Let’s talk movies. Yeah, I’m mixing it up today with Vegetable Enchiladas and movies, since these happened to be on the menu yesterday for the Golden Globes Awards. I love movies, but it’s tough to get out to see them very often when you’ve got kids at home! I did manage to see three movies over the holiday break: Les Miserables, This is 40 and Parental Guidance. I’d recommend them all… for different reasons, of course. I’d recommend Les Mis to those who enjoy musical theater in the first place. It’s impressive and emotional. I’d recommend This is 40 to folks who have been married a while and are now 40ish. It’s just plain funny. And I’d recommend you take your pre-teens and their grandparents to Parental Guidance with you. You’ll all have a good laugh, for sure. And rather than go out for pizza after your movie, go home and make these enchiladas instead.
This recipe was adapted slightly from one I found in Martha’s EveryDay Food magazine. The life of that magazine has come to an end, and I’m so bummed about that. I often found great recipes in EF to make for easy weeknight dinners. These Vegetable Enchiladas are family- friendly since they don’t have any strange vegetables tucked inside- just a combo of spinach and corn + Jack cheese and black beans.
You get to make your own enchilada sauce with this recipe, and PLEASE take the time to do so. You’ll find that it’s so much darned better than the canned stuff. 100%. This particular sauce is loaded with the flavor of cumin (one of my favorite spices). If you’re not a humongous fan of cumin, this enchilada sauce recipe is also very good.
It’s worth it to hunt down the brand of corn tortillas that I mention in the recipe below: Guerrero. Many corn tortillas fall apart when you try to roll them up, and this brand does not! Yahoo!
See, no cracks in those tortillas at all! They’re all rolled up neatly with the filling and perfectly tucked into a 10×14-inch pan (or two 8-inch pans).
The sauce is drizzled on top along with a generous sprinkle of cheese.
Fresh out of the oven.
Sprinkle with scallions, add avocado, sour cream or whatever you’d like, and serve. My family really enjoyed these for dinner- especially my gluten-free Mom (I made them gluten-free- and include tips on how to do that in the recipe below).
Now back to movies! Please tell me what you’ve seen lately that I absolutely must go see! I’m most dying to see Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook and The Impossible. And would you believe I haven’t seen Argo yet either? Time to go to the movies… and rent all seasons of Downton Abbey to watch at home too!
Vegetable Enchiladas
Recipe Details
Ingredients
ENCHILADA SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ cup All Purpose Gold Medal® Flour
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- One 14.5 ounce can vegetable broth
- ¾ cup water
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
ENCHILADAS
- 3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (or Jack/Cheddar blend), divided
- One 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- One 10 ounce box frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 cup corn kernels (canned, frozen or fresh)
- 4 medium green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Sixteen 6 inch corn tortillas (Guerrero brand is much preferred since they do not fall apart!)
- optional toppings: sour cream, avocado/guacamole, sliced olives, chopped tomato
Instructions
ENCHILADA SAUCE
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons cumin, flour and tomato paste. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened (5 to 7 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then set aside.
ENCHILADAS
- In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the cheese, beans, spinach, corn, green onions (white parts) and cumin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray one 10x14 inch pyrex pan with nonstick spray (or two 8x8 inch pans).
- Wrap 4 tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. Lay a tortillas on a flat work surface and pile about ⅓ cup of the filling down the middle. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place it seam-side-down in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas (microwaving 4 at a time) and filling until you've used it all up.
- Drizzle the sauce on top, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped green scallions and serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten-free: Use ¼ cup rice flour or GF all-purpose flour in place of the regular all-purpose flour. And be sure to use brands of vegetable broth and tortillas that are known to be GF (Guerrero is noted as GF).
Nutrition
More enchilada recipes on the blogs you might enjoy:
Avocado Cream and Chicken Suiza Enchiladas by FoodieCrush
Pepperoni Pizza Enchiladas by Picky Palate
BBQ Chicken Enchiladas by How Sweet Eats
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup by SkinnyTaste
Easy Beef Enchiladas by RecipeGirl
I made them today, added smoked tofu, zucchini and chilli and cooked the mixture. So delicious. Thank you so much
Most brands of tortillas work as long as they are fresh. Warm tortilla over open flame before stuffing it. That will keep it from breaking.
Have made these a couple of times for my extended family and everyone loves them! The second time I made double the amount of sauce and found out it was perfect.
hi i was wondering if i could add some stuff like zucchini, sour cream, potatoes and if so how to cook them. will the potatoes cook all the way through in the oven??
thank you!!
I’m not sure- you’ll just have to try some variations and see what works. I would think it would be best to add already-cooked potatoes.
I made these last night and they were deeeeelish!
Have you ever assembled these ahead of time (minus the sauce)? I want to have a vegetarian option for a Christmas party, but want to do as much the day before as possible…
I have not- but I would think that would work out okay if you don’t add the sauce. Maybe test it out before your party?
