Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas
Amazing vegetarian enchiladas stuffed with black beans, broccoli, bell pepper and spinach, topped with homemade red sauce. My favorite enchilada recipe!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
These vegetarian enchiladas are a hearty and satisfying dinner. Make them on a weeknight and you’ll enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day. Or make it on the weekend and invite friends over to make a party out of it! You could make a double batch and freeze the extras—you’ll find freezing instructions below.
You’ll love the fresh filling in these enchiladas, made of sautéed bell pepper, broccoli, onion, spinach, black beans and warming spices. These enchiladas are nicely cheesy, but not overwhelmingly cheesy like many restaurants make them.
This enchilada recipe has become quite popular since I published it nearly eight years ago. I used my spinach artichoke enchiladas as a blueprint and covered them with my go-to homemade enchilada sauce, of course. They’re just fantastic and I hope you’ll give them a try, if you haven’t already.
If you’ve never made enchiladas before, you can do it! You’ll find a detailed recipe, step-by-step photos, and an instructional video below.
How to Make Vegetable Enchiladas
This recipe isn’t the quickest dinner option (enchiladas never are), but it is totally worth the effort. Here’s a basic rundown with some notes and variations.
You’ll start by making my red enchilada sauce, a simple, pantry-friendly recipe using dried spices and vegetable broth. It has an amazing depth of flavor! If you want to change it up, you could use my green enchilada sauce instead, which is made from salsa verde (jarred is fine).
Then, you’ll sauté red onion, bell pepper, broccoli and spinach. Broccoli is an uncommon ingredient in enchiladas, but I love it here. If you’re hesitant and want a more neutral flavor, substitute cauliflower instead. Cumin and a small amount of cinnamon (yes, cinnamon!) ramp up the flavor.
Once the vegetables are done cooking, we’ll transfer them to a bowl and add drained black beans, plus a small amount of cheese and a splash of enchilada sauce for flavoring. Then we’ll assemble the enchiladas, drizzle the remaining sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until golden. If you want extra cheesy enchiladas, you could double the cheese (use a full 8 ounces).
This recipe calls for flour tortillas. I like to use whole wheat for some extra flavor and fiber. Corn tortillas are more traditional, but my mom always used flour tortillas in her enchiladas when we were growing up, so I used flour. If you’d like to use corn tortillas, you certainly can. You’ll need more than 8 of them, likely 12. Gently warm them in the microwave or one at a time on the stovetop before using (otherwise, they might break when rolling).
Watch How to Make Vegetarian Enchiladas
How to Freeze These Enchiladas
You can make these enchiladas as directed and freeze them instead of baking them. I also tried baking and then freezing them, but it was more work with no payoff. To help minimize freezer burn, refrigerate the dish until fully chilled (about four hours), then cover tightly and freeze fully.
Use a freezer-safe dish, like this Pyrex dish. I’ve successfully used Pyrex baking dishes straight from the freezer to the oven. Beware there’s always a slight risk that the dish could break.
Once frozen, they will keep for up to six months in the freezer. Frozen foods technically never go bad when the freezing environment is perfectly consistent, though they generally taste better when consumed sooner.
To bake the frozen enchiladas, first ensure that the exterior of the baking dish is dry by wiping it with a towel—this helps avoid shocking the glass. Bake as directed in the recipe below, then cover the dish snugly with parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake until it is fully cooked through and bubbling, probably about 45 minutes total or longer (covering the dish prevents it from becoming too browned). Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
These enchiladas are a well-rounded main dish offering vegetables, greens, whole grains and protein. If you’re hosting friends, perhaps start with guacamole or salsa with chips. For cocktails, try fresh-squeezed margaritas or ranch waters.
Here are some side dishes that would be lovely with these enchiladas:
- Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad)
- Fresh Herbed Avocado Salad
- Mexican Green Salad with Jalapeño-Cilantro Dressing (or a simplified version of it)
- Simple Healthy Slaw
More Veggie-Packed Main Dishes
Craving more hearty vegetarian meals with Mexican flavors? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Epic Vegetarian Tacos
- Fajita Veggie & Halloumi Bowls
- Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
- Sweet Potato, Poblano, and Black Bean Enchiladas in my cookbook, Love Real Food
Please let me know how these veggie enchiladas turn out for you in the comments! I’m always so eager to hear from you.
Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas
Amazing vegetarian enchiladas stuffed with black beans, broccoli, bell pepper and spinach, topped with homemade red sauce. My favorite enchilada recipe! Recipe yields 8 enchiladas, enough for about 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 cups homemade enchilada sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 small red onion)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 bunch of broccoli or 1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 pound), florets removed and sliced into small, bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach (about 5 cups, packed)
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ½ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 whole wheat tortillas (about 8 inches in diameter)
- Handful of chopped cilantro, for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the upper third. Lightly grease a 9 by 13-inch pan with olive oil or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until simmering. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the broccoli and bell pepper, stir, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 to 9 minutes, or until the broccoli is brighter green and just starting to turn golden on the edges.
- Add the cumin and cinnamon to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, stirring until it has reduced in size. Repeat with the remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted.
- Transfer the contents of the pan to a medium mixing bowl. Add the drained beans, ¼ cup cheese and a drizzle of enchilada sauce (about 2 tablespoons). Season with ½ teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- Assemble the enchiladas: Pour ¼ 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 filling 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 tips of the enchiladas bare. Sprinkle the remaining 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 6 minutes, until sufficiently golden and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let the enchiladas rest for 10 minutes (they’re super hot!). Before serving, sprinkle chopped cilantro down the center of the enchiladas. Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep well for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my spinach artichoke enchiladas.
Make it vegan: You could just skip the cheese altogether and still end up with awesome enchiladas. For some extra creaminess, you might top them with sliced avocado or a drizzle of vegan sour cream.
Make it gluten free: Substitute certified gluten-free “flour” tortillas, or use corn tortillas (they’re smaller than my 8-inch tortillas, so you might need more than 8 tortillas). If you use corn tortillas, gently warm them together in the microwave or individually on the stove before you try to roll them up, or they might break.
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 as directed but used a little more spinach than it called for, since I love spinach and it cooks down so much. I also sprinkled green onion on top with the cilantro. I agree with other commenters that it takes longer to make than suggested. But that doesn’t change my opinion – 5 stars and delicious!
I’m glad you still loved them, Diana! Thank you for your review.
Last night I left a rave review for Kate’s homemade enchilada sauce, which I will match today for these finished enchiladas. I loved them. I’ve made a lot of different vegetarian enchilada recipes and this is by far the best. I think using Kate’s enchilada sauce is super important. It works really well with the filling flavors.
My son, however, has autism which sometimes manifests as sensitivity to food textures. He did not like having the broccoli and peppers inside, as those more crunchy textures don’t work with the soft enchilada texture for his sensitivity. He liked the flavor though and also really likes the sauce. So next time I make this for us both, which I will definitely do, I’m going to try simplifying the filling to a cheese, bean, and spinach filling with very finely chopped onions. I might try using a mix of black and pinto beans for some flavor variety.
I’m excited you loved both of them! For the texture, you could try pulsing everything together briefly in a food processor to help with the consistency? That could help some!
This recipe was SO good, even my meat loving, spice hating boyfriend ate it up!
That’s a win! Thank you for sharing, Ali.
My go-to recipe. Never fails! Thank you so much for the recipe! :)
I’m happy to hear that!
Wow this recipe is so good. It did take me a while to cook but I think it was worth it. Definitely recommend.
Thank you, Lulu!
These enchiladas are AMAZING! Anytime we have friends or family come over, it’s my go to. Like you said, not the quickest recipe but 100% worth it. People ask me for the recipe all the time and can’t stop talking about how delicious they are. Thanks for sharing this!!
What a great one to entertain with! Thank you for sharing, Lizzy!
Just wondering if you can makes these (delicious by the way!) and freeze them?
Thanks great web site,
MC
These freeze well! You can do it in a freezer safe dish or portion them out by serving. Make sure you have an airtight, freezer friendly container.
For my mixed-diet family, I made half the tray with cow cheese and half with vegan cheese. Both sides turned out great! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Valerie!
