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 this for my Mom and sister and they absolutely loved it!!! I only got the chance to taste the enchilada sauce which was better than any canned/jarred sauce in the store. Thank you for this recipe!!!
Wow! These are delicious. It took me 3 days to make (one evening the sauce, one evening sautéed veggies, tonight assembly and bakingo ). Full time working mom!! The sauce took WAY longer than 10 minutes to make. You need to cook flour and tomato paste for a while to no longer taste raw. I let it cook for almost 15 minutes. Totally worth it. Even better depth of flavor 2 days later. I left out the spinach– kiddo won’t eat it. I used Trader Joes cauliflower rice and roasted it with peppers and onions. Added chopped broccoli and beans, cheese and sauce. So tasty. Adding to our list of go-to recipes. Thanks
I love these enchiladas! I find they take me about 2 hours to make from start to finish, including the sauce so I have to pick a night where I have the time and energy- usually a Sunday. But they also make great leftovers. I keep coming back to this recipe again and again…making them tonight for a cozy Sunday evening in. Thanks for all the amazing recipes you share. :-)
Just made this for dinner was absolutely delicious!! thank you for all your recipes, I love your blog!
This was AMAZING! Just made for dinner for my boyfriend and best friend. The sauce was a hit! So much flavor, thanks for sharing! Will absolutely make again and try some new fillings. YUM!!!!!
These enchiladas are absolutely delicious! Thank you. I was astonished at how great everything tasted on the first try.This is a really fabulous recipe.
These look awesome but I’m wondering if there is nutrition info somewhere on the site that I can’t find. Thx
Made this and it was amazing! Even my mother, who doesn’t usually care for these kinda of things, loved it! Everything even down to texture was amazing. I loved how the spinach kinda gave the same texture as shredded chicken and the slight hint of cinnamon gave it a nice kick.
Yes, I made the Black Bean Enchiladas. YUM and Thank You.
I used the cauliflower in mine. I was excited to use the Cauliflower rice (Trader Joe s)…it made it very easy.
These enchiladas are SO delicious! Thank you for the recipe…I am so happy to have found your blog. My teenager has decided to follow a vegetarian diet. I feel like a I am learning to cook all over again. Hoping to find many more recipes as wonderful as this one.
I made these last night. Thanks for the recipe! My BF says he does not like Mexican food but he really liked these enchiladas. I put less broccoli in and added mushrooms. Was terrific!
this looks fabulous. I am planning to make this weekend. what do you think about making the veggie and bean filing a day in advance and refrigerating overnight?
I just wanted to let you know, this recipe was a total life-saver for me! I have been vegetarian for a couple of years, (now vegan!) and I have always loved Mexican dishes. I probably make this at least twice a month now, and even my meat-eating boyfriend who usually doesn’t go a meal without meat, loves this recipe as is. Thanks so much for sharing this delicious and creative recipe!
This meal was amazingly good. I’m new to your site on my quest to improve my vegetarian recipe list and I’ve loved everything I’ve tried so far. I served it to my husband who usually complains if there’s no meat in a meal and he had seconds. My meat eating mom and sister loved it too. My two year old has enjoyed several of your recipes, this included. :) So if anyone is wondering, this one is toddler approved!
Thank you for making my life easier! The enchilada sauce is awesome and definitely worth the effort. :)
The enchiladas were awesome! Had a tough crowd to please and they were a knockout! All I had to do was follow directions. Imagine that! Really filling and sumptuous. You rock!!!!
I made your Homemade enchilada sauce and black bean enchiladas and…OMG! Absolutely delicious! Thank you for helping me to add another recipe to my vegetarian meal repertoire. Happy New Year!
:)
Rachel from Providence RI
I just made this tonight and it was delicious! The whole family enjoyed it. Definitely a keeper!
So tasty! Thanks! Love the cinnamon! I used canned enchilada sauce and only had 8 oz, so I finished topping with fresh salsa. Worked out great. Love your recipes, your site is my go to for new dishes. Thanks so much.
Absolutely loved the enchiladas and the sauce was sensational! I will definitely make this again.
Ohhh wow!! That was AWESOME!!! Thank you!! Just love your food.
I love this recipe and come back to it anytime I’m craving healthy comfort food. I can never fit all the filling into the tortillas, so don’t worry if you don’t have all the veggies listed.
Kate, as a homesick Texan with vegetarian tendencies, I always appreciate your Southwestern/Tex-Mex posts.
