Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

As much as I love to make recipes from scratch, at times, I look out for semi-homemade recipes. On a busy weekday or for a quick get-together where you have a million things to plan and coordinate, these semi-homemade dishes can come in handy!

Semi-Homemade Enchilada

This veggie enchilada casserole is one such semi-homemade Mexican recipe you can assemble and prepare quickly! This enchilada bake is full of flavors, and it’s too hard to resist. It’s our family favorite. I am calling it a quick weekday dinner recipe, but trust me, you can easily make this for a party or a get-together, and I can assure you that it will be a huge hit. You need some taco shells, enchilada sauce, refried beans, black beans, and cheese for this casserole. Even though I have shared homemade enchilada sauce and refried beans on my blog, I went with store-bought ones for this recipe. Now you know why I am calling this a semi-homemade recipe. Let’s see the ingredients in detail! PS – I am not calling this a traditional or authentic enchilada casserole. It’s just my take on the vegetarian casserole with Mexican flavors.

Ingredients required

Note – This is not a sponsored post, and I am sharing the products that I used for reference. Veggies: I used a mix of onions, mushrooms, bell peppers(red, green and orange), and corn. Also used fresh cilantro to enhance the flavor. Taco shells: I used hard taco shells as we like them more than the soft ones. We like the hard taco texture after baking. It becomes soft but still has that slight crunch, and it’s fantastic. Also, it’s easy to stuff the beans and veggies with taco shells. You can also use corn tortillas instead. Enchilada Sauce: I used a 15.5oz can of store-bought mild enchilada sauce. It’s the 365 Whole Foods brand. You need 14 to 16 oz of sauce for this casserole recipe. If you want to make it from scratch, check my Instant Pot enchilada sauce recipe. Refried beans: It’s easy to find vegetarian refried beans these days, and that’s what I used for this recipe too. A 16oz can of store-bought refried beans is more than sufficient for this recipe. I have homemade refried beans in the Instant Pot recipe, too, and please do check if you want to make it from scratch. Instead of refried beans, you can use cooked black or pinto or red kidney beans or a combination of all. Cheese: I can’t imagine my casserole without the cheese. You can opt for a Mexican blend cheese or mild or sharp cheddar. I used a Mexican blend and some cheddar as well. For the vegan version, you can use vegan cheese or skip the cheese too. Apart from these, you need salt, pepper, and oil.

Dietary Specifications

It’s a vegetarian recipe without any nuts. I have used cheese and sour cream while serving. You can skip them and also use homemade sauce and beans for the vegan version. Storing enchiladas: Let the enchiladas cool to room temperature, then cover the pan tightly with a wrap or aluminum foil and reheat before serving. You can store up to 2 days. You can also freeze them, but I have never tried freezing the enchiladas.

How I serve my enchiladas

I usually serve my enchiladas with few sides, but I skip the rice. Here are our favorite sides, Optionally, you can add some tortilla chips too. You can serve the enchiladas in your preferred way with some salsa, rice, etc. Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this vegetarian enchilada casserole with details step-wise pictures.

How to make vegetarian enchilada casserole

In a mixing bowl, add all the veggies – corn, onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms, along with cilantro. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set it aside.

Preheat the oven at 375 deg F. I used 9×13 bakeware for this casserole. Make sure you can keep 6 to 8 taco shells in a single layer. Overlapping is ok. (Refer notes for layering) Grease the pan and add ¼ measure of the enchilada sauce and about ⅓ to ½ cup of cheese.

Now take one taco shell and first fill with 2 to 3 tbsps of refried beans.

Then top it with the prepared vegetables. Similarly, fill all the taco shells evenly with refried beans and vegetables.

Place the taco shells flat in the baking tray fill with enchilada sauce. I arranged them in a single layer like below.

Now add the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the arranged tacos and sprinkle the cheese evenly. If there are any remaining vegetables, add them on the top.

Bake uncovered at 375 deg F for 25 to 30 minutes. Please refer to notes for more details. Carefully remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit. Then serve it hot with your favorite sides.

Recipe Notes

Sauteing the vegetables: I did not saute the vegetables on the stove-top. The veggies were pretty tender and soft when baked, so I have been stuffing raw vegetables in taco shells. You can also saute them separately with Mexican seasoning or spices before stuffing.Instead of refried beans, you can use cooked or canned beans like pinto, black, or red kidney beans.I used mild enchilada sauce for this recipe. Buy the ones according to your spice preference.For layering the tacos: If your bakeware is small, you can also layer the tacos. Let’s say you layer four first, then you would add some enchilada sauce and half of the cheese and then place the remaining three or four. Add the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.We like our enchiladas when baked uncovered, especially with taco shells. You can also cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes and remove the foil and bake again for 10 to 15 minutes. I have always baked my enchiladas uncovered.

Explore other Mexican recipes

If you try this enchilada bake, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates.