A vegan enchilada casserole layered with healthy whole food ingredients, corn tortillas and topped with an easy homemade red sauce. It's gluten-free and amazing!
I love that this has hidden veggies but you won't even know it. Makes it a perfect meal for the entire family!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Mi Rancho. The opinions and text are all mine.
This post was originally published on June 24, 2019.
While I love enchiladas, especially my vegan black bean and veggie enchiladas, sometimes an easy layered enchilada casserole is more my speed. This recipe and it's flavors are amazing!
Ingredients
Whenever I can get extra veggies into our meals, I am always game. One thing that we have been loving lately, is using cauliflower rice. We started mixing it in our burritos and no one even noticed.
- Corn tortillas
- Vegan taco meat
- Cauliflower rice
- Red enchilada sauce
- Vegan cheese sauce
- Green onions
- Cilantro
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.
- Layer sauce, tortillas and taco meat at the bottom of a pan.
- Pour the cheese sauce all over.
- Add more tortillas, enchilada sauce and cauliflower rice.
- Top with more tortillas, enchilada sauce and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.
- Bake.
- Serve!
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 in this vegetarian enchilada casserole:
- 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. Or just use beans as well if you're in a hurry.
What is enchilada sauce made from?
Most red enchilada sauce is made with tomato sauce and spices, but every recipe varies.
I prefer to use homemade enchilada sauce because it is just so good! If you're really trying to make this quickly you can use a store bought enchilada sauce.
My easy homemade enchilada sauce is one of the best out there. The recipe was created off of a friends authentic one that I had once and knew 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?
We like this enchilada casserole with corn tortillas to keep it gluten free, but feel free to use any of your favorite tortillas.
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 fresh salsa, and be happy for ever. Haha!
These tortillas are 100% organic and Non-GMO project verified. 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.
Can I prep enchilada casserole in advance?
Yes! That's one of the things that makes this recipe so easy!
To prep ahead:
- Prepare the vegan taco meat
- Make the cheese sauce
- Mix up the enchilada sauce.
- Then on the day you are making it, throw it together and bake!
- You can even completely assemble up to 24 hours before baking, just remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking.
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 for up to 3-5 days.
- 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 for up to 3 months. I wrap leftovers in parchment paper, then tinfoil. Then I put that in a plastic freezer bag.
More Whole Food Plant Based Recipes
It's so easy to enjoy amazing flavors while getting in all sorts of veggies! Keep the family happy with these vegan recipes:
- Vegan Greek Pastitsio
- Easy Vegan Bean Chili
- Chickpea and Veggie Tikka Masala
- Cavatelli and Broccoli
- Homemade Vegan Sushi
Easy Vegan Enchilada Casserole (with Corn Tortillas)
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C
Layer the ingredients in a 9 x 13 baking dish as follows:
- 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!
Notes
- To make this super fast and easy use store bought ingredients.
- If you use fresh cauliflower rice instead of frozen the texture of 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.
- If you make all homemade ingredients at the same time it will take you longer, I suggest making them ahead of time or using store bought if you want it fast.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Carla
I'd like to make this for a party. How much in advance can I make it? Can I prepare the entire thing 1 or 2 weeks before the party? If so, would I bake it before freezing or should I wait to bake it until the day before or of the party?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Carla! You can definitely make it in advance. I would freeze them uncooked. Cover the tops with foil, then plastic making sure to seal in. You can also line the baking pan with parchment making sure to bring the paper up the sides. Then cover with foil and freeze for 2-3 hours until solid. Then you can use the sides of the paper to lift out the enchilada casserole, wrap it completely with foil and store in a large freezer bag or if that doesn't fit cover well with plastic. Let me know how it works!
Carla
Thanks for the info. Should I remove it from the freezer the night before or the morning of the party before cooking?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Carla! I would either put it in the fridge the night before or set it on the counter the morning of to defrost slowly. It really depends how long you have before you need to bake it.
Alexandria
I made all of the components so it was not “easy”
but it was delicious. I made a double batch and I am excited to see how the leftovers today taste compared to dinner last night. Every single one of my kids devoured it and most went back for seconds.
Sophia DeSantis
Ha! Yes, if you do everything from scratch it definitely adds some work to this! But I am thrilled your family loved it!!
Sarah
I love this recipe, it's so easy to use up extra veggies getting ready to go bad!
Barbara W Bason
Made this for a group at the beach. Super easy! I used jack fruit with Tex-Mex seasoning instead of crumbles, I'm diabetic and it's lower in carbs. I was the only vegan there and didn't mention anything until after they had tried it and were raving about how good it was!! Thank you for the quick easy meal!!
veggiesdontbite
I am so thrilled you liked it Barbara! I love the jackfruit sub!
BD
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
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
My favorite way to eat a tortilla would be in a breakfast burrito.
veggiesdontbite
Breakfast burritos are delicious!
GINA ROCK
I love making chicken enchiladas with tortillas! Yum!!
veggiesdontbite
Enchiladas are so good!
Stephanie Ludwig
Favorite way is a burrito!
veggiesdontbite
Love them!
Mya Murphy
Enchiladas are my life!! I live for Mexican food.. Whether vegan meaty or cheesy, I'll take them all!!
veggiesdontbite
I can't live without them!
Dana Matthews
My favorite way to eat tortillas is to fill them with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato and cheese!
veggiesdontbite
Tortilla filled anything!!
Pamela Sloss
On burritos or as tostados with lots of cheese.
veggiesdontbite
Tostadas are so good!
Christin W
My favorite way to eat tortillas is dipping it in the white cheese dip, or of course with fajitas!
veggiesdontbite
I love white cheese dip!
Trisha Musgrave
I love tortillas in Enchiladas!
veggiesdontbite
Me too!