A vegan enchilada casserole full of flavor and easy to prep ahead. Plenty of protein and hidden veggies makes this the perfect all encompassing meal!
We love all things casserole. Especially those you can prep ahead and throw together when you’re ready. With my hungry circus of a family, big pans of food that will feed them for days are exactly what I need!
Healthy Vegan Enchilada Casserole
Whenever I can sneak in extra veggies into our meals, I always jump in. As much as I believe in serving veggies to my kiddos, there are days where the argument is just not worth it. Plus, if you can add more veggies into your food, why not?
One thing that we have been loving lately, is subbing cauliflower rice for regular rice. We started doing this a few months ago in our burritos and I swear to you the kids didn’t even notice.
So when I was brainstorming how to add some veggies into this vegan casserole, I knew I had to use our idea.
Can you customize enchilada casserole?
Absolutely! I used riced cauliflower, but you can use, or add, any veggies you want! Here are some ideas and variations for veggies I’ve tried or think would be good:
- spinach ( I have an easy spinach and chickpea enchilada recipe that’s delish!)
- bell peppers
- chiles
- corn
- mushrooms
- zucchini
- butternut squash
- sweet potato
You can also sub out the homemade taco meat for a store bought variety. You could just use beans as well if you’re in a hurry.
What is enchilada sauce made from?
If you’re really trying to make this quickly you can use a store bought enchilada sauce. But homemade is just so good!
My easy homemade enchilada sauce is one of the best out there. The recipes was created off of a friends authentic one that I had once and new I had to recreate. It’s super simple, literally stir it all in a pot and warm!
What tortillas do you use in enchilada casserole?
Using quality tortillas is key in a good Mexican recipe. My favorite brand has always been Mi Rancho. Their quality, flavor and texture is as close to homemade as I have found!
I can literally eat their corn tortillas warmed up with a touch of butter, dipped in the salsa from my cookbook, and be happy for ever. Haha!
They are 100% organic and Non-GMO project verified. This year they celebrate their 80th anniversary! After 80 years of making their tortillas, it’s no wonder they are so good!
They use organic corn grown in California cooked with lime, then ground into fresh masa using hand-carved lava stones. Once you try them you’ll see that process truly matters.
In this vegan enchilada casserole, I use their standard organic corn tortillas. They are perfect in thickness to support the meaty crumble and don’t fall apart with with cheese and enchilada sauce topping.
Can I prep enchilada casserole in advance?
Yes! That’s the best thing about it. All you need to do is make the vegan taco meat, cheese sauce, and enchilada sauce. Then on the day you are making it, throw it together and bake!
If you want to make it super easy, you can use store bought items but the homemade is so much better. I use frozen cauliflower rice but you could make your own.
How do I store enchilada casserole?
This vegan casserole is perfect for leftovers. It’s easily stored in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat it, just heat it in the microwave until warm.
If you prefer to warm it in the oven, you can just do so slowly so it doesn’t burn.
You can also freeze it. I wrap leftovers in parchment, then tinfoil. Then I put that in a plastic freezer bag.
How To Make Vegan Enchilada Casserole
Once you have all the parts, putting this together is super easy! It’s much like a lasagna where the parts are layered.
- Make/ gather the ingredients.
- Layer sauce, tortillas and taco meat at the bottom of a pan.
- Add the cheese sauce.
- Add more tortillas, enchilada sauce and cauliflower rice.
- Top with more tortillas, enchilada sauce and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.
- Bake, serve and eat!
- 18 corn tortillas , I use Mi Rancho brand
- 3 cups vegan taco meat
- 2 cups cauliflower rice , I use frozen
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce , can make your own or use store bought
- 1 cup vegan cheese sauce , can sub with store bought cheese
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C
- ½ cup enchilada sauce
- 6 corn tortillas
- 3 cups vegan taco meat
- 1 cup vegan cheese sauce
- 6 corn tortillas
- ½ cup enchilada sauce
- 2 cups cauliflower rice
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool a bit, then top with toppings of choice and devour!
- To make this super fast and easy use store bought ingredients. Making your own is healthier and tastier however.
- If you use fresh cauliflower rice instead of frozen the end result may vary slightly but it will still be great.
- Customize with whatever toppings you prefer.
- Nutrition info is for the base casserole only without the toppings.
- Time includes the prep for making all homemade ingredients, if you buy them it takes about 10 minutes to prep and 25 to bake.
BD says
How is there a milligram of cholesterol in this when it’s completely vegan? I’m assuming the nutrition label is incorrect since cholesterol is only found in animal products. There should be zero milligrams of cholesterol in any vegan meals/foods.
veggiesdontbite says
That is so weird, it is definitely a typo. I even double checked all the ingredients in the recipe and none of them have cholesterol. I just manually updated it! Thanks for catching that! The automatic system makes errors which is why I give the disclosure.
Cassandra D says
My favorite way to eat a tortilla would be in a breakfast burrito.
veggiesdontbite says
Breakfast burritos are delicious!
GINA ROCK says
I love making chicken enchiladas with tortillas! Yum!!
veggiesdontbite says
Enchiladas are so good!
Stephanie Ludwig says
Favorite way is a burrito!
veggiesdontbite says
Love them!
Mya Murphy says
Enchiladas are my life!! I live for Mexican food.. Whether vegan meaty or cheesy, I’ll take them all!!
veggiesdontbite says
I can’t live without them!
Dana Matthews says
My favorite way to eat tortillas is to fill them with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato and cheese!
veggiesdontbite says
Tortilla filled anything!!
Pamela Sloss says
On burritos or as tostados with lots of cheese.
veggiesdontbite says
Tostadas are so good!
Christin W says
My favorite way to eat tortillas is dipping it in the white cheese dip, or of course with fajitas!
veggiesdontbite says
I love white cheese dip!
Trisha Musgrave says
I love tortillas in Enchiladas!
veggiesdontbite says
Me too!