Delicious! I made this exactly as instructed, and they are the best enchiladas I’ve ever had.
My only note would be that the recipe yielded 7, not 8, enchiladas. Not sure how mine ended up differently, but it wasn’t an issue.
I’ll definitely make this again.
Thank you for your review, Brook.
I absolutely adore this recipe and can’t remember how many people I have either cooked it for, or given your website to here in Australia…… everyone has loved it too. The enchilada sauce is the bomb!
I love that! Thanks for the C+K support, Donna. :)
This was fantastic! I made this for my in-laws tonight and we all enjoyed it. Very satisfying and flavorful! I want to make this again soon. I made the sauce and refrigerated it the day before, which helped with the timing. Served it with fresh guacamole and chips.
Thank you for your comment and review, Marlayna!
We loved this recipe! It was worth making the sauce from scratch because the spices and flavors are so complex. My husband gives this dish a big thumbs up! And I love the fact that it makes enough for two meals!
Thank you, Linda!
Somehow I JUST stumbled across your blog recently and I am so disappointed I didn’t find it sooner! I typed a couple things into google and your site kept coming up so I figured there was a reason! I’ve been clicking through a bunch of recipes and they all look amazing! I’m a meal planner, and I make my meal plans for 5-7 days at a time. I’ve got three of your meals on my list this week and this was the first one I made! These are sooooo good! I sampled the filling before assembling (of course) and could have just eaten that alone with a fork. My husband loved them too and we are not even vegetarian. Even my 1 and a half year old daughter loved them :) she picked out the filling and ate every last bite! Not sure why she didn’t eat the wrap, she usually loves them lol. But anyways, these are delicious and even if you are a meat eater, make these!! You will not regret it :)
Ps. The homemade enchilada sauce is a must as well! Seriously so good.
I’m so glad you found it and are loving it so far! Thank you for your review, Stephanie.
Thank you for the great recipe! I made this for my family tonight with a green salad and it was a hit! I doubled the enchilada sauce and filling (minus the cheese) and froze the second half so all I will have to do is defrost and assemble next time we make this for dinner. My four children requested your enchiladas for their school lunches:)
Thank you!
Love love love….the first time I have made awesome Enchiladas…thank you xx
Oh man… I’ve been making new recipes as often as possible for a little while, this one is definitely a keeper! It took a long time What with the sauce and all, but it came out so fragrant and amazing. I will definitely be making this again!
Great to hear, Selkie!
Seriously, these were unbelievable! I had everything on hand besides fresh spinach, so I used frozen and added some kale. The sauce was easy to make as well. The whole family loved them, and I will *definitely* be adding this to the regular rotation.
I’m glad you think so, Meghan! Thanks for your review.
I want to eat this for the rest of my life. Switched up cows cheese for bio cheese to make it vegan and doubled the amount of sauce but other than that followed the recipe and it was DELICIOUS!! Topped with guac too. All the kids and teenagers loved it and it was packet with so many veggies! I can tell this will be a recipe for keeps. Thank you!!
I love that! Thanks for sharing, Sammy!
My entire family loved these! Delicious and healthy. Easy to make and the recipe worked flawlessly. Excited to try them again with your homemade enchilada sauce! Also found the spinach artichoke enchiladas – will try those next week! Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Lee!
Delicious! I have been trying more meatless dinners for my family. This was a hit!Love the simple ingredients and that you make make this dish ahead of time! Will definitely make again!
Thank you for your review, Laura!
Fantastic recipe, thank you so much! I used a sauce and mexican flour tortilla shell recipe from a friend so literally everything made from scratch which took over 3 hours, but so worth it. I used cauliflower instead of broccoli, and a large ball of mozza mixed w some old sharp cheddar. I also sprinkled just mozza as i was assembling the tortillas vs combining it w the filling. Myself, my mother, aunt and toddler all loved it! Served with fresh diced avocado and greek yoghurt (no fresh cilantro on hand but next time!) also planning on freezing some. Thanks again for a keeper!
I have been making this recipe for over a year! At least once a month. My family loves it, even my kids (6 and 1). My oldest always gets so excited when he smells it cooking. I don’t always make my own enchilada sauce and use extra cheese because why not ♀️. It’s amazing and super healthy!