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to learn 10 vegetarian recipes that I can incorporate into my dinner and lunch making routine. I made these last night and they were phenomenal!! I can’t wait to make them again and double the recipe for lunches for my boyfriend and I next week!
Thank you for sharing!!!
I *fully* endorse this New Year’s resolution. I’m so glad these made the cut!
My husband and I loved your black bean enchiladas! The sauce was (well) awesome! The right combo of veggies. I haven’t posted in the past anywhere but this recipe made a change in me. Thank you!
Woohoo! I’m honored to be the recipient of your first comment :) So glad you enjoy the recipe.
I have made these enchiladas several times now, and will never be looking for a new recipe. My husband is not even a vegetarian, and I can’t keep him away from these. They are so, so so good!!! The homemade sauce and cinnamon really put this one over the top. Thank you so much for sharing as I will be making these for the rest of my life
Yesss!! This makes me so happy to hear it’s a lifelong recipe for you! I’m honored :)
My daughters recently clued me in to your site. While I have bookmarked many recipes here, this is the first I tried. It was excellent!! I followed your recipe exactly (something I rarely do) including adding the cinnamon. My husband really enjoyed it too.
The enchilada sauce was pretty quick and easy. I will definitely be making these again and look forward to trying the others I have bookmarked. Thanks so much!!
These look great. I haven’t tried this recipe but it seems every time I’ve made enchiladas the tortillas end up soggy. In the past I have used flour tortillas filled with shredded cheese and onions(it sounds so boring compared to these…) I pour the sauce over the top right before they go in the oven. Do you have any advice? Should I be covering them with foil?
Some smart cookies, your daughters! I’m happy to hear these were a hit with your family.
I made these last night and they were yummy! I might generally prefer a “meatier” enchilada made with tofu or crumbles, but liked knowing how nutritious these were. My omnivore husband thought they were just ok. I made half with dairy cheese for him and half with Daiya shreds to make them vegan for me. The homemade sauce was perfect – restaurant quality!
I’m glad these (mostly) worked out for you, Katie!
This was so delicious!!!! My husband is a meat lover and was a bit skeptical when I told him I’m making vegetarian enchiladas but once he tried them he said “I’d eat these once a month”. It’s only been about a week and I’m already looking forward to making them again :) I did make my own enchilada sauce (I love cooking with whole dried Mexican chiles). I’m definitely trying more of your recipes.
Awesome! So happy to hear that both of you enjoyed. Let me know which other recipes you try, and how they work out!
We just made this recipe tonight using the cauliflower…. OMG!!!! So delicious. We used a whole head of cauliflower and made a 9×13 and an 8×8 pan of enchiladas. Amazing recipe THANK YOU SO MUCH!! 5 of us ate and still had about 5 enchiladas left over. The cauliflower had such an amazing texture that perfectly supported the spicy chili sauce. We also added some salsa verde, sauteed poblano peppers, cilantro and raw onion as condiments. (We used gluten free corn tortillas instead of whole wheat tortillas)
YUM this sounds so good, Dawn! I’m so glad you had leftovers, too, which is always a great time-saver.
This is the third recipe of yours that we’ve LOVED. I halved the chilli powder in the sauce and that was enough spice for me. It’s a NY resolution of mine and my husband’s to eat at least one vegetarian dinner each week and you’re making it easy! Thank you from your biggest Aussie fans xo
What an awesome resolution, Samantha! & I’m jealous of the summer warmth you have in AUS right now. Soak up some rays for me!
Oh… My God… These are amazing. I just got done eating mine and almost cried… They were literally better than any I’ve ever had before. Bravo.
“Induces tears of joy” is now the highest standard I have for my recipes. What a great comment! Thanks, Tanner.
This recipe is so so good!! I used red beans instead of black beans and it turned out absolutely delicious, I’m glad there are leftovers for this week! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! The red bean variation sounds amazing.
This recipe was amazing! I did not change a thing and it came out perfect. My daughter just became a vegetarian and this was a meal the whole family enjoyed! Thank you so much; will be making this again.
Wonderful :)
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve made it a few times and it is very versatile. Didn’t have spinach so added thawed corn and tomatoes. Had both cauliflower and broccoli so mixed them together when I made them a second time. The cumin and hint of cinnamon meld nicely with the enchilada sauce. Also, if one doesn’t have time to make the sauce, canned sauce makes this recipe even more easy. Another time we didn’t have Monterey jack, so used cheddar. Very adaptable to what’s in the fridge.
Awesome! Thanks for all the tips, too, Lisa. It’ll be great for our readers trying to save some time, and use what they have on hand.