These are so awesome!! I had almost everything to make them. My kids aren’t fond of finding beans in their food so I stuck everything in the food processor. I didn’t have veggie broth but had a can of Progresso Santa Fe chicken soup so I drained the broth and used that and threw the solids from the can in the processor with the spinach and beans and cumin and blended…then stirred in the corn and cheese and threw in the CORN tortillas (I made some flour, some corn and the corn were WAAAAY better!) The enchilada sauce is pretty freaking amazing. I am in love with this recipe and my kids asked for seconds and licked their plates! That doesn’t happen often that my 2,3 and 4 year olds ALL like something. Thanks for this recipe!! YUM!…Oh my goodness YUM!
Really glad to hear you had success with these!
Thanks so much! I made this recipe today and my partner and I love it!
Cheers!
Made this and it was so delicious.
What an awesome recipe! I didn’t follow the filling ingredients exactly, but this is what makes the recipe so great – you can mix it up however you like. I added some diced chicken breast and omitted the spinach, and everyone LOVED them. I believe the word ‘magnificent’ was tossed around 🙂 Thank you!
These look delicious 🙂
I made these tonight. They were delicious!!! Thank you.
Always looking for alternate ways to make my favorite meals. Can’t wait to make this and others from your WW list.
I saw both The Impossible and Zero Dark Sixty this week and they were both a big thumbs up. But don’t forget the tissues…..they’re both tear jerkers.
Hi Lori, I can’t wait to cook this enchiladas! Your post, with pictures, is way much better that the site you got it from. 🙂
These look so delicious, I can’t wait to try making them!
I just made these tonight.. my husband and I loved them and will be making them again! I liked them much better than regular enchiladas. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this last night, and they were so very yummy! My husband couldn’t get enough, and we’re both looking forward to leftovers tonight. 🙂 The red sauce was not only super easy and quick, but it was better than the canned stuff. That’ll definitely be my go-to enchilada sauce from now on! Thank you!!
Lori, these enchiladas look delish! I love that there’s a recipe for enchilada sauce, so much better than canned.
I made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious. Thanks for sharing a healthy Mexican meal.
These were not only amazing, but they were so inexpensive to make as well! Last night was my second meatless dinner of the week, and my husband wasn’t so thrilled to hear it – but he LOVED them! Oh, and they were easy to make, bonus!
Thank you Thank you for the tortilla recommendation ! I am Celiac so all i can eat are corn tortillas and i HATE that they don’t roll nice. I will have to try this brand assuming i can find it at my local stores. I did find one brand that rolled ok (forgot the name) but they had SUCH a strong smell. My entire fridge stunk like the weird corn smell from them. It was enough to turn my stomach ! Hopefully these aren’t like that.
I NEVER seem to get out to see movies but for new years we went and saw this is 40 and i agree it was funny. i have a HUGE netflix queue of movies i want to see. And I’m probably the only person who knows nothing about Downton Abbey !
Lori, I’m drooling. I love Mexican food, these look fabulous. Can’t wait to try. Sheila
Made these last night…my picky eater son had 5!! Really good, and I am very glad that I made the sauce from scratch. It was great!! I am not a bean/corn eater, so I made a few with extra cheese, spinach, green onions….yum! Avocado on the side and a little sour cream…great!!
Lori, these look delicious; can’t wait to make them! Where did you get your beautiful blue plates and the pretty swirly fork? I need new plates and utensils, and love your style! 🙂 Thanks…Alycia
oh gosh, I shop all over the place for plates and utensils, so I’m not sure. I don’t have a full set- just for the photo stuff 🙂
These enchiladas look amazing and I will have to make them soon. Argo is a must-see, incredible. Saw Silver Lining, acting is terrific. Zero Dark Thirty is intense and long, kind of documentary-ish, if that makes any sense. Loved Les Miserables and Parental Guidance. Don’t get me started on Downton, I am addicted….!
Wow Lori – you surely have so many movies to catch up. 🙂 I recently watched Django and it’s good if you like Quentin. It’s less bloody than his usual movies. Skyfall is a good movie, too. Silver Linings Playbook is fun to watch as well. In the meantime, let me catch up on this enchiladas. How’s that? >.<
I am bookmarking those enchilada sauce recipes! I’ve never loved the canned sauces, and making my own would improve our enchiladas even more!
I’ve been working on healthier dinners, and your recipe has me thinking that skipping the chicken and going all veggie and black beans will be a hit at my dinner table.
I didn’t know that about the magazine…what a total bummer! But these look delish…and I love that plate.
Yum, love Mexican food, and enchiladas are a great way to get some veggies into your family!
I love the combo of flavors inside. I am so obsessed with enchiladas, it’s not even funny!
Damn, your stove is clean.
I never knew making enchilada sauce was so easy! Thanks for that in addition to the ‘whole’ enchilada recipe. (Get it?)
I got my Penzey’s catalog yesterday and the freebie coupon is for cumin. So one of the things I’ll be trying with my new Penzey’s cumin are these enchiladas (with perhaps sweet potato or cooking greens subbed in for the spinach because I used the last of the farm share spinach in pizza dough).