This was soooooo good! I made exactly like it said. I did use cauliflower because i didnt have broccoli. Next time I will make it with my homemade corn tortillas. I used your sauce receipe and that too was very good. Thank you for the receipe
Great post! Usually I don’t read all the blurb but this post was delightful to read and so true. Can’t wait to make this
I made this recipe last night. It was delicious! I made a few adjustments. In addition to veggies she suggested I added sweet potatoes, and zucchini for more veggies. Also I cooked beans separately (like you would when just making beans and rice) and this added another layer of flavor. Super easy to make the sauce. The whole dish comes together really nicely. I think the cinnamon flavor was delicious and paired nicely with the sweet potato I added.
Really good, and lends itself nicely to adjusting for taste or what you have on hand. I prefer corn tortillas in enchiladas. I used a little more cheese, but could easily omit when my dairy free son is home. Used the enchilada sauce from this site – if going to the trouble to make enchiladas, take 10 minutes to make the sauce. Served it with the Mexican rice also from this site. Winner all the way around, even teenage son said it was a keeper.
C+K, you have become my go to site for new recipes the last few weeks. I purchased your cookbook – the lemon blueberry cake has been made MULTIPLE times the last few weeks.
Thank you for your comment, Janel! I’m so happy you are loving the blog.
Just made this for dinner and it was AMAZING!
Made this tonight and it was fantastic. Left out the broccoli and cauliflower and used cheddar cheese because that’s what I had on hand. Definitely putting this into the rotation. Good enough to serve company, too!
Wonderful, Cheryl! Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely love this recipe! Simple ingredients, can be made in less than/ about an hour and it’s SO good. I love the sauce recipe too, which was great because I’ve never been a big fan of store bought options. Five thumbs up lol
Thank you, Briar!
This recipe is one of my new go tos when I’m struggling for a meal idea. The mix can be made ahead. They are wonderful!! Thank you!! And make the sauce, it’s so easy and no preservatives!
Ps. My family likes them more than meat enchiladas.
Honestly, I was skeptical at first. BUT this is one of the best things I’ve ever made and I’m so glad I tried this recipe!!! Definitely worth the time and it’s cheap. I used a sauce mix from the store and corn tortillas.
Super yummy! I made this for lunch for my boyfriend and I on a day working from home. Took ~40 min. When I make It again I will probably roast the broccoli instead of sauteing it to make it a little crispy.
I made some of your recipes before and they’re always good. I never reviewed it though, usually in a hurry and then I forget. I made this today and it was absolutely amazing. I haven’t made enchiladas for, probably 11 years or so and the last ones were chicken (been vegan for 10 years now). The sauce is outstanding, made it exactly as in the recipe. I used all the ingredients for the enchiladas, but didn’t measure, I just estimate. It turned out great! Will definitely make again. Love love love! Thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome, Jana! Thanks for taking time to comment to let me know how much you loved them.
Made these last night with the homemade enchilada sauce. Delicious! I will never buy canned sauce again. So easy and wonderful taste. Thanks so much for the recipe!
This was so good. My husband even liked it and he is the guy who prefers meat/chicken for all dinners. I added sweat potato and zucchini in addition to the rest of the veggies.
Loved this! Made a few tweaks as maybe we all do, but this was great! Added fresh corn to it and felt that it added some crunchiness and sweetness. Anyone make this ahead and stick it in the ref for a few hours? Thanks, this is a Keeper!
I’m glad you loved it!
The texture and flavour of this enchilada filling is really excellent. My meat-loving partner tasted this and exclaimed ‘This is f-ing delicious!’. I followed the recipe almost exactly. I cooked my own black beans in a pressure cooker with onion, garlic and jalapeno, which I think adds an extra layer of yumminess (but I’m sure it is great with canned beans). I made homemade enchilada sauce. I will definitely make this again. Thanks Kate for an awesome recipe :)
I love all kinds of enchiladas, but I think this might be my new go-to recipe. They were so good!
We love this recipe! Quick question though: can you make ahead and freeze?
