Vegan Enchilada Casserole is layered with roasted vegetables, fresh spinach, black beans, corn tortillas and covered with enchilada sauce. Easy to assemble and so tasty.
This is the best Mexican vegan casserole. Instead of rolling a million enchiladas, you just layer everything together and bake for a simple meal the whole family will love!
Instead of using a meat alternative, this casserole is full of easy roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes and onion. Roasting caramelizes the vegetables, bringing out their natural sweetness and making a delicious filling along with black beans and spinach. Layer with corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, optional vegan cheese shreds and bake. Dinner is served.
How do you make Enchilada Casserole
(this is simply an overview with photos, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Roast the veggies.
- In a 9×13 inch casserole dish, drizzle about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom.
- Layer with halved corn tortillas.
- Add half of the roasted veggies, half of the beans and half of the spinach. Drizzle with a little more sauce.
- Layer with more halved corn tortillas.
- Add the rest of the veggies, beans and spinach.
- Layer with the final corn tortillas, then cover in the rest of the enchilada sauce.
- Sprinkle with “cheese”, if using.
- Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes.
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Special Instruction & Tips
- Need to make it gluten free? Make sure to use a vegan gluten free enchilada sauce, or make your own and use gluten free flour instead of regular flour to thicken.
- If you can’t find vegan enchilada sauce, make this one from my Vegan Enchiladas, it’s delicious! I used Trader Joe’s to make this recipe easier, as it’s now vegan, score!
- Swap the veggies: You can use other veggies depending on what you have. Try using any of these vegetables instead: diced butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, corn and more!
Vegan Enchilada Casserole
Vegan Enchilada Casserole is layered with roasted vegetables, fresh spinach, black beans, corn tortillas and covered with enchilada sauce. Easy to assemble and so tasty.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Vegetables:
- (2) 12-ounce bags frozen cauliflower (or 1 large head cauliflower, chopped)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Casserole:
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 15 corn tortillas, cut in half
- 12 ounces vegan enchilada sauce (I used Trader Joe's brand)
- 2 cups non-dairy vegan cheese shreds, optional
- chopped cilantro, optional for serving
Instructions
Roast the Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Add the cauliflower florets, peeled and chopped sweet potatoes and the chopped red onion. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat the vegetables.
- Place the pan in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees F.
Assemble the Casserole
- Add 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
- Place a single layer of the halved corn tortillas, then 1/2 of the roasted vegetables, 1/2 of the chopped spinach, and 1/2 of the black beans.
- Drizzle about 1/3 cup sauce over the mixture, then add another layer of corn tortillas.
- Now add the rest of the vegetables, spinach and black beans. Cover with a final layer of corn tortillas, and pour the rest of the sauce over the top, evenly. Sprinkle with non-dairy cheese, if desired.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot, with cilantro, vegan sour cream, or avocado chunks if desired.
Notes
- If you can't find vegan enchilada sauce or want to make your own, make the enchilada sauce from my Vegan Enchiladas. Trader Joe's enchilada sauce is now vegan, and really good, so that's what I used here.
- For gluten free, make your own enchilada sauce and use a gluten free flour instead of regular flour. Or buy gluten free vegan enchilada sauce.
- Feel free to switch up the vegetables based on what's in season and what you have. Butternut squash would be good, as well as corn, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, kale, or bell peppers.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 784mg | Potassium: 1573mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 8979IU | Vitamin C: 75mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 5mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
This recipe was first published in September 2017 and has been republished with new photos and writing.
I made my own nacho cheese sauce and used sprouted tortillas. It was incredible! Thanks so much, Nora! Love your recipes! *****
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review!
Made this yesterday for a tasty addition to a vegan Mexican Thanksgiving meal and it was the fastest moving item on the counter! Easy to make and was delicious! Your recipes never fail me Nora! Thanks so much 😃
Looks like a great recipe; however I am oil free. Is there a substitute for adding oil over the vegetables? Water/plant milk?
Yum! I used 30 oz. of green chile enchilada sauce and it was just perfect. The casserole comes together so easily and yet is super layered and flavorful. Another huge hit, thank you!
Thank you for sharing you great feedback about the casserole, Anne! I’m so glad it was a hit!
This was great! Even my kids who don’t like cauliflower really liked it!
Thank you for your wonderful review and feedback! I’m glad the casserole was a hit!
Do you think it would work to roast the vegetables day before them assemble and bake the rest day of? I’m thinking about making this for a vegan option for Christmas Eve and this would save time day of 🙂
Yes, that would be fine. Enjoy!
Can this be made a day ahead and put in fridge? As well could it be made and put in freezer and then taken out and thawed to bake? Would it go mushy? Thank you
Yes, you can make it a day before and refrigerate it. I do think it gets a bit mushy in the freezer, but it does work to freeze and then bake it.
