Easy Vegan Queso Bean Enchiladas
Running low on fresh veggies and don’t know what to make? Rest assured — none are needed for these delicious queso bean enchiladas! Lentils and two types of beans pack in satiating fiber and protein, while the cooked frozen kale hides in the dish and adds key nutrients. Simple pantry spices, sliced jalapeños, and enchilada sauce add satisfying spice and optimal flavor balance. If you don’t want to make vegan queso ahead of time, use Mexican Chao shreds by Field Roast instead.
Mexican food has steadily become one of my favorite cuisines in adulthood, up there with Indian, Italian, Thai, and American. My love has ramped up for a while — my family’s taco nights signaled ultimate comfort food growing up, and I remained a weekly patron of Chipotle for over a year in high school.
And that wasn’t even real Mexican food. Thus, going out to Mexican restaurants was an even bigger treat. As with all cuisines, the more authentic it is, the more delicious it becomes. Mexican food is so delicious that even wholly inauthentic dishes are crave-able by every American I know.
Like so many recipes before it, this hit was born out of supposed scarcity in my kitchen. The only fresh veggie I had on hand was an heirloom tomato I needed to use up, poorly suited for a stir fry as I had no whole foods to complement it. Enter: surprisingly delicious enchiladas.
Yes, you can make a delicious and nutritious meal with only pantry, frozen, and refrigerated ingredients. You can even swap out the only fresh ingredient, tomato, for canned if needed. I started off this dish with low expectations, and was blown away by the result.
Within a week of making them for the first time, I ate a vegan enchilada from a food truck. The beans and enchilada sauce were cooked from scratch, and even so, my version rivaled it. I love that cooking doesn’t need to be complicated to be delicious — and today, I am excited to share that reality with you!
The Ingredients
Whole grain tortillas (standard size). I recommend opting for a hearty, whole grain or whole wheat variety instead of white. If you want to try corn tortillas, I recommend doubling up each roll, as these tortillas crumble much easier than flour.
Vegan queso. I have provided a simple cashew-based recipe below that’s quick and easy to make in a blender. If you prefer, use another vegan queso recipe of your choice, or opt for Mexican Chao shreds by Field Roast to avoid making it altogether.
Red lentils with refried beans. Be sure to rinse your lentils before cooking them, and drain off any excess water when they are finished. Mix in the canned refried beans after the water has been drained and see how the flavor gets instantly amplified.
Kale, cooked from frozen. Look for a 10 ounce bag of chopped kale in the frozen section of the grocery store. Once cooked, it will be much softer than raw kale. Having frozen leafy greens on hand is highly convenient, as they perish quicker than most other fresh vegetables and are consequently usually the first to get used up. Plus, frozen kale may contain even more nutrients than fresh, as it is frozen at optimal ripeness. You wouldn’t want to use frozen kale for a kale salad, but in this case it pairs very well with the texture of the other enchilada ingredients.
Diced tomatoes. Heirloom, roma, or any other tomato variety you have on hand will work well. If you don’t have a fresh tomato, drain a can of diced tomatoes and use those instead.
Black beans. Look for a standard 15 ounce can at the grocery store. I prefer organic and low sodium varieties, but any kind you choose or have on hand will work well.
Jarred jalapeños (sliced, in brine). As jarred jalapeños are pickled, they taste quite different than fresh jalapeños. This is a key ingredient of the recipe, and I cannot say how the result would turn out with fresh peppers. If you want to try using fresh, however, keep in mind they will likely be more spicy.
Spices. Cumin, coriander, nutritional yeast, and especially smoked paprika flavor these enchiladas perfectly. Be sure to add these inside each tortilla, as well as on top of the tortillas once they are in the casserole dish.
Enchilada sauce. Opt for a 10 ounce can of any enchilada sauce that looks good at the store. If you prefer, you can make homemade enchilada sauce for even better flavor, but this is not necessary.
The Prep
- Make the vegan queso (or skip this, and use Mexican Chao shreds by Field Roast instead!).
- Cook the lentils and frozen kale.
- Meanwhile, chop the tomato and begin to prepare an assembly station.
