THE BEST EVER VEGAN ENCHILADAS

| Vegetarian | Vegan | Gluten-Free | Weeknight-Friendly |

Spicy. Saucy. Cheesy. And packed with nourishing, plant-based ingredients. These enchiladas will make everyone smile (even the vegan-skeptics).

Say goodbye to meat-filled enchiladas. Sure, they've had their day (chicken enchiladas used to be my go-to), but now it's over...

These enchiladas are so full of flavour you wouldn't even know they're vegan... it's honestly hard to stop eating them! –Jessica Maynard

I've made these enchiladas for a ton of different people over the past few years. I'm yet to serve them to someone who hasn't devoured a second or third serving. Everyone says they're the best enchiladas they've ever tried - and no one misses the meat (or can even tell they're vegan). That's how delicious this recipe is.

The star of these enchiladas is the home-made sauce. You can prepare it in under 10 minutes, with pantry-friendly ingredients and minimal effort... but it is 100% worth doing! Once you try this recipe, you won't be able to go back to store-bought sauce - it makes for bland enchiladas IMO. This sauce can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days. So if you're low on time, you can always prep all your enchilada elements a day or so ahead, making this a weeknight-friendly dinner.

But before I go any further, I want to give credit to fellow food blogger, Beth from Budget Byte$. Her recipe introduced me to the idea of making my own sauce, and honestly she kind of nailed it. I haven't changed much with the sauce; just small adjustments to amounts of ingredients, and the kind of chilli powder used. My sauce is spicier and packed with a more intense flavour - thanks to the use of Indian red chilli powder, as opposed to regular chilli powder you'd find in supermarkets (more on that below).

Now let's talk filling. I've jazzed things up with my enchilada filling. The addition of diced onion, capsicum, fresh chilli and coriander gives the filling more textural variety and makes for a delight with every bite. In my household, we LOVE spicy food (hence the use of Indian red chilli powder). So, of course, if you can't handle the spice - omit the fresh chilli and hold off on that hot sauce. Also, feel free to add additional veggies if you want to use something up from your fridge (mushrooms, eggplant, spinach, anything really!), just be sure to dice all veggies to similar sizes so they all cook together nicely.

I always serve my enchiladas with a ton of different toppings (think fresh salsa, coriander, creamy avocado, and tangy yoghurt). These toppings balance out a lot of the spiciness, and add a lovely freshness to this dish. This is of course optional, but I do highly recommend it. It'll take the dish to a whole new level of deliciousness. If you aren't planning to serve with any toppings, you will need to lower the spice level of your sauce - unless you're looking to blow your guests' heads off!

This recipe makes one large tray of enchiladas - big enough to serve eight people generously. But if you're feeding less than eight there's no need to decrease your ingredients. These enchiladas taste even better as leftovers! You can either reheat the whole tray in the oven (set at 180°C) , or alternatively, reheat individual servings in the microwave.

Ok enough enchilada talk. I'm getting hungry just writing about them... Let's get cooking!

INGREDIENTS

for one large tray (serves 8)

ENCHILADA SAUCE:

• 3 tablespoons plain flour

• 3 teaspoons Indian red chilli powder*

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any neutral flavoured oil)

• 3 cups vegetable stock (or water)

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 400g tomato paste

THREE-BEAN FILLING:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 small onion, diced (white or purple)

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 jalapeño, diced (or any other fresh green chilli) [omit if you're sensitive to spice]

• 1 red capsicum, diced

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 (400g) can, refried beans

• 1 (400g) can, Mexican 3-bean mix, drained and rinsed

• 1 (400g) can, Mexe beans

• Dash of your favourite hot sauce [optional, for extra spiciness]

• 1 small bunch of fresh coriander (stems and leaves), roughly chopped

ENCHILADAS:

• 12 corn-flour tortillas, lightly toasted

• your prepared bean filling

• 1 cup shredded vegan cheese

• 3 cups homemade enchilada sauce

TOPPING RECOMMENDATIONS:

• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

• fresh salsa (recipe below)

• 1 small bunch fresh coriander (stems and leaves), roughly chopped

• plain (unflavoured) plant-based yoghurt

FRESH SALSA (optional but recommended):

• 1 Lebanese cucumber

• 1 red capsicum

• 1 tomato

• 1 small purple onion

• 1 small bunch coriander

• 1 can corn kernels

DIRECTIONS

MAKE THE ENCHILADA SAUCE

homemade enchilada sauce

1. Combine the chilli powder and flour in a small pot. Add vegetable oil and stir to incorporate into the chilli-flour mixture.

