Easy Vegetarian Enchilada Bake with Roasted Cauliflower

posted by Alex Aldeborgh, RD on Aug 2, 2023 0 comments »

This vegetarian enchilada casserole is an easy, flavorful meal to feed a crowd! Just like my reader-favorite mushroom enchiladas, this enchilada bake is packed with bold flavor and different textures. It’s filled with roasted cauliflower florets, black beans, corn, and cheese. Prepare the filling on the stovetop, assemble the casserole, and bake it up in one hour. Both flour and corn tortillas will work!

plate of vegetarian enchilada bake surrounded by ingredients

If you love Mexican food as much as I do, you’ve got to try this vegetarian enchilada bake! It’s similar in flavor to my popular mushroom enchiladas, but even easier to make.

An enchilada bake (or enchilada casserole) is basically deconstructed enchiladas. Instead of rolling tortillas around filling, everything is assembled in layers of filling, tortillas, enchilada sauce, and cheese. It’s like a Mexican-inspired lasagna.

The filling is a delicious medley of roasted cauliflower florets, sauteed peppers and onions, black beans, corn, and plenty of cheese. It’s got fiber, protein, and micronutrients – Registered Dietitian approved!

Once you roast the cauliflower and prepare the filling on the stovetop, all you need to do is assemble the casserole and bake it in the oven. This recipe makes 6 large servings.

Ingredients in vegetarian enchilada bake

Everything you need to make this recipe, below:

Cauliflower: Roasted cauliflower florets replace meat in this vegetarian recipe. They’re seasoned with chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder, then roasted until deep golden brown and crispy. Check out this post on how to perfectly cut cauliflower into florets before you break out your knife!
Bell pepper: Diced bell pepper makes up part of the veggie filling. I used red bell pepper, but any color works. Bell peppers are a good source of fiber and an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, and C.
White onion: Diced white onion is another part of the enchilada bake filling. You can use yellow onion instead, but I would not recommend using red onion for this recipe.
Canned black beans: Black beans are loaded with nutrients! They provide fiber, plant-based protein, and several vitamins and minerals.
Canned corn: Corn kernels add a sweet flavor and crunchy texture to the enchilada filling. Look for low sodium or no sodium canned corn to limit the amount of added sodium in this recipe.
Tortillas: If this were a lasagna, the tortillas would be the noodles of this recipe. You can use either corn tortillas or flour tortillas for this recipe. Small taco sized tortillas are easy to layer when cut in half.
Red enchilada sauce: Store-bought enchilada sauce is just fine for this recipe! But if you have a homemade recipe you love, go for it.
Jarred salsa: Choose mild, medium, or hot salsa depending on how much spice you like.
Canned diced green chiles: These chiles contribute a mild heat and depth of flavor that is hard to reproduce. You can find these in the Mexican section of your grocery store, along with canned beans and jarred salsas.
Shredded Mexican cheese: This cheese blend is typically a combination of Monterey Jack, cheddar, asedero, and queso quesadilla cheeses.
Chili powder: Use store-bought, or try your hand at making easy homemade chili powder!
Cumin
Garlic powder
Salt

vegetarian enchilada casserole ingredients measured out on a light grey backdrop

Kitchen equipment needed

Here are all the kitchen tools and utensils you need:

Chef’s knife, 6 or 8-inch
Cutting board
Saute pan or frying pan
Baking sheet
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
9×13 baking dish, glass or ceramic
Aluminum foil

Step-by-step instructions

Roasted cauliflower florets on a baking sheet — 1. Roast cauliflower florets in the oven seasoned with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and olive oil.

cooked diced peppers and onions in a saute pan — 2. Saute diced peppers, onions, and garlic in olive oil in a saute pan. Then, add spices – salt, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder.

sauteed peppers, onions, corn, and black beans in a saute pan — 3. Stir the black beans and corn into the sauteed peppers and onions.

vegetarian enchilada casserole filling in a saute pan — 4. Add the roasted cauliflower to the saute pan when it is done cooking. Stir in salsa and diced green chiles.

stack of yellow corn tortillas cut in half on a plate — 5. Cut tortillas in half.

enchilada sauce at the bottom of a glass casserole dish — 6. Add a thin layer of enchilada sauce to the bottom of glass casserole dish.

corn tortillas layered on top of enchilada sauce in a glass casserole dish — 7. Add a layer of tortillas on top of the enchilada sauce.

enchilada casserole in a glass dish before being baked — 8. Add half of the vegetable filling and half of the cheese in a layer.

enchilada casserole in glass dish covered with tin foil — 11. Cover the enchilada casserole with tin foil. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven.

Baked enchilada casserole in a glass baking dish — 12. Remove the foil, bake the casserole for another 10 minutes until bubbly.

Let the casserole cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut into portions and serve.

Serving suggestions

Pair this enchilada casserole with all your favorite Mexican-inspired toppings, such as:

Homemade guacamole
Sliced avocado
Pico de gallo
Salsa
Fresh cilantro
Sour cream

Can I made this recipe in advance?

One of the benefits of casseroles is that you can prep them in advance, and bake them when you’re ready to eat.

To make this in advance, follow steps 1-10 as listed above. Then just cover the casserole with tin foil and store in the fridge. Bake it right from the fridge within 3 days.

You’ll need to increase baking time by 10-20 minutes, since the casserole will be cold from the fridge instead of room temperature.

How to freeze enchilada casserole

Wrap the casserole dish in plastic wrap as tightly as possible. Then wrap it tightly in tin foil.

Write the date on the tin foil with a permanent marker. Freeze for up to three months.

How to cook from frozen

The day before you plan to eat it, remove the casserole from the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge overnight.

30 minutes before baking, take the casserole out of the fridge to let it come down to room temperature. Make sure to remove the layer of plastic wrap!

Bake as instructed, adding more time in 5 minute increments as needed.

More vegetarian casserole-style dishes you may like:

Cauliflower nutrition benefits

Cauliflower is a nutritious addition to this enchilada bake. One cup of raw cauliflower provides:

2.1 grams of dietary fiber (8% of your daily needs)
2.1 grams of plant-based protein
60.99 mcg folate (15% of your daily needs)
0.714 mg pantothenic acid (14% of your daily needs)
0.197 mg Vitamin B6 (12% of your daily needs)
51.6 mg Vitamin C (57% of your daily needs)
16.6 mcg Vitamin K (14% of your daily needs)

In addition to fiber, vitamins, and minerals, cauliflower has a beneficial plant compound called sulforaphane. This compound has anti-inflammatory effects and helps protect our cells against certain diseases.

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!