The Best Veggie Enchiladas You'll Ever Make

title: "The Best Veggie Enchiladas You’ll Ever Make"
author: "Melissa Gray-Streett"
site: "EatingWell"
published: 2023-12-21T14:40:10-05:00
source: "https://www.eatingwell.com/veggie-enchiladas-8411472"
domain: "eatingwell.com"
language: "en"
description: "These veggie enchiladas are packed with sweet corn, onion, peppers, zucchini and beans and are coated with store-bought enchilada sauce to save time on prep."
word_count: 1043

Credit: Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek

Active Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 5 mins

Servings:

4

• Monterey Jack cheese melts over the top to provide a creamy texture and a savory finish.
• Black beans and corn contribute plant-based protein and fiber to support satiety and balanced nutrition.
• To prevent the veggie enchiladas from falling apart, place the filled tortillas seam-side down.

Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 cup corn, fresh or thawed frozen
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 8 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas, warmed
• 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (see Tip)
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 small bell pepper and 1 small onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 small zucchini, 1 cup corn, 1 teaspoon chili powder and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini and corn are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 can (15-ounce) beans and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
   
   Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek
2. Place about 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture in the center of 1 warmed tortilla; roll the tortilla over the filling. Place the filled tortilla, seam-side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat the process with the remaining vegetable mixture and tortillas. Spread 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil.
   
   Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek
3. Bake until the sauce is bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with ¾ cup cheese; bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
   
   Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek

Tip

Store-bought enchilada sauce is a fast and easy way to add a ton of flavor to a dish, but it can be high in sodium, so look for one that has less than 300 milligrams sodium per serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

• While you might not appreciate the gas they can produce, beans pack a nutritional punch. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, beans present a robust package of health benefits. Regularly eating black beans can improve gut health, boost immunity and reduce inflammation—which means they may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease and cancer. The fiber helps reduce cholesterol, and the potassium in beans helps keep blood pressure in a healthy range. Eating beans can also help stabilize blood sugar and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
  Somewhere along the line, corn got a bad rap for being nutritionless. Nothing could be further from the truth. Corn is a low-fat food with a mix of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Almost half of this fat is polyunsaturated, and mono- and polyunsaturated fats are heart-healthy fats. Corn also has fiber and resistant starch—a type of carbohydrate that digests slowly. This means that corn will help you feel full and satisfied longer. Corn is also loaded with antioxidants, in particular, lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect vision.
• Red enchilada sauce is made of nutrient-dense ingredients—typically some sort of tomato puree, vinegar and spices. As their vibrant color suggests, tomatoes are loaded with antioxidants, an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin K and potassium. All in all, the nutrients in tomatoes support heart health and can help lower blood pressure and stroke risk. The spices and herbs in red enchilada sauce also help reduce inflammation. Less inflammation means lower chronic disease risk. With that said, some enchilada sauces are high in sodium, so read the label and choose one with less than 300 mg of sodium per serving.
• Cheese is full of protein and calcium, and also contains probiotics—those good-for-your-gut bacteria that not only improve gut health but overall health, as well. And while cheese tends to be high in saturated fat, there is some evidence that the type of saturated fat in cheese may not be harmful—and may even be helpful—to your heart.
• What vegetables should I use for the filling of the enchiladas?
  We use orange bell pepper, red onion, zucchini, corn and black beans as the filling for the enchiladas, but you can substitute yellow squash for the zucchini and poblano pepper for the orange bell pepper if you want to add some heat. Try no-salt-added pinto beans as a substitute for black beans for their soft, creamy and earthy flavor that would work well in the enchiladas.
• What type of tortillas should I use for the enchiladas?
  Corn tortillas work best in this recipe. Use your favorite store-bought brand or homemade corn tortillas. Although corn tortillas are often used for enchiladas, you may use flour tortillas if that’s what you have on hand. Note that using flour tortillas will alter the nutritional profile of the recipe.
• How do I assemble the veggie enchiladas without them falling apart?
  To prevent the veggie enchiladas from falling apart, place the filled tortillas seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.

Additional reporting by and

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

My Notes