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Vegetable Enchiladas with Easy Homemade Sauce

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These Vegetable Enchiladas are packed of flavor from the colorful vegetable filling and an easy homemade enchilada sauce that will knock your socks off!

Original post from 11/28/11, pictures updated 1/16/19

Post Contains Affiliate Links. Read my full disclosure HERE 

I love making healthy comfort food. It makes enjoying a big filling meal, less guilt inducing. Cozy without the conflict, which is perfect for me.

Really, who doesn’t love hearty meals!?!? I want to enjoy them, but I don’t want it to impact my waist line. Sure, salads are crave-able, but really, let’s focus on what we really want: some yummy enchiladas! 

These vegetable enchiladas are awesome for dinner when you are craving all that zesty enchilada-ness, without wanting meat, or feeling like you over did it. They are packed full of flavor from veggies and the homemade enchilada sauce.

While you might think that homemade sauce is just going to be too difficult to master, or will take to long. I am here to tell you, that homemade sauce is easy and worth the tiny bit of effort to cut up an onion, and simmer some spices with some canned tomato sauce. You’ll be a convert to homemade enchilada sauce in no time!

So, these vegetable enchiladas are loaded up with zucchini, corn, bell pepper, black beans, and some onion. Perfect for a fresh dish to enjoy during the summer. Ah, imagine just shucking some corn or picking some zucchini and putting them in there?!? Oh my, that would be so good! But, the best part about this is that you can make these year ’round with some frozen corn. Plus, we all know that zucchini is just about always in the store, so in issues there. Grab it while prepping for your next winter storm. ha!  

 

These are a great addition to your weeknight dinners. I swear you’ll fall in love with them because they are so easy to make, affordable, and delicious. 

Plus, they make for wonderful leftovers. I bet all your co-workers will be super jealous of your lunch when you pop open your tupperware. Their ham sandwich won’t stand a chance against these healthy vegetable enchiladas. 

Don’t feel like making enchiladas? Then just enjoy the flavorful vegetable filling over some rice or quinoa. It’s just as yummy that way too. I swear. It’s just like a reconstructed enchilada. All I’m focusing on is just getting to enjoy dinner, no matter if it’s rolled up, or in a bowl. Oh, dare I say that it would be great on a big pile of nachos! 

These vegetable enchiladas are going to be a dinner time staple for your house in no time. You’ll fall in love with the aromas from the homemade enchilada sauce. The wam-bam-thank you ma’am filling is going to be having your mouth watering. Enjoy these year round. Grab a beer, a plate, and enjoy a little fiesta at dinner tonight!

Vegetable Enchiladas with Easy Homemade Sauce

Vegetable Enchiladas with Easy Homemade Sauce

Yield: 24 enchiladas/8 servings

These Vegetable Enchiladas are packed of flavor from the colorful vegetable filling and an easy homemade enchilada sauce that will knock your socks off!

Ingredients

For the Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1 Cup chopped yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
  • 1/2 Cup water
  • salt and pepper

For the Filling

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 Cup chopped red onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Cup corn, fresh or frozen
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 8 ounce of chopped zucchini (I used 2 medium sized ones)
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 Cup enchilada sauce (above)
  • 1/2 Cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 1 (4oz) can green chilies
  • 4 oz crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
  • salt and pepper

For Assembly

  • 24 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • remaining enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese

For Serving

  • lime wedges, avocado, fresh cilantro, jalapenos, sour cream, salsa

Instructions

To make the Enchilada Sauce:

  1.  Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, approximately 3 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar; cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  3. Whisk in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the Filling:

  1. Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, corn, bell pepper, and zucchini. Cook until everything is tender. Do not stir too often so you let the vegetables char a bit, adding flavor. Add the black beans and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in 1/2 Cup of the enchilada sauce, cilantro, and green chilies. Set aside.

To Assemble:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.
  2. Warm the tortillas until pliable, warm over a gas burner or briefly microwave for about 30 seconds.
  3. Right before filling the tortillas, add in the queso fresco and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place about 2 Tablespoons the filling mixture down the center of a tortilla. Tightly roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in 2 9 x 13-inch baking dishes.
  4. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.
  5. Evenly pour the sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar.
  6. Cover with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes more.
  7. Prior to serving, sprinkle with avocado pieces and pieces of cilantro and serve warm with lime wedges.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 753mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 14g

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Comments

  11. Sean Kelly says

    Reading your posts and poring over your photographs is such torture—worsened by the fact that it’s lunch time here.

    I used to be vegetarian and would frequently make textured vegetable protein enchiladas, but these look absolutely divine and without all the pseudo meat product.

    (You do toast your cumin seeds and grind them fresh, right? Hehe, I won’t tell if you don’t! We have lives to live after all! ^_^)

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