I love your recipes! I bought your book for myself, and one for my sister, and I’m always talking about it at work. I’ve never made a single one of your dishes that I didn’t love. Keep up the good work! Also, Cookie is ADORBS.
These are really delicious. I made these a day before we wanted to eat them. I was worried about the tortillas getting soggy, so I fried them and covered them in sauce (advice from Bon Appetite, link below) before stuffing and rolling. I baked them and let them cool, covered and placed in refrigerator. They still tasted great 2 days later! It was a lot of work but I think frying and coating in sauce helped them from getting soggy.
These were absolutely delicious. Since I’m vegan, I used Daiya shredded cheese. I used gluten free flour in the sauce and it came out awesome. I can’t wait to make them again! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
I’m happy you were able to make this with a vegan version you liked, Nancy!
I made this without the cheese and served with sliced avocado and it was amazing! Next time I will have to make double the enchilada sauce because my husband and I couldn’t get enough of that. Some reviewers said the sauce was too bland but I didn’t find that to be the case at all.
I’m happy you loved everything about this recipe, Joanne! Thanks for your review.
So,
I doubled the recipe on the first try, which I usually don’t do because I don’t know if it’ll be a hit or not, but this time it definitely was! These are so stupid good. I was wary about the cinnamon but it worked!! I used canned mild enchilada sauce though because I’m a recipe cheater I also used cauliflower.
Hooray! That’s great, Danielle. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve made this recipe many times and it turns out great every time. After reading the comments on freezing I decided to do that same. I made these, froze for about a week. I warmed up half the pan in the over @ 375F for 20-30 minutes and they came out beautifully. Thanks for another great recipe Kate!
Just made this dish, including homemade enchilada sauce. I served them with homemade guacamole. Loved/devoured by all including two boys who are recent vegetarians. Great flavours, texture and easy to make!
I made this yesterday so I could just reheat for dinner tonight. They were fantastic! My vegetable-adverse husband even liked them. I’m considering trying them with corn tortillas next time… still, great flavors and we loved the sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
Great to hear, Lauren! Thanks so much for your review.
Made these last night with some minor modifications and thought they were great! Never would have thought of putting broccoli in my enchiladas. We found the recipe very adaptable to what we had on hand. We didn’t have bell pepper so we added kidney beans for bulk, and we also threw in some garlic powder since we thought the filling’s flavor needed some rounding-out. We also doubled the cheese, adding cheddar since we had extra in the fridge. With the modifications the recipe made one full pan of 10 enchiladas.
We served them with a wild rice/quinoa blend that we cooked with some of the leftover enchilada sauce and salsa. Slathered in sour cream, it was a delicious meal! This one will definitely go into our rotation. Thanks!
I’m glad you were able to make it work with what you had on hand, Savannah!
I have a dinner party with some friends this week. One of them doesn’t eat meat so I had to find something everyone would be happy with. I made a test run of the recipe last week and it was a winner with my husband. I did add chicken to it and a little left over chili I had in the fridge. I will be making this tonight with chicken broth and chicken and another with vegetable broth and no meat. The sauce was also a winner. I live in a country that doesn’t have canned sauce and I have lived for eight years with out making enchiladas because I thought I had to have canned sauce. No more.
So.. I totally redid this as more low-calorie, but still following the recipe as a base:
I did the enchilada sauce with water instead of stock (didn’t change much of the flavour).
Then I made a filling:
Sautéed 400g mushrooms, 2 sweet peppers, along with some rosemary, oregano and 2T sour cream. I pureed that with 1 pkg frozen spinach in a blender. (This was to make it feel like the ground meat texture when you eat it, to fool those meat lovers).
This made 6 enchiladas using while wheat tortilla wraps. The cheese I did 1-2c of mexican style pre-shredded cheese (might do cheddar next time) atop the sauce.
I baked that for 30mins @ 350F and another 30 @ 250F.
Wow, I essentially bumped it down to 300 calories per enchilada, and the flavour was still great! Anyone watching calories might like this spinoff, and it’s also not as heavy to eat. Could easily add the black beans back in.
Definitely could make this again.