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’m a military cop in the Air Force. I just made your sauce and enchilada recipe to a tee for my wife and a friend after she had a long days work. It turned out so well! Absolutely delicous!
That’s so great to hear, Mark! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it.
Hi Kate =) Sounds like a great recipe! Do you think it`s possible to replace black beans with kidney beans? Black beans are hard to get in Germany, you can only buy them in special Mexican or Asian stores .
Greetings from Munich :)
I think you’d be able to swap them out for kidney beans, for sure. Let me know how it goes!
Turned out great I had friends over for dinner and got a lot of compliments ☺
Made this with the enchilada sauce recipe and cauliflower – easy and delicious! The four year old took one look, said “I don’t want it” and then promptly finished his plate. Thank goodness I made extra!
Ha! Your kiddo’s reaction made me smile. I’m glad you both loved it!
Made this last night. Loved it! Gave up meat for Lent and this was so satisfying. Do you know how many calories are in a serving? (the enchilada sauce was quick easy and delicious)
Hi, Carol! So happy you enjoyed it. 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!
This is very good
Thanks, Martin!
Delicious…It turned out great the only tweak I made was that I added butternut squash.
Sounds delicious, Phillip.
We are make effort to eat less meat and I came across this recipe today. We happened to have most of the ingredients on hand, so I decided to make these fr dinner. Well, WOW! I made the enchilada sauce and the recipe as written and would not change a thing. Now that I’ve made it once, it’s time experiment.
So glad to hear this, Bill!
Thank you so much Kate. They’re amazing !!!
XX from Paris,
Wonderful! Thanks, Alessandra.
Kate, this recipe just turned out beautifully!
It’s so full of flavor that, as a meat lover, I could hardly believe it was vegetarian!
And your recipe to the sauce is super tasteful and handy!
Thank you very much for sharing so much with us!
All the best from a Brazilian in Germany!
Thank you so much, Graciely! Cheers from Kansas City. :)
This was excellent!!!! Thanks
Wonderful!
It’s in the oven right now.. hopefully it will be great!
thank you Kate for this great recipe, everyone loved it.
How did it turn out? I hope it was delicious!
Wow my partner totally gave me 11/10 for this meal! Thanks Kate for the delicious recipe accompanied with such clear instructions. Cant wait to try other recipes from your blog.
Thanks so much, Belle!
I actually scoffed when I first read this recipe, thinking ‘Who puts broccoli and red pepper in their enchiladas?!’ But Kate had already won my trust with so many wonderful recipes, I tried it and now it’s one of our favorites! These enchiladas are toothy and complex and we feel so good getting in all those vegetables. I always use corn tortillas, and canned sauce works fine in a pinch. If you want to use green sauce, just omit the cinnamon and they come out amazing. Also they hold up great to freezing after full assembly!
I take back my scoff 150%. Thank you C&K!
All is forgiven, Eve! So glad this was a pleasant surprise. :)
Great recipe! Made them with the cauliflower. My carnivorous husband loves them.
Perfect! That sounds delicious.
Second time making tonight! Subbed out red pepper for carrots, spinach for fresh chard from our neighbor’s garden. The first time I made it, we had such crumbly tortillas that as layered it in the pan like a lasagna instead of rolling. We liked that, so doing it again tonight. Such a reliably great recipe!
That’s some great on-your-feet thinking, Christine. It sounds delicious! Thanks.
This is one of the best recipes I’ve ever tried. I made it for my family of 6 plus one guest. I’m the only vegetarian among them. They were skeptical it wouldn’t be as good without meat but this meal made them all believes that being a vegetarian doesn’t mean your food isn’t as good. It came out fantastic. You can tell Kate really vetted this recipe out because I didn’t have to make any alterations to the recipe like I typically need to. Only thing I would add is that for me it took about 1-1.5 hours of prep time before it hit the oven but definitely worth every minute.
I’m so glad you and your family had such a great experience with these! They are great for feeding a crowd. And yes, these are prep-intensive, but it’s absolutely worth it. It’s a good excuse to listen to my favorite podcasts while chopping!
I made this last night and it turned out great! I used canned enchilada sauce and had tortillas in a pack of 10, so it was a packed dish that was more enchilada casserole-esque. So tasty! The cinnamon was a great addition that I wouldn’t have thought of on on my own!
