Enchilada Casserole is such a classic. I’ve seen a million different interpretations of this dish over the years. Why? Because it’s easy and it’s satisfying. So I figured I’d make a vegetarian version, full of colorful vegetables, but still every bit as warm and comforting. This Vegetable Enchilada Casserole hits two birds with one stone.
What’s In Vegetable Enchilada Casserole?
For this version of enchilada casserole, I began with a simple mix of black beans, corn, green chiles, green onion, and cilantro. To up the vegetable content, I also added a diced zucchini. I layered the vegetable mix between corn tortillas, cheese, and my Easy Red Enchilada Sauce.
After a little time in the oven to make sure the vegetables are nice and tender and everything gets infused with the flavorful sauce, you’ve got a warm, filling, and insanely delicious casserole. And that’s something that everyone deserves at the end of the day.
What Other Vegetables Can I Use?
Don’t like zucchini? Other vegetables that would be quite good in this include: red bell pepper, poblano peppers, or avocado. Mix it up and make it your own! :D
Take Your Enchilada Casserole to the Next Level
If you want to go the extra mile and really take this vegetable enchilada casserole to the next level, there are a few more steps you can take:
- Stir 1/2 cup of sour cream into the enchilada sauce to make it extra creamy.
- Toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet until golden brown before layering them into the casserole. This will heighten the toasty corn flavor of the tortillas.
- Add ground beef or diced chicken to the layers.
Vegetable Enchilada Casserole
Servings 6Ingredients
- 12 small corn tortillas ($0.64)
- 1.5 cups shredded “taco blend” cheese ($0.94)
- 1 zucchini (about 3/4 lb.) ($0.95)
- 1 15oz. can black beans, drained* ($0.55)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.63)
- 1 4oz. can diced green chiles ($0.87)
- 1/2 bunch (3-4 each) green onions ($0.38)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.22)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Enchilada Sauce
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 3 oz. tomato paste ($0.33)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into small cubes. Rinse and drain the black beans. Slice the green onions (both green and white portions). Pull the cilantro leaves from the stems and give them a rough chop. Combine the zucchini, black beans, frozen corn kernels, green onions, cilantro, and diced green chiles in a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp salt and stir until evenly combined.
- To make the enchilada sauce, combine the oil, chili powder, and flour in a small sauce pot. Whisk them together over medium heat and allow it to begin to bubble. Let the mixture bubble while whisking for about one minute. Add the water, tomato paste, cumin, garlic, cayenne, and salt. Whisk until smooth. Heat the sauce until thick and bubbly (about 3-5 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×9 casserole dish by coating lightly with non-stick spray. Spread a 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the dish. Arrange 1/3 of the tortillas over the sauce, followed by 1/3 of the vegetable mixture. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the sauce over the vegetables, then top with 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat these layers two more times, or until the vegetable mix, sauce, and cheese are gone.
- Bake the casserole for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are bubbly and the cheese just begins to brown on top. Slice into six portions and top with extra green onions and cilantro, if desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Vegetable Enchilada Casserole – Step by Step Photos
Cut a 3/4 lb. zucchini into a small dice. The small size of the cubes is important so that they cook through and don’t create huge lumps in the casserole.
Combine the diced zucchini (they’re on the bottom) with a 15oz. can of black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 cup frozen corn, 4oz. can diced green chiles, 3-4 sliced green onions, and about 1/4 bunch chopped fresh cilantro in a large bowl.
Add 1/4 tsp salt and stir the vegetables until they’re well mixed.
Next make the enchilada sauce. In a small sauce pot combine 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil, 2 Tbsp chili powder, and 2 Tbsp flour.
Whisk the oil, flour, and chili powder together over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Let it bubble, while whisking, for about one minute.
Next add 2 cups water, 3oz. tomato paste (half of a 6oz. can), 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and 3/4 tsp salt. Whisk until smooth and heat over medium flame until it thickens. It will begin to thicken as it approaches a simmer (thanks to the flour-chili powder roux created in the first step).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and begin to layer the casserole. Start by coating the inside of a 9×9 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom.
Next, add a layer of corn tortillas. I like to cut some in half so that I have a straight edge to line the dish. I used four tortillas per layer.
Add 1/3 of the vegetable mixture on top of the tortillas, then drizzle 1/2 cup of the sauce over top.
Finally, add 1/2 cup of shredded cheese on top of the vegetables and sauce. Repeat these layers two more times (tortillas-vegetables-sauce-cheese).
Until all the vegetables are used up and the casserole dish is full.
