted veggie enchilada casserole recipe is a hearty, vegetable-packed dinner loaded with fresh Mexican flavors! It's a great gluten-free main dish.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
It’s about time you met the vegetarian option at my family’s Thanksgiving—enchilada casserole! When I stopped eating meat several years ago, my mom was totally flummoxed on how to feed me. Granted, I was already a full-grown adult at this point, but she’s my mom and she likes to make sure I’m well fed.
Mom has a small repertoire of go-to recipes, and while we were growing up, Mexican “lasagna” was one of them. I always refused to eat it because I didn’t like ground beef (picky little Kate strikes again).
When I came across this recipe for a stacked enchilada casserole full of roasted vegetables and spinach, I sent it her way. It was a hit with the whole family, and so it joined her repertoire of recipes. She makes it (or just the roasted vegetables) for Christmas and birthdays, too.
Of course, I couldn’t help but tinker with the original recipe. I simplified the veggies a bit and divided them across two pans for maximum caramelization. Then I added some black beans for protein, and discovered that Monterey Jack produces an infinitely better end result than cheddar does.
Watch How to Make Enchilada Casserole
I wasn’t really sure what to call this recipe—Mexican casserole? Enchilada casserole? Stacked enchiladas? I’m leaning toward “enchilada casserole recipe,” even though this recipe calls for salsa instead of enchilada sauce. I tried it with both, but it’s easier to make and turns out better with salsa.
I hope this one’s a hit at your house! Please let me know how it turns out in the comments.
Enchilada Casserole Serving Suggestions
Round out your meal with any of the following recipes.
- Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
- Fresh Herbed Avocado Salad
- Mexican Brown Rice, as shown in these photos
- Mexican Green Salad with Jalapeño-Cilantro Dressing, or a simple green salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Skinny Margaritas
More Mexican-ish Recipes to Try
If you love this recipe, check out the following recipes with Mexican influences, or browse all of my Mexican recipes here.
- Loaded Veggie Nachos
- Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
- Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas
Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
This roasted veggie enchilada casserole recipe is a hearty, vegetable-packed dinner loaded with fresh Mexican flavors! It’s a great gluten-free main dish. Recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.
Ingredients
Roasted veggies
- ½ medium head of cauliflower, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into wedges about ½-inch wide
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Remaining ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (18 ounces) red salsa, either homemade or jarred*
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
- 9 to 10 corn tortillas**, halved
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 2 big handfuls (about 2 ounces) baby spinach leaves
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- To roast the veggies (this can be done up to 2 days in advance): Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent the vegetables from sticking.
- On one pan, combine the cauliflower and sweet potato. On the other pan, combine the bell peppers and onion. Drizzle half of the olive oil over one pan, and the other half over the other pan. Same with the cumin.
- Sprinkle both pans lightly with salt and pepper, then toss each one until the vegetables are lightly coated in oil and spices, adding another light drizzle of olive oil if necessary. Arrange the vegetables in an even layer across each pan. Bake until the vegetables are tender and caramelized on the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes, tossing the veggies and swapping the pans halfway.
- When you’re ready to assemble, reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 9″ square baker. Stir the cilantro into the salsa.
- To assemble, spread ½ cup salsa evenly over the bottom of the baking pan. Add a single layer of halved tortilla pieces, arranging them so they completely cover the salsa.
- Top with ½ of the beans, ⅓ of the vegetables, ½ of the of spinach, and ⅓ of the cheese.
- Make a second layer of tortillas (I pressed down on the mixture a little here to make room for the next layers). Top with ½ of the remaining salsa, all of the remaining beans, ½ of the remaining vegetables, all of the remaining spinach, and ½ of the remaining cheese.
- Make a third layer of tortillas (again, I pressed down to make more room). Top with the remaining salsa, vegetables, and cheese.
- Cover the pan with parchment paper (I tent mine in the middle and wrap the edges around the handles) or aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes, or until heated through.
- Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes, to give it time to set and reach a palatable temperature. Before serving, sprinkle the top lightly with additional chopped cilantro.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Perry’s Plate.
*Salsa suggestions: I recommend a mild to medium salsa here, depending on your heat preferences. I used Trader Joe’s basic “Salsa Authentica” option here, which I don’t love on its own, but it was great mixed with cilantro and the other ingredients. My mom loves Target’s medium roasted tomato and chipotle salsa (Archer Farms brand), which lends a smoky note. Or, make your own salsa—here’s my favorite salsa recipe—and you can really minimize the sodium content by choosing low-sodium tomatoes and keeping the salt low.
Make it dairy free/vegan: I haven’t tried (let me know if you do), but I’m confident that you could replace the cheese with cashew sour cream. If the end result is a little dry, just top individual servings with a little more salsa.
