Lazy Girl’s Vegetarian Enchiladas

As a vegetarian, I eat a lot of Tex-Mex because it is super easy to remove or sub the meat and still have a tasty and filling meal. In Kat’s last post she shared her recipe for stuffed peppers, and I thought I’d add my own tried-and-true lazy girl’s Tex-Mex recipe to go along with it. Vegetarian enchiladas are especially great right now because you make all kinds of substitutions based on what your grocery store has available and still come out with a decent, tasty meal that has a lot of veggies in it.

You will need

• tortillas (preferably flour)
• frozen vegetables
• a can of corn
• a can of beans
• shredded cheese
• oil or butter
• enchilada sauce
• meat substitute (optional but preferred)
• sour cream (optional but preferred)
• seasoning (optional but preferred)

Detailed Step-By-Step With Pictures

• 

• 

• 

First you’re going to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While that’s heating up, add your frozen meat substitute and frozen veggies to a skillet with some oil or butter. I use fake chorizo for these which is already pretty oily and has a lot of seasoning so I didn’t have to add much here. If you are using something like meatless crumbles or just veggies, I recommend adding onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chili powder, and/or taco seasoning. I usually use a frozen pepper and onion blend but all Kroger had was mirepoix and it turned out fine. Any frozen veggie mix (and that you can convince your family to eat) you like will work. Stir occasionally until warmed through.

• 

• 

• 

Meanwhile you’re going to open your beans, black beans work best for this, but any bean you have can work if you add a bit of seasoning. Drain those, leaving about 10% of the juice. Put them in a bowl and mash them slightly—these are going to be the glue of your enchilada so you want them slightly mushy but not refried-bean levels of mush. Set aside. Open your corn and drain. Set aside.

By this point your veggies and meat substitute should be ready to go, lay your tortillas on a plate and put about three spoonfuls of your beans on the top tortilla. Spread beans along the middle, layer with three spoonfuls of corn, and then with three spoonfuls of your fake meat and veggies.

• 

Now wrap your tortilla like a little burrito: small bottom fold, small top fold, big right side fold, big left side fold. It’ll look like a little envelope. (Note: this works best with flour tortillas, corn tend to be small and break easily so you may have to roll them instead.) Place folded side down in an oven-safe pan. Repeat for as many enchiladas as you want to make, I usually do five.

• 

• 

Now that you enchiladas are all nestled in the pan, cover them with your enchilada sauce. I like green—especially if you are using chicken substitute, but red works, too. Make sure the tortillas are covered and there are no dry spots. Add your first layer of shredded cheese and place in oven.

Cook for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted, then remove and add another layer of cheese. Return to oven for five minutes.

• 

• 

When they are done cooking, allow the enchiladas to sit for a few minutes so they don’t fall apart as you remove them from the pan. When they have cooled slightly, remove from the pan and add sour cream. Now eat up!

The Recipe

If you’re more of a visual learner and you want it in a minute or less, check out the TikTok I made featuring this recipe!

Ingredients

• Tortillas
• 1 bag of frozen vegetables
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of beans
• 1 cup of shredded cheese
• olive oil or butter
• 1 can of enchilada sauce
• meat substitute (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• seasoning (optional)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Cook meat substitute and/or frozen vegetables in a pan with oil over medium-low heat.
3. Drain your beans, saving about 10% of the juice. Mash slightly to create the “glue” for your enchiladas.
4. Drain corn.
5. Stack tortillas on a plate, one for each enchilada you want to make.
6. Spread about three tablespoons of beans down the center of your top tortilla, followed by three tablespoons of corn, and then three tablespoons of your meat/veggie mixture.
7. Fold your tortilla like a burrito, small folds and the top and bottom, large folds on the sides. Place in pan fold side down.
8. Repeat steps 6-7 until all of your enchiladas are in the pan.
9. Coat enchiladas completely with enchilada sauce.
10. Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheese on top of your enchiladas.
11. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
12. Remove and add the rest of your cheese.
13. Bake another 5 minutes.
14. Remove and let rest.
15. Add sour cream and enjoy!

Yield: ~6 enchiladas