Cheesy Spinach Enchiladas wrapped in tortillas and smothered in ramped-up enchilada sauce! All with nutrient-loaded goodness of spinach stuffed inside!
For more delicious vegetarian recipes, check out my reader-favorite recipes for Five-Bean Vegetarian Chili, Three Cheese Macaroni Stuffed Peppers, and my Vegetable Stir Fry. And if you’re an enchilada fan, try Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup, Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole, and Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas.
Why This Recipe Works
I think it’s mostly the cheese (and the sauce) but there are so many other reasons why this recipe works — here are a few!
Cheese (and spinach) — I declare that many of life’s greatest joys are the simplest ones. The ones with a few key stellar ingredients and a lot of love. Like cheesy, spinach-loaded, vegetarian enchiladas. All other enchiladas are fine, but sometimes the best things are the simple ones: the kind you get from spinach and CHEEEEEEESE (did I mention cheese?) wrapped in a tortilla and smothered with enchilada sauce. The. Best.
Special sauce — My secret for awesome-tasting enchilada sauce? Taco seasoning. Add some taco seasoning to any canned variety for restaurant-worthy sauce. If you can make it yourself, GREAT, I love you for it. If you’re just not feeling up to whipping up your own batch, grab a couple of cans and stir in some taco seasoning. Easy peasy (& cheesy).
Family favorite — By the time I was ready to serve these enchiladas, the hubs and kids were basically at my feet drooling. And my husband is historically a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy. By the time I led the drooling humans to the dinner table and served up the vegetarian enchiladas — why, no one even asked where the meat was! None of the four of them had a single problem with spinach. So, I say go ahead and sneak it into your enchiladas and see if your kids or spouse even notice. Personally, I think it takes the old cheese enchilada to a whole new level of tasty.
Simple and easy — All these vegetarian enchiladas need is a few simple ingredients and 30 minutes of your time (if you count the 20 minutes of simply waiting for them to cook). And no fancy presentation needed here. There is zero no need for your enchiladas to look “perfect.” In fact, I say the sloppier, the cheesier, the drippier, the better!
Ingredients
- Butter — How to make your enchilada sauce thick and creamy? Make a roux, starting with butter, then adding…
- Flour — All purpose flour does the trick. Mix with the butter to make your enchilada sauce less thin and tastier too.
- Mild or medium enchilada sauce — You’ll use two 15-ounce cans. I prefer red over green but you can use either. You can use the enchilada sauce as-is or you can add taco seasoning.
- Taco seasoning — My secret ingredient for the best enchilada sauce? Kick the flavor up a notch by adding taco seasoning to it. Trust me, you’ll never go back to plain old enchilada sauce once you try this version.
- Large flour tortillas — Large tortillas work great in the pan, and take up almost the entire width. But if you have small tortillas, you can lay them side by side. I don’t really like corn tortillas because they fall apart very easily.
- Shredded Mexican-blend cheese — All the Mexican flavors in one pouch. If you don’t have Mexican blend, you can use cheddar and Monterey jack or a combo of the two.
- Baby spinach leaves — Those little spinach leaves are perfect for this vegetarian enchiladas recipe. Chop them up so that you get a bit of spinach in every bite.
- Chopped cilantro — Cilantro is optional but I like to use it as a garnish. You can also add it into the vegetarian enchiladas as well if you love the flavor.
Here’s How to Make It
- First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then, get out a rectangular casserole dish or a 9×13″ pan and grease it. (not pictured)
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, stir. Then add the enchilada sauce and the taco seasoning (if adding) and stir it all together, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the enchilada sauce mixture simmer, creating that delightful roux. (photos 1-5)
- Get out the tortillas, and lay them on a clean, flat surface. Put one cup of the cheese aside (for adding to the top of the enchiladas before baking). Fill the rest of the tortillas with the rest of the cheese and spinach. (photos 6-8)
- Spread about ⅔ of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the greased pan. Roll up the tortillas and place them side-by-side (seam down) in the pan. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the tortillas, then top with the rest of the cheese. (photos 9-11)
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is completely melted. Add cilantro over the top after pulling out of the oven and serve warm with optional toppings (see Tips & Tricks). (photo 12)
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Serve with your favorite toppings like sour cream, sliced avocado or guacamole, sliced black olives, more cilantro, green onions, salsa, and hot sauce.
- These vegetarian enchiladas will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- These will freeze well for up to 3 months. But, honestly, it’s easier (and faster) to just make up a whole new batch than to thaw and reheat. (And tastier, too!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! If you want to add meat, I recommend cooking ground chicken, turkey or meat in a separate pan and adding a little taco seasoning. Then simply divide into the tortillas before baking!
These enchiladas are just as spicy as you want them to be! If you use a mild enchilada sauce and mild taco seasoning, then they will not have that much spice. You can kick it up with medium enchilada sauce and spicy taco seasoning!
Definitely! To make these vegan, omit the cheese and add beans to the filling. Or, use a non-dairy cheese alternative. For gluten-free vegetarian enchiladas, use corn tortillas.
To store, place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, let the pan cool completely. Then place in the freezer wrapped well for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge and reheat in the oven before serving!
Although corn tortillas are definitely traditional, the way to make them not fall apart (and taste best) is to fry them first. While I applaud anyone who has the time to do this, I don’t. So, to make this easier (in my opinion) I use the flour tortillas. But you can use whatever you prefer.
So what’s the difference between red and green enchilada sauce anyway — and which is “better”? Green enchilada sauce has a more fresh flavor and, some cooks say, is better when eating with fish or seafood. Red enchilada sauce, on the other hand, is a little sweeter and earthier tasting. It’s recommended you use red sauce on beef, chicken, pork, or, in my case, vegetarian enchiladas. But you can use whichever you like more!
More Dinner Recipes to Try
- Cheesy Macaroni Stuffed Peppers
- Easy Taco Casserole
- Easy Vegetarian Chili
- Creamy Parmesan Spinach Orzo
- Meatless Manicotti
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo of your CLDC creation – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 15-ounce cans mild or medium enchilada sauce
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 4 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves - roughly chopped
- optional: chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Grease a large rectangular casserole dish or 9×13 inch pan.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a medium sauce pan. Stir in flour. Add enchilada sauce. Stir in taco seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to and allow to simmer while you prepare the enchiladas.
- Lay tortillas out on a clean, flat surface. Reserve 1 cup of cheese. Distribute remaining cheese and the chopped spinach between each tortilla.
- Spread 2/3 cup of your enchilada sauce in the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Roll up tortillas and place side by side seam-side-down in the pan. Spread remaining sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is completely melted.
- Sprinkle enchiladas with cilantro if desired and serve warm.
Notes
- Serve with your favorite toppings like sour cream, sliced avocado or guacamole, sliced black olives, more cilantro, green onions, salsa, and hot sauce.
- These vegetarian enchiladas will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- These will freeze well for up to 3 months. But, honestly, it’s easier (and faster) to just make up a whole new batch than to thaw and reheat. (And tastier, too!)
My family loves this recipe. I spread a big spoonful of refried beans on each tortilla before adding the cheese and spinach to boost the protein. So delicious and filling!