**Make it gluten free: Be sure to use 100% corn/certified gluten-free tortillas.
Storage suggestions: This casserole keeps well, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
Change it up: You can change the vegetables used here as long as you use about the same volume. You could also add another can of beans to increase the protein content.
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.
Made this last night and it was fabulini (my twist on fabulous).
Thanks Cookie and Kate!
Hello Kate – my wife made these enchiladas last night and they are amazing We are not strict vegetarians (yet), but I never want to eat regular enchiladas again!
Thank you for all of the great recipes and beautiful website.
Sincerely,
– Mike
I made this using two jars of Trader Joe’s Harissa Salsa, which totally amped up the heat! This fed me for lunch all week…and I looked forward to it every day :)
I made this vegan by subbing daiya cheese, and it turned out wonderfully! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers!
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe as it is and it was excellent. Between the green beans casserole, the broccoli gratin, the enchiladas and the apple tart, it was a whole cookie and kate week end at my house:) love all your recipes!!
Made this last night but with enchilada sauce instead of salsa (it was what we had on hand, and it’s fridge-clearing time), and it was GREAT! Boyfriend and I had to negotiate over the leftovers. I can’t wait to make it again!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I loved it so much that I am inviting my family over to enjoy it as well :) I see you mention the vegetables can be roasted 2 days in advance. After roasting, how should they be stored? And should they be reheated before baking the casserole?
Looking forward to making more of your recipes!!!
I’m making this tomorrow- it seems like a lot for a 9″ sq pan. Does it really make just one?? Thanks
Hi Carolyn, yes, it just makes one. I had to press down the ingredients along the way to make them fit (you’ll see those details in the instructions).
I’m from Texas and this dish hits the spot! Absolutely loved your recipe! I am planning to make it for my family at an upcoming lunch and would love to prepare the veggies in advance. I see in your recipe the veggies can be roasted up to 2 days in advance. Where would they be stored after? And do they need to be reheated before heating in the casserole? Thanks in advance! Cannot wait to share this tasty recipe with my family.
I started to make this and then realized that I only had 1 wrap left. So I just made one layer of everything and put the torn up wrap on top, right under the cheese. I also had a random hard taco shell flying around, so I threw that on top as well. It was delicious and I bet it’ll be even better next time when I actually have everything I need :-).
Thanks for this great recipe and all your hard work :-)
Oh my Kate, SOOOO good!
So here is what I did: doubled the recipe (owner of 2 teenaged boys), used your enchilada sauce instead of salsa (cause YUM!), used carrots instead of sweet potato, kale instead of spinach and kidney beans instead of black beans (it’s what I had) and shredded vegan cheddar (I veganise all your recipes).
Boys got home from school, I announced enchilada-lasagna for supper and they loved me for ever after!
This one is not of the ball park!!
Another yummy hit at my house, dog included. My standard poodle Roman LOVED it! :0) I accidentally cooked it a bit too long, so not as pretty as yours, but still just as delish! Omni Hubby raved about this one. Thanks Kate. Happy Holidays to you and that sweet Cookie!!
I made this without the cauliflower and without spinach because I forgot to buy those two ingredients and it was still delicious. I just used medium hot Store brand red salsa and it was great. I ate it with some plain yogurt because even the medium was pretty spicy. I also added some cumin to the black beans. It looked like it may be time-consuming, but it came together more quickly than I thought. This is going on the “A” list. I would proudly serve it to company. Thanks for the excellent recipe.
Made this last night that and it’s fantastic! We topped ours with a little sour cream and a little extra salsa! It’s delish!
These recipes are really yummy and delicious. I love the idea of these easy and efficient enchiladas! I’m definitely going to have to make them…
What a fun recipe. I enjoyed all aspects, from shopping-prep-serving-eating. It was a celebration. I had to add artichokes after being spoiled by your Spinach Artichoke Enchilada recipe. The only other alteration was the sweet potato, we had purple yams on hand and worked out fine. Thank you sooo much for this wonderful surprise!
Your variation sounds great, Mark – and colorful :)
So yummy! Another winner from this blog. I am never disappointed!
Yes! Glad this one continued the streak :)
Made this tonight for a friend who actually turned me onto your blog. No surprise- she loved it and so did I! I love that I was able to roast the veggies a day ahead so after work tonight it only took 10 min to assemble and 30 min to bake! Would give it 5 stars :)
YES so glad the both of you enjoyed! Thanks, Elizabeth!
I made the Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Casserole and it’s fabulous! I will definitely be making it again. I might use a slightly bigger baking dish next time. It was pretty jam packed in the 9″ square. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Marvelle!
Hey! Just popped this in the oven. It looks so good! I’m wondering if it’s freezable in single servings. What do you think? Thanks!
Probably so! Love that idea. It will just take a while to cook through once frozen, but I think it’ll work.