Thanks!
do believe that meat loving hubby will not even know there is no meat in these
I love enchiladas; never dd one without some kind of meat but these look like they would be delicious. I always used wheat tortillas too; been want to try the corn. May use kale instead of spinach.
I like that idea as I do love kale!
These are stunning! You make even the least photogenic of foods look so pretty, Lori!
I am always looking for a good veggie enchilada recipe. I also like to chop up zucchini, saute it with a little olive oil until it’s *just* tender and add it to the filling.
Damn, you make me crave veggies!
I love enchiladas and your filling is perfect!!! Love the recipe!
We were both in an enchilada kind of mood 😉 These look GREAT, Lori!
& YES – rent all seasons of Downton!!! I am obsessed & I’m usually not that into historical pieces!!
Those look delicious! I just ate breakfast but my mouth is watering over those beautiful enchiladas!
Everyday Food was a great magazine, sorry to hear it has ended. I love these enchiladas!
These look and sound DELISH! You had my attention @ “cumin”. It is my favorite spice, as well! I add it to nearly anything that is not a baked good/treat! I even enjoy it on cottage cheese! Can’t wait to try these! Thanks for sharing!
These look great! We haven’t been to the movies in so long but I am looking forward to seeing Le Mis and I definitely have to see This is 40 since that will be me in a few years. I am hooked on Downton Abbey! I just started watching it on Friday and watched the entire 2 past seasons just this weekend. I can’t believe I waited so long to watch it.
I SOOOO want to see This Is 40 but it just hasn’t happened yet. And Zero Dark Thirty. And Silver Linings Playbook. I DID see Les Mis and loved it. Sigh.
These enchiladas look SO GOOD. I don’t make them often enough but these are totally going to happen soon!
This looks so good! It would be a perfect choice when making a meal for a vegetarian and/or gluten free friend in need!
You just reminded me how much I love enchiladas and that I haven’t made them in AGES. Can’t wait to try this recipe and maybe throw in some shredded chicken.
As for movies… Argo is absolutely fantastic, you must see it, even if you have to wait for rental/OnDemand. Lincoln was also A+… Skyfall I’d give an A, great movie. We just saw Jack Reacher last week and were excited since it was filmed completely in Pittsburgh, but the plot was only so/so… B-. I actually just picked up The Bourne Legacy from Redbox for tonight… not sure how it will be without Matt Damon!
Lori, your veggie enchiladas look so scrumptious! I need to make them…soon. Such a satisfying meal this time of year…really warms you up! I have to laugh. When you mentioned going to see Les Mis, via Twitter, I thought you meant the musical theater production was coming to your hometown (or that you were traveling to go see it). Hubby and I saw the production years ago and I couldn’t get the songs out of my head for weeks, LOL! I’ll definitely have to catch the film. Thanks for recommending it! xo
The recipe looks good, but I must tell you that no self-respecting Southwestern chef would ever make enchilada sauce with tomatoes. It is made with chiles and a bit of onion and garlic and some stock. The heat depends on the type of chile you use. But never tomatoes! lol…
Silver Linings Playbook is GREAT!
Mmm this looks delicious, and adding all the veggies makes it healthy right? Can’t wait to try this!
I haven’t seen any of the movies but REALLY want to check out Silver Linings Playbook. Jeff and I almost played hookie on Friday and were going to spend the day seeing all the Oscar noms. Didn’t happen. Maybe this week 🙂 Love your enchies!
Looks absolutely delicious, Lori! 🙂
I love enchiladas, especially when they’re filled with veggies! These look so good & how easy is that sauce! Have to give these a try!
These look super tasty…I love enchiladas, and that veggie filling looks so delicious. 🙂
Nothing better than an enchilada! I could probably even get my veggie haters to eat them if they were stuffed in a tortilla and covered in sauce and cheese!
I also am very sad to not have Martha Stewart’s Eveyday Food….I really loved the magazine. Wish that they would continue it on line.
Will try these enchilada’s….daughter in law is vegetarian so sometimes hard to find recipes.
Do not think those corn tortilla’s are sold in midwest.
LOVE the tip about the brand of corn tortillas. I will definitely look for them. I stopped using corn tortillas in this kind of recipe for exactly that reason. I would love to be able to use them again since they are so much healthier and tastier.
I neeeeed these! They look so freaking fabulous!
My body needs to be on TOP of that right now. Even though that came out wrong.
these are a favorite at our house. such a great dinner
We are such enchilada fans at our house! I love a good veggie version! I haven’t started Downton Abbey, feels like I’m the only one these days, lol!
There are SO many movies I want to see right now! I was marveling at them all last night. I can definitely recommend Downton Abbey. These enchiladas look like a fantastic weeknight meal.
Ohhhh. Thanks for letting us know about that brand of corn tortillas. I cant stand the usual “cracking” of them!!!
These look delish Lori!
I love that the recipe makes a big tray of enchiladas! I will definitely be making these 🙂
Un primo piatto davvero goloso!!!
This looks really good! Anything that helps me get extra veggies in is a good thing these days. And I haven’t seen Les Mis yet, but I really want to!