I love this recipe! It comes out as good as anything you would get in an upscale Mexican restaurant. The enchilada sauce is key, it is so delicious. I dipped the enchiladas in the sauce to soften them (being gluten free, I used corn tortillas) before I put them in the baking dish. It also looks beautiful, just like the picture. That rarely happens when I try to make a recipe.
My husband (a hearty eater and meat lover) asks me to make this often. Wow.
There’s so much to love in this comment, Margaret! Great tip for your fellow GF readers, & bonus that the meat-loving guy is a fan! Thanks for commenting, friend.
Any nutritional info available for your recipes?
Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. Thanks!
These look so good.
Taste even better!
I just made these for dinner this evening and they were amazing….I have been trying more and more of your recipes and each one has been sooooo good! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Callen! So happy you’ve enjoyed them.
I have made these 3 times in the past 2 weeks. They are soooo yummy and filled with vegetables so I don’t feel guilty eating them!
My husband loves them too!
This was so good, I’ve already made it twice in the past few weeks. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Erika! That’s awesome.
I made this dish last night and it was very tasty. I did change what I included I added more peppers, mushrooms, rice and beans. It was very good. Definitely recommend people trying this
Made these for dinner last night, and they were wonderful. Even my meat-loving husband, daughter, and her boyfriend enjoyed them. They were so good, I had one for breakfast this morning! That sauce is simple and delicious in its own right. I will never buy canned enchilada sauce again. Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Kim! Happy the whole family enjoyed.
Holy cow! This is a very special recipe! I used roasted butternut squash in place of the broccoli (much like your black bean and squash tacos. We like the heat, so I also added a 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, a 1/2 tsp of Negra Pasilla powder, and 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder. I also added a 1/4 of fresco crumbling cheese for a little salty bite to the filling mix. That sauce is just perfect, bringing all those flavors together. Especially loved the little crispy edges. Thank You!
Yum, sounds super good! Thanks, Kelly!
Wow! What an amazing recipe! It was a hit for the whole family! Thank you :)
You’re welcome, Denae!
Hi,
Thank you, this recipe, the enchilada sauce, and the mexican brown rice recipe were fabulous!
Roger
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Roger!
This was HUGE hit at my dinner party last night! Truly, everyone said they have never had enchiladas so delicious and my husband went as far as to say this was one of the top 5 best things I’ve ever made! I just logged on to send the recipe to a few friends who asked for it and figured I’d leave you a shout out.
Also, I added ground turkey for half of them and shrimp for the other half and they both worked out great. Also, I used manchego cheese (kind of pricey but absolutely worth it) and instead of choosing between broccoli and cauliflower, I used both. Next time I plan to also add squash and eggplant I think.
My only criticis (and this is the case with every casserole-style dish) is that the first step of the recipe is to preheat the oven. We actually had a discussion about this at the party last night and all agreed that that was such a funny thing that recipes that require 20-30 minutes of prep say to preheat the oven first. I’d say it could be slipped in somewhere in the middle to save energy and keep you from having to prep everything in a hot kitchen. Especially in Hawai’i we don’t need a hot oven on in our kitchen one second longer than absolutely necessary!
Thanks for a few favorite!
Marcus, thanks for your feedback! I appreciate it, and I agree with your point about the oven temperature. I guess that offering the oven temp at the beginning is standard because it’s hard to know how long a person’s oven will take to heat up, and it’s easier to just offer that detail in the beginning than to try to work it in elsewhere.
That makes sense, I suppose some people do have oven that take longer to heat and whatnot. Anyway, thanks for the response and have a great weekend :)
These were so delicious!!! I love the enchilada sauce and the meal was perfect served with your Mexican brown rice!! Thank you!! Will serve these with pride to company!
Thank you so much, Maureen! I love these, too, and they can feed a crowd!
I made the Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas tonight and they were a huge hit! My husband and I love the enchilada sauce – I will be using this recipe from now on. We are trying to eat vegetarian meals more often and this one will definitely be on our list. I only made a couple of slight modifications–I had some brown rice and some fresh mushrooms that needed to be used up so I added them as well. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Mushrooms sound wonderful with this, Pam. Thank you for commenting!
I’ve made these twice and I absolutely 100% recommend them! My husband and I love them and we aren’t vegetarian – but recipes like this make me wonder why we aren’t. Thank you!!
I made these last night and they were SO GOOD! Thank you for such an awesome recipe!
You’re welcome, Kristin!
WOW these are lick-the-plate good!