Bake the casserole in the preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are really bubbly and the cheese just begins to brown on top. Warning: it smells AH-MAZ-ING. Top with extra cilantro and green onion if desired.
Holy yum.
I live in a rural area, so couldn’t find most of these ingredients at my local grocery store – so I subbed flour tortillas for corn tortillas, yellow onion for scallions, and canned enchilada sauce for homemade (didn’t have chili spice to make my own). Also don’t have access to cilantro (did I say rural…), so skipped that. I added chopped fresh jalepeno. Used sour cream as a garnish and served with some sauteed garlicky kale (the grocery store has kale, but not scallions… go figure). Came out nicely; next time, will add some cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano to the veggie mixture. Thanks for a good recipe!
I made this tonight…I do not like Black Beans so I browned 1/2 lb of ground chuck and added it to the vegetable mixture. It was absolutely delicious. Since it is just me, next time I make this I will cut the recipe in half.
I have made this a few times and my family loves it! If I wanted to freeze it do you think it should thaw in the fridge before baking or could it go in the oven straight from the freezer? Would the oven temp & cooking time stay the same?
Yes I’d thaw before baking.
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. I followed the recipe by your directions, with no exceptions or substitutions and it was absolutely delicious. I love the way the corn tortillas absorb the sauce and there is just the right amount of “heat”. I added some fresh diced pepper to the top for a little crunch. Next time I will try making this casserole with green enchilada sauce. This casserole with a nice garden salad and/or tortilla chips and guacamole is a perfect meal. Thanks so much for a great recipe!!!
With everything going on, I only have flour tortillas to use. Do you think flour tortillas will work in place of the corn? Any change with subbing these? Thank you so much!
Yes flour would be just fine to substitute.
I made this not long ago, messed up, and it was STILL delicious! I was sure I had cheddar cheese but I didn’t so I used sliced white American, cut into small pieces. I also forgot to put the bottom layer of tortillas on it. Regardless, it still turned out amazingly filling and good tasting and it’s in my oven again this morning.
Delicious! We added browned ground beef into the veggie mixture for added protein and satiation. Instead of buying tortillas, we used up a partial bag of toastadas from Aldi that we’d used for your slow cooker chicken tortilla soup earlier in the week. I think the extra crunch favor gave it a bit more texture and was SO good. The addition of zucchini was an unexpected hit for us, again adding to the texture. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!
I made this recipe and added room temp cream cheese to the veggie mixture. It added an extra level of creaminess for it and it was such a hit! My boyfriend is asking me to make it for every dinner party we have.
I’m attempting it tomorrow for his parents. Thank you for sharing! So yummy.
This is the perfect lazy comfort meal. It isn’t the prettiest, but it tastes SO good! The way the corn tortillas soaks up all the sauce reminds me of tamales.
I love this recipe!! I keep coming back to it and it never disappoints. Delicious, savory, and my vegetarian friends can enjoy it as well. You can easily modify it or follow the recipe exactly; it comes out fantastic every time. Thank you for this!
Very very good! I made it exactly as advised except I used a can of tomato sauce and 1 cup water. The enchilada sauce is definitely the star
We recently gave up all meat after watching Netflix’s Forks over Knives so we’ve been scouring the internet for good, easy vegetarian or vegan recipes. THIS ONE HIT IT OUT OF THE BALL PARK FOR US!!!! omg, my husband commented, if THIS is what a zero meat diet is going to taste like, then, it’s going to be easy to stay on it!!” And, even the enchiladas sauce, alone, should be what cooks use rather than the packaged or bottled stuff, it is delicious!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!! We were satisfied, amazed and healthier for it. I’ve sent the name of your website to many friends & family telling them this gal has some good recipes for everyone.
Thank you, Ellis!!
Came out perfect! And it definitely was Yummy 😋
Good recipe. The only problem with it was that even with light toasting, the tortillas turned to complete mush. Tasty mush, but mush nonetheless. I did add a little sour cream to the vegetable mixture rather than using cheese, except on top, so that may have been part of the problem. I added some red bell pepper and pasilla pepper to the mixture, which added nicely to texture and color. Very small pieces of zucchini and pepper were key to being able to avoid the step of sautéing; even small pieces kept a bit of firmness after baking. Next time, I’ll leave out the sour cream and toast the tortillas more.
This was really, really good. I forgot to get a can of chilis at the supermarket (and they’re about $5 each so I wasn’t going back just for one) so added a bunch of pickled jalapeno slices from the fridge, and mixed some sour cream through the veggies (for the sauciness). Yum!!