Just made this recipe tonight and it was amazing!! I decided my husband and I are going to cut back on meat, even more then we already have, but I needed more vegetarian meals. I made some minor changes to the recipe, I had an acorn squash so I substituted that for the cauliflower. Used a little less beans and cheese because again that’s what I had. We loved it! So filling and flavorful! This will definitely be one I make many more times. Thank you!
Awesome! I’m happy it worked with what you had on-hand. I hope the blog helps you with your transition to a more veg-friendly diet :)
Great sauce.
Thanks!
We love this recipe! We just made it again and ate every bit. To cut down on oil & fat we roast the veggies on a non-stick silicone baking mat with no oil and almond shredded cheddar.
Ooh, great tip. So glad you could adjust to your preferences, Jennifer.
Made this last time and it was delicious! I added some fake vegan “ground beef” to make it more appealing to the boyfriend. I’ll def be making this again for our meatless mondays
Sometimes they need a little coaxing… but I’m glad it worked!
This has quickly become a staple in my family of 5. It’s great with Daiya instead of cheese if you have dairy restrictions, and it’s also great with different cheeses. I tried substituting zucchini for the red pepper and that was also great. It’s a very versatile and kid friendly dish. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Anna! Happy to hear this is a crowd-pleaser.
Hubby and I loved this, my vegetarian11 year old said without the beans ruined it would be her new favourite Still trying to convince her of their protein power. Living in rural Ireland means black beans, corn tortilla’s and Monteray Jack had to be substituted for alternative & likely more boring alternatives. But as a carnivore who has disliked sweet potato & cauliflower to date your amazing pictures & enthusiasm convinced me to give it a go…..and it did not disappoint. Thank you for helping out this Mum of a vegetarian to bring interesting veggie meals to the dinner table.
I *never* used to like beans as a kid, but my palate evolved over time-so there’s hope for her! I’m glad your version worked out with what you had on hand. And so happy to have you here from Ireland!
This recipe looks delicious! I can’t have beans. Do you have any idea of a substitution? I want Mexican food!! :)
Hi Rachel! You could just omit the beans, if that works!
We LOVE this recipe! The one vegetarian (husband) and two carnivores (me and my son). It’s great!
I’d like to take it to a retreat, but want to know if I can make it ahead and freeze it. Have you tried that?
Thanks!
Hi Anna, so glad you’re all enjoying this one. I haven’t tried freezing it. It would take a long time to defrost since it’s so dense, but it might be worth a shot. Please let me know if you try!
Another hit in our family! Thanks Kate :)
You’re welcome, Petra :)
Hi Kate, Thank you for your great recipes with easy-to-follow instructions and lovely photos. Last week my newly-thirteen-year-old daughter – who attends a farm-based Montessori school where they are raising meat animals this year – suggested she would like to become vegetarian. We are a skinny family who eats very carefully but omnivorously. Several years ago we switched to a vegan diet for five months and all lost so much weight we started to feel bad – I had no idea how to balance nutrition without the animal products we’d always relied on. I figured we could try vegetarian for a while, since I the arguments are certainly persuasive. My younger daughter went to my laptop immediately to find recipes and the first site she brought up was yours. So last week we tried Simple Seedy Slaw, Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole and Spicy Black Bean Soup. My family was thrilled. These are the best new recipes I’ve tried in years. I can’t wait to buy your cookbook! We are gluten-free and I have to be careful with nightshades – particularly no potatoes – and Zoë can’t have dairy, but your recipes are so easily adapted. I was truly excited to try these, and even my hungry husband relished the vegetarian dishes. He even suggested we just repeat this week’s menu next week! This week I’m going to try some of your pizzas on a cauliflower crust recipe I found last week. I think it will be a great base for the kale pesto and the brussels sprouts and balsamic onions. And I’m thrilled to discover your crispy tofu recipe. I made one up years ago that’s a family favorite but much more labor intensive for similar results. Thank you!
So nice to hear from you, Jessie! Finding the right balance can be a difficult journey, for sure. Your struggles are definitely shared by many members of this community. But, I’m so glad it seems that you’ve found equilibrium, finally! Happy to have you here.
I made this recipe yesterday without the cheese, and I added some cooked rice. It was delicious. My friends liked it also.
Made these over Christmas Holiday when we needed a break from all the meat! So good, and even my carnivorous Brother In Law ate it up!
Perfect! Thanks, Kristen.
I just made The Veggie Enchilada Casserole tonight. The minute my husband and I took our first taste we both agreed it was the best thing we had tasted in a very long time. I can’t say enought great things and comments about it. I alreday know I will be making it for us many times in the future. Ann High
Hey, Ann! I’m so happy you both enjoyed it so much! Thanks for the comment.
I made your Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole for dinner this evening! Spectacular! It tasted so fresh and the veggies retain their bright color. Yummy!
Wonderful! So happy to hear this, Barbara.