Simple Vegan Cashew Queso
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Kettle or small saucepan
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
- ½ cup + 2 Tbsp vegetable broth
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- Optional add ins: soy sauce, sriracha or chili garlic sauce, sundried tomatoes, jalapeños, cherry peppers, green chilis
Instructions
- Pour cashews into a bowl with plenty of extra room. Fill a kettle or small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, pour over the cashews to cover by a couple of inches. Let sit for 30 minutes, and drain.
- Place drained cashews and remaining ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients as desired. I highly recommend experimenting with some of my suggested add ins to complete the flavor profile to your liking.
Notes
The Assembly
First: Spread vegan queso evenly over the tortilla.
Second: Spread a quarter of the lentil-bean mixture on top of the queso.
Third: Distribute a quarter of the cooked kale over the tortilla.
Fourth: Distribute tomatoes to your liking over the tortilla.
Fifth: Spread a quarter of the black beans over the tortilla.
Sixth: Add about 12 jalapeño slices evenly over the tortilla.
Seventh: Sprinkle cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and nutritional yeast evenly to cover entire tortilla surface.
Eighth: Coat an 8×8 casserole dish with almost half of the enchilada sauce, rotate dish until sauce covers bottom evenly. Roll up tortilla and place in dish, open flap down. Set aside ingredients that spill out while rolling. Repeat steps one through seven with remaining tortillas, and add to dish.
Ninth: Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over tortillas, using a rubber spatula to cover as much tortilla surface as you can. Add the reserved spillover ingredients and 10 to 12 jalapeño slices. Sprinkle surface with cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and nutritional yeast.
Tenth: Bake enchiladas at 400°F for 30 minutes, until sauce darkens and tortilla corners crisp up. Allow to cool for a few minutes, serve and enjoy!
Hungry for more Mexican-inspired meals? Check out my Beyond Beef Tacos and watch for a vegan refried bean quesadilla coming soon! Lastly, don’t forget to leave a comment and rating if you try this recipe — your feedback is so helpful! Cheers and happy cooking from my table to yours.
Easy Vegan Queso Bean Enchiladas
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Small saucepan
- 8×8 casserole dish
- Bowls to place ingredients in
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 oz bag chopped frozen kale
- 1 medium heirloom or roma tomato* diced
- 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup sliced jalapeños from jar
- ⅓ cup canned vegetarian refried beans**
- 10 oz can enchilada sauce
- 4 whole wheat tortillas
- ½ cup vegan queso***
- Nutritional yeast, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika for sprinkling
Instructions
- Rinse lentils, and add to a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes until tender, and drain off the excess water.
- Place the frozen kale and 1½ cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook 10 to 11 minutes until tender. Drain off any excess water.
- While lentils and kale cook, prepare the other ingredients – chop the tomato, drain and rinse the black beans, and measure out the jalapeños. Begin setting up an assembly station.
- Once lentils are done cooking and water has been drained off, stir in ⅓ cup of refried beans until well incorporated. Add this mixture to the assembly station.
- Pour a little less than half of the enchilada sauce into an 8×8 casserole dish, and move the dish around so that the sauce evenly coats the bottom.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay out a tortilla on a plate or cutting board. Spread a thin layer of vegan queso over the surface.
- Spread ¼ of the lentil/bean mixture next, followed by ¼ of the cooked kale, tomatoes to your liking, ¼ of the black beans, and about 12 slices of jalapeños.
- Sprinkle cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and nutritional yeast evenly over the surface, using about the same amount of each spice.
- Roll up the tortilla, and place into the casserole pan with the opening on the bottom (so the roll stays rolled). Set aside any ingredients that fall out of the tortilla while rolling.
- Repeat the ingredient layering process with the remaining 3 tortillas, and place in casserole dish. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the rolls. Use a rubber spatula if needed to distribute the sauce to cover the entire surface of the tortillas.
- Spread the reserved spillover ingredients on top of the rolls, and add about 12 more jalapeño slices. Sprinkle entire surface with more cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and nutritional yeast.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until sauce darkens and tortillas look a bit crispy on the edges. Serve and enjoy!!