2. Heat over a medium flame for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, to toast the chilli and flour.

3. Whisk in the water, tomato paste, cumin and garlic powder. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer.

4. Continue stirring the sauce as it thickens. Once it is thick enough to coat a spoon, turn off the heat and set aside until you're ready to assemble.

PREPARE THE FILLING

cooked three-bean filling

1. In a deep, wide frypan heat olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onions and fry until soft - about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, fresh chilli (if using), and ground cumin, and fry this for another 60 seconds.

3. Add diced capsicum (and any other diced vegetables you're using) and fry this until soft - about 5 minutes.

4. Add the drained Mexican 3-bean mix, along with the mexe beans, and a dash of hot sauce (if using). Stir to incorporate and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.

5. Add the refried beans and stir carefully until completely incorporated.

6. Continue cooking the filling, stirring often, for about 10 more minutes.

7. Add the roughly chopped coriander stems and leaves, and stir. Turn off the heat and set aside until ready to assemble.

TOAST THE TORTILLAS

lightly browned corn flour tortillas

1. Heat a dry, non-stick frypan over a medium-high flame.

2. Sprinkle one of your corn-flour tortillas with a few drops of water and place face down on the hot pan, until lightly speckled with brown spots (it won't take long - roughly 30 seconds).

3. Sprinkle some more water on the top surface of the tortilla before flipping to do the same to the other side - the tortillas should be slightly firm, but still pliable enough to roll.

4. Stack the toasted tortilla on a clean plate. Repeat with remaining 11 tortillas.

PREPARE YOUR FRESH SALSA TOPPING (optional but recommended)

fresh salsa topping

1. Dice your cucumber, capsicum and tomato into similar sized pieces.

2. Finely dice the purple onion.

3. Roughly chop coriander (using both stems and leaves).

4. Drain the can of corn kernels.

5. In a medium bowl, combine all of your ingredients.

ASSEMBLE & COOK THE ENCHILADAS

assembling the enchiladas

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/356°F.

2. Prepare your casserole dish by coating it with an oil spray and then pour a generous amount of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the dish.

3. Add about 1/3 cup of the filling to each tortilla, and then small pinch of shredded vegan cheese. Roll the tortilla as tightly as possible around the beans and cheese, then place seam side down in the casserole dish. Continue with the remaining tortillas and filling.

4. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas in the dish, making sure to leave some of the edges exposed, so they can become brown and crispy. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

5. Bake the enchiladas in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and bubbly around the edges.

6. If you have some time up your sleeve, let enchiladas cool completely (this is an ideal time to prepare your toppings), and reheat just before serving.**

7. After the enchiladas are finished baking, garnish with freshly chopped coriander.

8. Serve the enchiladas with lots of fresh toppings for your guests to add as they desire: sliced avocado, fresh salsa, more coriander and yoghurt.

RECIPE NOTES:

*Indian red chilli powder can be found at your local Indian grocery store. This is pure ground red chilies, quite different from regular chilli powder found in supermarkets - which is a blend of different spices and salt (and is far less spicy). I recommend using the pure chilli powder. If you are unable to tolerate spicy food whatsoever, you will need to at least halve the amount used. If you don't have access to an Indian grocer, you can always increase the amount of the chilli spice blend (I'd recommend 3 tablespoons, similar to Beth's recipe).

**I recommend cooking the enchiladas a few hours in advance, to give the dish time to cool a little. This is because I've found when I try to serve the enchiladas straight from the oven, I end up with an extremely sloppy dish - and no one wants that. When ready to serve, you can reheat the dish in the oven (set again at 180°C/356°F). Just be sure to cover with foil and reheat until it is warmed through (about 15-20 minutes). By doing this you'll get much cleaner servings and you'll really be able to impress your guests.

DID YOU MAKE MY VEGAN ENCHILADAS?

I'd love to know what you thought of them in the comments below. Better yet, I'd love to actually see your recreations. Jump on socials to say hi and share your masterpieces with me - just be sure to #createwithchelsea and tag me so I can re-share your posts!