I made this the day before yesterday and the recipe is perfect and so scrumptious! Absolutely no tweaking necessary (well, except for omitting the bloody cilantro, as always, urgh) :-) Love your blog and look very much forward to your book. Greetings from rainy Switzerland.
Hi, from (oddly warm) Kansas City! So happy you loved it. And yes, the cilantro is going to be a lifelong struggle for some :)
Where have you been all my life Kate! The struggle is real for variety in the veggie world. I am so stoked to try this recipe! I will see how the Dairy free goes, wish me luck!
Good luck, Aramis! I’m with you in that struggle, but I hope this recipe helps you change things up.
This was so satisfying! I made it with Trader Joe’s new harissa salsa, and I loved the little kick that gave the recipe. I topped it with some of your cashew sour cream, which I’d had leftover from a different recipe. Thanks, Kate!
So happy you enjoyed it, Kaitlyn!
Do you have the nutritional information? I’d like to know the calorie count as well as the protein count. Thanks!
Tonight’s dinner – it seemed a good Friday evening choice. The house smells great. While compiling the ingredients we snacked on the roasted veggies and that served as our aperitivo, with a nice hoppy IPA. I followed the recipe to a T and it was quite delicious. As empty nesters we have a nice amount of leftovers for the weekend.
Yum! Sounds like a great meal, Beatrice.
This recipe is too good! I ate it too fast and was really really sad when it was all gone!
Dang! Double batch next time, then, right? :)
This is a great base recipe! My Whole Foods was out of cauliflower and spinach so I used broccoli and baby kale instead, and I also used one large whole wheat tortilla for each of the layers (my store carries some by Engine No. 2 that I like), and that worked really well. For the salsa, I used a medium ‘cantina style’ (which I chose randomly, to be honest) with some fire-roasted diced tomatoes mixed in — I thought it was very good. I served it with sliced avocado and a side of brown rice. Yum!
Your version sounds delicious, Siobhan!
This was a hit with our toddler and guests. Easy enough to put together and was delicious. We served it with sour cream. Thanks for the veggie loaded recipe!
You’re welcome, Kate!
Made this recipe on the week-end, with few changes: I used organic tortilla chips, black olives instead of black beans, and mixed all the veggies in a plastic bag with avocado oil and cumin seeds, and cooked all together on one cookie sheet. It was EXCELLENT! Thank you.
Your version sounds great, Manon.
So, I don’t eat dairy but the rest of my family does. I made this recipe in two separate dishes – one with cheese and one without. I did not use cashew cream (it’s not my favorite thing) but took your suggestion of adding more salsa. I thought it was fantastic! And my kids raved about the original version. Thank you!
Great! Thanks for commenting, Molly. So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Thank you, Kate!! This was such a great tasting dish!! I have been planning on trying it out for more than a month and I kept using the ingredients in other dishes. It was certainly worth the wait!
Thanks, Brenda! I’m glad you were finally able to try it.
I tried this recipe today it came out awesome. My kids loved it. Thank you. Sure i will try your other recipes too.
Great! So happy everyone enjoyed it.
I’ve loved all the recipes I’ve ever tried of yours but this is my fav. I added a fried egg on top for something different – so good!!
Ooh, a runny egg on top would be amazing with this. Stealing that idea for next time!
Love this recipie, lots of color and flavor. Fairly easy and tasty… Yum!
Perfect!
Made this tonight without onions and it was SO GOOD!! New favourite recipe from this site!
Awesome! Thanks, Sara!
Thank you for posting this recipe – my wife and I made it this evening. It was a lot of fun to prepare and was light while filling and thoroughly delicious. We decided immediately after eating a slice each to add it to our elite ‘go to’ rotation of recipes that includes recipes from Gordon Ramsay and Emeril Lagasse–that’s how much we loved it. Easy to make, healthy (from the salsa to the cilantro to the cauliflower, red peppers, onions and sweet potatoes, it had lots of brightly colored veggies–a telltale sign of high antioxidant content) and downright tasty. We used whole wheat tortillas for some extra fiber and it turned out perfectly, so not sure why others seem to have had issues. Would probably add 50% more salsa than the recipe calls for as well, as we were a bit short at the end (plus I’m naturally a salsa guy). I typically like really spicy food and was debating hot salsa and at the last minute decided on medium–it was still enough of a kick, but next time I may play it risky and go with hot. Lastly, we used a standard 9×13 pan as we didn’t have a square pan, and the ingredient amounts were still perfect. I suppose that made our dish a bit less deep than using a 9×9 pan, but the depth and texture of our casserole seemed perfect. At any rate, all in all an excellent and serendipitous result of my original Google search on ‘vegetarian casserole’. I will visit your site more often. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad this worked out so well, S! I’m proud that my recipe made it on a regular rotation with your family. I love hearing that!