Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole – A Great Recipe for Lent

This Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole is one of our favorite weeknight meals. Layers of tortillas stuffed with vegetables, black beans and cheese and topped with enchilada sauce.

Although we eat this dish throughout the year, it is one that becomes very popular during Lent season. We get a lot of emails asking for meatless recipe ideas besides grilled cheese, fish and chips and cheese pizza during this time.

And this recipe is always one of the first that we recommend. It is easy to make and it is so delicious that you won’t even miss the meat!

Other Meatless Dinner Recipes

• Vegetable Lo Mein
• Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
• Stroganoff
• Air Fryer Calzones
• Red Lentil Curry
• Tofu Pad Thai

However, with the recent popularity and availability of plant based products that resemble ground meat and sausage, almost all of our recipes can be easily adapted to become meatless recipes.

And you can certainly add cooked meat, or plant based ‘meat’ to this recipe as well. And if you are chicken lover, check out our Chicken Enchilada Casserole recipe.

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

Olive oil
Onion
Red pepper
Garlic
Cumin
Chili powder
Black beans
Corn
Diced green chiles
Enchilada sauce, red or green (Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe)
12 corn tortillas
Shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and black pepper

Optional Garnishes For Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

• Cilantro
• Sour cream
• Jalapeños

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°F). Slice corn tortillas in half so you’ll have 24 pieces.

Be sure to use corn tortillas and not flour tortillas for this recipe. The corn tortillas hold up much better during the baking process.

Dice the onion and red bell pepper. Then heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add diced onion and red pepper and saute for 5 minutes.

Then add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Next, add 1/4 cup enchilada sauce so that you can deglaze the pan, scraping all the brown bits off the bottom. 

Now add drained and rinsed black beans, drained corn, and green chiles to the pot and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Before you assemble the vegetarian enchilada casserole, turn off the burner and set the skillet aside, away from the heat.

Assembly Instructions

In a 9 x 13 baking dish pour ⅔ cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom. Place 8 halves of tortilla in a single layer on top of the sauce.

Then add ½ of the skillet mixture and ⅔ cup of enchilada sauce in an even layer. Then add ⅓ of the shredded cheese. 

Add 8 more tortilla halves in a single layer and then top that with the remaining skillet mixture. You can reserve 1/2 of the mixture for the top if you desire.

Pour another ⅔ cup of sauce over the veggies and then add another ⅓ of the shredded cheese. 

Add the remaining tortillas (and any remaining skillet mixture) in a single layer, then pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Add remaining cheese on top as the final layer.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.

Then remove the foil cover and bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove the vegetarian enchilada casserole from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes so the casserole has time to set and firm up before cutting. Top with desired garnishes.

Storing Instructions

Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

What To Serve With This Casserole

Although we typically eat this without any other side dishes, you can serve white rice, refried beans and tortilla chips and salsa with this recipe. Enjoy!

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