Anyone who follows me on Instagram knows I love Mexican food and make it a lot. A LOT. But mostly when it comes to this type of cuisine I tend to stick to tacos or burrito bowls with various fillings. You really can’t go wrong with tacos. That said, it’s nice to try different dishes once in a while to mix things up, and one of my favourites to make, especially for non-vegan guests, are enchiladas.
What is great about this dish is it’s so versatile – you can use any veggies you like and can even chuck in smoked tofu or mash up some cooked sweet potato to make the dish a bit creamy. Personally, I really like the combination of onions, red peppers, courgettes, mushrooms and black beans. But you could add or subtract any of those veggies for your favourites. The other thing I like about this dish? It can be made in advance and put in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it – which is one of the reasons I like making it for a dinner party.
Traditional enchiladas are made using corn tortillas, but I have found it tough to find good, large corn tortillas in the UK so I just use wholewheat which seems to work ok for me. They also tend to have cheese or a creamy sauce to go with them, but that is of course totally optional especially if you are trying to make a healthier version. I love a bit of vegan cheese though so I like to sprinkle a handful or two to the top before placing it in the oven. You could also make a creamy avocado sauce to go on afterwards, or just stick to a traditional guacamole or sliced avocado.
Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
For the sauce:
- 500g passata
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder (or less if you are heat-averse!)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
For the enchiladas:
- 4 corn tortillas
- Enchilada sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or water)
- 230g cooked black beans
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1/2 medium courgette, diced
- 4-5 chestnut mushrooms, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fresh black pepper
- 1-2 handfuls shredded vegan cheese (optional)
To serve:
- Lime wedges
- Avocado
- Coriander
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 200c.
- To make the sauce, put all the ingredients apart from the lime into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in the lime juice and set aside.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the oil or water depending on what you are using. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Then chuck in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add all the veggies into the frying pan along with the spices, stirring often. Continue cooking until the veggies are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, then add in the cooked black beans and 2 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce. Mix thoroughly and then remove from the heat.
- Prepare a square or rectangular baking dish by pouring about half of the enchilada sauce to the bottom of the pan. Take a tortilla and place a couple big spoonfuls of the veggie mix into the middle and roll up. Then place it in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the other 3 tortillas. If you have any leftover filling you can either scatter it on top of the tortillas or save it for another dish later.
- Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas, then add one or two handfuls of cheese (if using).
- Place the enchiladas in the oven, uncovered, for around 15-20 min until the cheese is bubbly or the tortillas have started to brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve with avocado, lime and coriander. Enjoy!