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cinnamon! It’s unexpected, but I think it adds a great warmth and spice to the dish.
YUM! I was a little hesitant to make these because broccoli in an enchilada sounds crazy and spinach isn’t our favorite. I am SO glad we gave these a try. I followed the recipe as written and used the sauce from your site. What a delish way to add more veggies into our meal! My 8 year old had no idea what was inside of these and devoured two helpings. Adding in to our monthly rotation for sure! I do suggest topping with cashew sour cream.
I’m so glad you decided to try it!
This was amazing. I tweaked it a bit for personal preferences. Added corn, no broccoli, added green Chiles and green onions. It was delicious. Going in my monthly rotation for sure.
Green chiles sound great with this, Mel. Thanks so much!
Kate, this recipe is the bomb! Thanks so much for sharing it with the world. It’s become a weekly staple in our household since we started a mostly vegetarian lifestyle a couple of months ago. I’m now transitioning to veganism (for various reasons) and am trying it tonight with some vegan cheese to keep the cheese-loving boyfriend happy. I’ll let you know how it fares.
Yesterday I made your Green Curry with Spring Vegetables (with chicken added), yum. Today I made the Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas. Yum again! Looking forward to your cookbook.
These were such a vegelicious hit tonight at my house. Light but filling. We subbed out some of the Monterey Jack for leftover cotija and added zucchini to the veggie mix. So delicious. We used your enchilada sauce recipe too, and loved it. Thanks!
Delicious! I subbed zucchini and corn for the broccoli and subbed kale for the spinach as those are the veggies I had on hand. Turned out amazing!!
Yum! Sounds delicious.
Hi Kate
This recipe looks great. I am going to give it a go tomorrow night. Just wondering what you thought about substituting the spinach for kale?
Many thanks
Ruth
Not to worry, I just saw a comment from another who said the kale worked out great.
Cheers
Ruth
Yes, that should work just fine, Ruth!
I made these tonight. SOOOO delicious! Subbed half a bag of frozen corn for the pepper since we don’t love them them.
That works! Thanks, Hope.
This recipe is one of our go-to dinners. It’s absolutely declines every time!
Thanks, Kassie!
I made this using the cauliflower option. It was delicious! We’re not vegetarians, but we do try to do meatless at least once a week. These enchiladas will definitely stay in the line-up. They make great leftovers, as well.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you like them. The leftovers are so good– I sneak them for breakfast. ;)
This is a fantastic tasty recipe! Used cauliflower instead of broccoli. Also, used corn starch (a half proportion of the specified flour) when making the enchilada sauce to realize a gluten-free option. This was huge hit at our Mother’s Day brunch. Thanks Kate for providing wonderful vegetarian recipes with many options. From a fellow yogi, looking forward to receiving your cookbook from Amazon this week.
Thank you for all these kind words, Gerald! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it, and I can’t wait for you to see the book!
I love this recipe, but prep time for me 50 minutes and cooking is 20 minutes. In the recipe, it states 15 minutes to prep, and 40 min. to cook. This is a very delicious and nutritious recipe, I love, love ,love it! The enchilada sauce is fabulous too. Thank you Kate! It looks just like your picture and it is a must do recipe.
Thanks for the notes, Anne! I’ll consider adjusting the times– maybe a range, to accommodate the different experiences people have had. I’m glad it turned out well, though!
Yum! Can’t wait to make it again!
I made this tonight and it turned out absolutely delicious! Adding to my recipe book. Thank you for a wonderful meal.
You’re welcome, Deniz!
Any directions for making ahead and leaving in the refrigerator? Or freezing it? Thanks!
Hi MP, I haven’t tried either of those methods, but I have been meaning to figure that out. Will update the post once I have learned what works, but check out this resource and this one for tips.
These enchiladas were wonderful! I love plain cheese enchiladas but this recipe took enchiladas to a new level. I think the enchilada sauce really makes it. Thanks!!
Great! Thanks, Maddie.
THIS WAS GOOD! I tried so hard to enjoy 100% vegan recipes but I always missed ‘something’. I decided not to be this hard on myself anymore, and I’m glad I did!
Instead of brocolli I used leek :)
My boyfriend and I really enjoyed this recipe and I’m even going to make it when we invite his family over. Thanks, I subscribed and planning my next meal with your recipes ;)
xxx
Laura
(I also posted this comment on the sauce recipe because I made it with that)
Thanks, Laura!
Trying this tonight!
Let me know how it goes. :)
We loved it. They were so good. I’ve been sharing the recipe with all my friends and family. Thank you so much!!!
These were AMAZING. Super simple and absolutely delicious. My hubby said it almost tasted like it had meat in it:)
Haha! I’ll take that as a compliment. ;) Thanks, Naomi!
Hahaha a definite compliment from him:) 2nd week of veggie meals during the week and each of your meals have been just incredible.
Delicious! Made everything per recipe with only one change, I added corn to the mix. My family ate it up with gusto. Adding this one to my repertoire for meatless Mondays.
Great! Thanks so much, Patty.
Made these tonight and my family loved them. Instead of broccoli, I used cauliflower since thats what I had in fridge. This is a keeper!!
Awesome! Thanks, Andrea.
I scoured the Internet for the ideal veggie enchilada recipe/red enchilada recipe. I wouldn’t think I’d find it all in one place…I made these enchiladas (and your red enchilada sauce) for my boyfriend and I last night, and it was a huge hit on every level. Of course, I put my own spin on everything (added tiny pieces of baked sweet potatoes spiced with cumin and chipotle powder & I spiced the black beans with sautéed anaheim chile and garlic, and I made had of the batch without cheese and half with), but using your recipe as a foundation was crucial! I’m so glad I chose to go with this recipe. I want to emphasize how amazing the red enchilada sauce was! I have been asked to make a jar of it to keep in the fridge for quesadillas, burritos, chips, etc… Thank you so much for putting all the effort and love into this.
I’m so glad you found this recipe! Your version sounds delicious.
Although mine burnt to a crisp (I didn’t even add the extra top rack minutes) they were still delicious! If you have an unpredictable gas stove like mine I would only bake these for 15 minutes without the top rack. Other than that, they were great, thanks! I particularly liked the enchilada sauce part of it – yummm.
Oof, sorry the tops burnt, Jack! Ovens are all so different, it can be hard to predict if the temperature will run too hot.
I’m a new vegetarian and it has been so difficult but these enchiladas are divine! Whenever I find a recipe I’m constantly changing things around, I had no need with this recipe it was was perfect! Thank you for sharing!
Oh, I’m so glad this made things a little easier, Paloma! Good luck with your new veg journey.
Made the sweet potato black bean enchiladas from your book and they were sensational! Best enchiladas I have ever made. Thanks for the recipe. Homemade sauce is the best.
Thank you, Mary! I love those, too.
We LOVED this recipe! Thank you for sharing your kitchen with us.
You’re welcome, Kaitlyn!
For once we had a meal that the vegetarians and carnivores in the family agreed on, there were no leftovers! This was awesome, thank you for the recipe :)
(In case it helps anyone-I made this with ten mini 6″ tortillas, 5 corn and 5 whole wheat in the same pan, and the measurements were still perfect!)
Hooray!
What vegetarian side dish would go well with this? I’m making these tomorrow , they look amazing , and a perfect side would make the meal.
Have you seen my simple seedy slaw? I think that’d be a great side for this.
These enchiladas are delicious! I was a little sceptical of the broccoli and cinnamon but it went really well together. I didn’t add the spinach and it seemed full flavored without. I added some smoked chipotle power for spice. Yummy! My picky nine year old ate it up and wanted more.
Yes, the cinnamon can seem a bit weird at first, but it adds a warmth to the dish that I’d miss without it!
These were amazing!! I didn’t have spinach, so I used Swiss chard, and they were very tasty ! Thanks for all the great recipes!!
That sounds great, Anneka!
Have just finished a trial week of being vegetarian, and this was the meal that convinced me I could go full time veggie! So, so much tastier than any meat version I’ve made.
Hooray! I’m so honored!
This recipe is perfect, the sauce and enchiladas themselves were lovely. I used chickpea flour to make my own gluten free, grain free tortillas. This will be a regular recipe for me. Thank you!
Homemade tortillas sound amazing, Sarah! I’m so glad you enjoy it.
I made these for dinner last because we had some friends who were vegetarians over. I doubled th recipe and made one pan veggie and added ground beef to the second for my family. Our friends loved it and so did my family, who even asked to have it for breakfast the next morning! Will definitely make again. Great recipe!!