Home » Plant-Based Dinner Recipes » Main Dish

Healthy Vegan Enchilada Casserole

Name: Healthy Vegan Enchilada Casserole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced; 4 ounce can diced green chilies; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 15 ounce can chili beans in sauce; 15 ounce can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed; 1 cup peeled and finely diced sweet potato; 1/4 cup vegetable broth; 1 batch Homemade Enchilada Sauce (or 3 cups); 12 corn tortillas, halved; 2 cups shredded non-dairy cheese; Toppings of choice: chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, thinly sliced green onion, avocado

By Alexandra Caspero on October 7, 2021

If you love enchiladas then you've gotta try this vegan casserole.

Serves 6-8

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Healthy Vegan Enchilada Casserole! Layers of beans, sweet potatoes, homemade enchilada sauce, dairy-free cheese and tortillas. A must-make!

How amazing does this healthy vegan enchilada casserole look? After making a batch of my homemade enchilada sauce this weekend, I decided to share with you a weeknight inspired recipe. All of the flavor of sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, with half of the work.

Dare I saw I actually prefer this casserole over traditional enchiladas because it’s so easy to assemble. Make the filling, make the sauce, put together and bake! I can throw this together in the morning for easy meal prep for dinner.

We love enchiladas in my house. And by we, I mean my husband and I. My kiddos still pick out the peppers and mostly try to eat the beans, potatoes, tortilla and cheese if they can help it. I’ve made countless versions of vegan enchiladas before and if you like those, then you are going to love these.

Ingredients you’ll need

You likely already have most of these ingredients in your pantry. Here is everything you will need:

Onion
Red Bell Pepper
Canned Diced Green Chiles
Black Beans & Chili Beans
Sweet Potatoes
Homemade (or canned) enchilada sauce
Corn tortillas
Shredded dairy-free cheese or regular cheese as desired

Vegan Enchilada Casserole Instructions

First, you’ll make the sweet potato and bean filling. Start by heating olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion and bell pepper for a few minutes until soft. To keep things easy, I’m using canned green chilies, chili beans in sauce and black beans. Add those to the skillet along with the sweet potatoes and spices.

Once the filling and homemade enchilada sauce is made, this casserole comes together very quickly in a baking dish. I added in a few prep photos so you could see how I layered it. The easiest way to fit the tortillas is to half them and layer them as shown in the prepared casserole dish.

For a less soggy filling, I recommend toasting the tortillas first. The easiest way to do this is using a gas burner, but microwaving tortillas for 10 seconds works as well. Turn on the gas burner and hold the tortillas lightly over the gas for 10-15 seconds until warmed through and softened. You don’t have to do this step at all, but if you have the time then I recommend it.

Cover the casserole with foil to help it steam as it cooks. Tenting the foil will prevent it from sticking to the dairy-free cheddar cheese as it bakes in the oven. Remove the foil after 20 minutes, then bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and casserole is hot.

What toppings should I use?

When I make this enchilada casserole, I love adding a few toppings on top for both taste and appearance. Chopped avocado, cilantro and dairy-free sour cream all work great here.

Can you make this gluten-free?

To make this vegan enchilada casserole gluten-free you’ll want to use corn tortillas and a gluten-free enchilada sauce. If using my homemade enchilada sauce, sub in gluten-free all purpose flour or almond flour to make the roux.

Can I use different vegetables in this casserole?

My rule of thumb for enchiladas is this, if they taste good together then it will probably taste good layered between tortillas and smothered with sauce and cheese.

Sweet potatoes pair perfectly with black beans but you can also use butternut squash, summer squash like zucchini or yellow squash, more peppers or leafy greens like kale.

What vegan cheese is best?

If you’ve ever tried dairy-free cheese, then you know they are not created equal. Some are fine, some are delicious and some are downright disgusting. I’m partial to both Violife and Chao cheese when I eat dairy-free. Pictured here is the just like cheddar shreds from Violife and I highly recommend that brand if you can find it. It melts slightly, has a creamy, cheesy taste and most important of all– doesn’t taste like plastic!

Dairy cheese is also a fine substitute if you’d like. Cheddar, pepper jack or Monterey jack would all work great here.

Nutrition for this Vegan Enchilada Casserole

This casserole is loaded with plant-based protein, fiber and healthy fats. One serving contains roughly 330 calories, 10g of protein, 50g of carbohydrates and 10g of heart-healthy fats.

If you like this Vegan Enchilada Casserole, you’ll love these Enchilada recipes

If you try this vegan enchilada casserole, make sure to come back to leave a comment and rate it! Your feedback helps others and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.

Meet Alex Caspero

Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.