Versatile, freezer-friendly, and forever delicious, these cheesy butternut squash and black bean Vegetarian Enchiladas are one of our absolute favorites!
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5 Star Review
“I guess you CAN have it all! These healthy enchiladas are truly delicious and guilt-free!”
— Lisa —
Healthy and packed with colorful veggies, these tasty vegetarian enchiladas are a big ol’ pan of cheesy delight. This recipe:
- Is quick to pull together, thanks to the help of a few pantry items.
- So tasty, I’m just as likely to make a pan of this Mexican vegetarian enchiladas casserole for only for Ben and myself as I am for a group of friends.
- Features simple ingredients and crowd-pleasing flavor.
- Easy enough to become a part of your weeknight meal rotation (along with my Vegetarian Burrito) and special enough to save for a dinner with friends or game day party.
These truly are the BEST EVER vegetarian enchiladas!
How to Make Vegetarian Enchiladas
Today’s easy vegetarian enchiladas recipe keeps the inspiration from my creamy white Butternut Squash Spinach Enchiladas, but is quicker and more convenient to make.
A few time-saving pantry staples like canned enchilada sauce and black beans put you ahead of the dinner game.
If you’d like to take a bit more time with the recipe, you can also make these vegetarian enchiladas with my homemade Enchilada Sauce and these Instant Pot Black Beans.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butternut Squash. Sweet, nutty, and unexpectedly wonderful in enchiladas. Plus, butternut squash is packed with vitamins, potassium, and magnesium.
- Red Onion. Adds beautiful color and depth to the dish.
- Black Beans. Creamy, protein-packed goodness. The black beans pair perfectly with the butternut squash and make the enchiladas extra filling.
- Red Enchilada Sauce. A mild sauce with oodles of smoky flavor that coats every bite.
- Spices. For a deep, smoky flavor that’s a pleasing contrast to the sweetness of the butternut squash.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Nothing beats the melty topping of cheddar cheese!
- Tortillas. I used whole-wheat tortillas to bump the nutrition content, but you can use any tortillas you prefer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Sauté the onion in a large skillet.
- Add the squash, garlic, and spices. Cook until softened. Stir in the beans.
- Pour a layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Fill each tortilla with the squash and bean mixture, roll them, then place seam-side down in the baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.
- Bake vegetarian enchiladas at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian Enchiladas with Refried Beans. For vegetarian enchiladas refried beans, swap refried beans for the black beans. Spread them in the tortilla, before adding the sautéed butternut squash. (See Instant Pot Refried Beans and Crock Pot Pinto Beans for a recipe.)
- Vegetarian Enchiladas Without Beans. Simply leave them out or try adding sautéed tofu like in my surprising and oh-so-yummy Vegan Enchiladas. (Another tofu hit: Tofu Tacos!)
- Sweet Potato Vegetarian Enchiladas. Swap sweet potato or a squash that is similar in texture and flavor to butternut, such as kabocha or hubbard. Just make sure that, for your own sanity, it’s easy to peel and cube. (Love sweet potato? My Vegetarian Tacos will be a hit!)
- Vegetarian Enchiladas with Spinach. Add even more veggies by stirring a few handfuls in with the butternut squash towards the end of its sauté time.
What to Serve with Vegetarian Enchiladas
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 enchiladas
Video
These vegetarian enchiladas with butternut squash and black beans are hearty, flavorful, and cheesy. A make-ahead dinner everyone will love!
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion diced
- 3 ½ cups (1/2-inch-cubed) butternut squash about 1 small, 1 1/2-pound squash
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground chipotle chili powder reduce to 1 or 1/2 teaspoon if sensitive to spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can low sodium black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce or 1 1/4 cups homemade Enchilada Sauce
- ¾ cup freshly grated sharp cheddar Monterey jack, pepper jack, or similar cheese
- 6 taco-sized about 8-inch whole wheat low-carb tortillas (I used La Banderita brand)
- Optional for serving: sliced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, additional shredded cheese, additional chopped red onion, nonfat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and cook until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the squash, garlic, chipotle chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the squash is softened but still has a bit of chew, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste a few pieces of the squash to make sure it’s the right texture overall. Stir in the beans, cooking just to warm through, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
- Spread a thin layer of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Fill the tortillas with a heaping 1/2 cup of the squash and bean filling, roll snugly, then arrange side by side in the dish, seam-side down. Pour the remaining sauce over the top, then sprinkle the top with cheese.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Let cool slightly, then serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- TO MAKE VEGAN: Omit the cheese or use a non-dairy cheese alternative.
- TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE: Use certified gluten-free corn tortillas. Since corn tortillas are smaller, you are likely to have more enchiladas.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: Enchiladas can be assembled and stored unbaked in the refrigerator for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months (let thaw overnight in the refrigerator). Top with red sauce right before baking (do not top, then refrigerate or freeze unbaked, or the enchiladas will become soggy).
- TO STORE: Refrigerate baked enchiladas in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze enchiladas in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1enchilada, without toppingsCalories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 11gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4g
Made this for dinner tonight. I love how simple it is to make! I added 1 small sweet potato along with the butternut squash bc I only had 1lb of the squash – it was a tasty little addition! I highly recommend this for anyone looking to wow even their carnivorous friends/family members – my boyfriend didn’t even miss meat tonight :) Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Heather! That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you for this kind review!
My daughter is vegetarian, so I’m trying to have more meatless meals. My entire family loved this recipe! 5 stars!
I’m so happy that it was a hit, Jennifer! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I love eating meat, but have made this recipe 4 times already, and I don’t miss it, they’re so good! With some sour cream and avocado to top it off they’re amazing. Legit 5 stars lol
Hi Tomás! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This is the first time I’ve ever left a review on a recipe, but I felt I needed to because I loved these so much. Definitely adding this to my weekly rotation. Thank you!
Hi Sharon! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was delicious for today’s lunch! I was excited to realize I had almost everything on hand with just a few minor tweaks. I had a couple of 10oz bags of frozen butternut chunks in the freezer rather than a whole squash. I only had about half a red onion, so I filled out that part with a bit of bell pepper. I made your homemade sauce—to die for! This is joining my regular rotation. Thank you!
Hi Mary! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I make chicken enchilada regularly, it’s one of my families favorite dishes so I was a little apprehensive to try these but I am so glad I did. They were delicious and have just the right amount of spiciness that doesn’t overpower the the flavor of the other ingredients. I would highly recommend and have already sent the recipe to several friends to try out too!
Hi Tezra! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This is an excellent recipe and as a vegetarian dish, it is superb. I made this for my family for birthday celebrations and everyone, even meat lovers enjoyed it. I new addition to our family is vegetarian and I was tired of preparing a separate meal for her and it made her feel she was giving me extra work. But this recipe was enjoyed by all!
Hi Michèle! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’m going to make this tonight for a vegetarian person. You have no measurement re: spices, can sizes, amount of butternut squash etc.
Hi JuneBenoit, the measurements are always listed in the post within the recipe card. It’s above the area where you commented so I think you scrolled right past it. There is a “jump to recipe” button at the top of the screen to help navigate you there. Hope this helps!
I haven’t made these yet, but I don’t like butternut or and sweet squash. Is there anything I could use instead of that?
Hi Rita! You could use sweet potatoes! Enjoy!
I haven’t tried this recipe because I don’t lik ANYTHING sweet except dessert. The recipe ops me. Could make these veggie enchiladas with sweet potatoes but those are sweet too. Is here any vegetable 🥗 could use that would be completely savory and NOT sweet. I’m prediabetic and am trying to eat more vegetable based foods, but nothing with a sweet taste at all appeals to me. Any other veggies I could use that would work but not be sweet AT SLL? Thank you for responding. I really appreciate your doing that. Would something like zucchini work?
Hi Rita, you could try acorn squash or kabocha squash. Zucchini could work to but they tend to have more water content so I’d watch that when cooking in the skillet. Also white potatoes would work too. Enjoy!