Delish! I made this for my weekly meal prep lunch and couldn’t wait to eat it! Had a big slice tonight and so happy I did! Next time I’ll add mushrooms and peppers and I agree, more sauce for me too. Thank you for always posting manageable and delicious recipes!
Hi Allyson. I so glad that you find my recipes and manageable and delicious! Thanks for your review and comments! I appreciate you taking your time to share!
Added pre-cooked green lentils and roasted corn and eggplant. Was amazing. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing your review and comments! I’m so glad you loved the casserole!
This was SO good!! I didn’t may it totally vegan as I used our fav enchilada sauce (Las Palmos) I will definitely be making this again!! Thank you!!
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but it looks delicious! I would like to know what size tortillas to use, and if I should use white or yellow corn ones?
You can use white or yellow corn tortillas, any size is fine though I usually get the little taco style ones. Hope you love it!
Delicious. I added about 5 chopped mushrooms during the last half of roasting the vegetables and used 2 cups enchilada sauce. Next time, I will try with 20 oz. of enchilada sauce (like some others suggested), since I thought I would like it with more sauce and it seemed a little dry for me. Another one of your great recipes I will be adding to my favorites!
Thank you, Lorna, for sharing your wonderful review! I”m glad you enjoyed the casserole!
I found this recipe when my favorite tex-mex restaurant was closed during the covid shut down. I could not get the restaurant’s veggie enchiladas off my mind, I HAD to find a substitute. I’m so glad I found this recipe!! It’s just as good, if not better than the restaurants, and is now a staple in my rotation! I add in 1 or 2 zucchinis (quartered and sliced) and about 1/2 a container of mushrooms (chopped or sliced). I also use probably closer to 20oz of enchilada sauce, you really can’t over do it on the sauce. I would consider this a “guilt free” healthy dish as I never feel regret after eating massive portions!
Hi Allison. I’m glad you found, and love, the recipe! Thank you for taking your time to share!
I was hesitant to make this as-is. I had corn and veggie “meat” crumbles ready to go. But then I thought, “Nora hasn’t steered me wrong yet,” and I made it according to the recipe. It was very good! Everyone cleaned their plate! I would recommend 1.5-2x the amount of sauce, or I think it might be too dry for some. Also, my wife and teenage daughters prefer green sauce, so I substituted that for red.
Amazing. I made the enchilada sauce from Oh She Glows cookbook. I ended up doubling the sauce because it didn’t seem like enough at first. I’m glad I did! I will make these again for sure. Even my 7 year old, who basically only eats what he knows, enjoyed this.
This was amazing!!!! I just had some of it. It is perfect as a meal for the week. nutrition packed and so tasty! I did the veggie swap and also added some tofu in for additional protein.
Great meal idea!
Thank you, Nora. You are awesome!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed the casserole!
This looks so yummy. Would your vegan “nacho” cheese work with this instead of Daya. (Don’t like the flavor) Can you or anyone recommend another type of vegan cheese you like?
Oh yeah, that would work very well for this recipe! I also LOVE Violife shreds. They are quite amazing.
Absolutely fabulous!!!! We couldn’t stop eating it…. Cut the recipe in half and I think it would still easily satisfy 4 people… just delicious. Many thanks!
You’re very welcome!! Thanks for the comment!
Sooo delicious! This may be my favorite dinner recipe ever. Super easy. Making the sauce was also very easy. Tastes like something from a fancy restaurant (but better)… I enjoy experimenting while cooking, but I would never want to try using different vegetables, etc. for this dish. The combinations are perfect. I almost added corn, but I’m glad that I did not. I would say that serving with cilantro is a must. Vegan sour cream and avocado are somewhat important. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you like it!
Made this tonight and it was fabulous! Dry roasted the veg (no oil for me) and added frozen corn to the veg. (Used frozen spinach too, #pantrycooking). I used more enchilada sauce (about 20 oz), then served it with a corn sauce, pickled jalapeños and sriracha. So good! This is a keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you!
I couldn’t double layer this but it still came out great. I added Violife cheese on top. Thank you! ?
You’re welcome!
This was so yummy! I made your enchilada sauce with it and it turned out delicious with some daiya cheese on top. Definitely one of our favorite vegan dishes and easy to make!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Excited to try this! Can I use tortillas that are corn & wheat? Or will the recipe be better with just corn tortillas? Thanks!
Yes you can use corn/wheat mix, it will be good. Hope you love it!
Nora, I love all your recipes. This dish is so good and so easy to bring together. Made it tonight and it’s delicious. I made your sauce-I can’t believe how easy it is to make and so much better than store bought.
Thank you so much!
I made this for dinner last night! I found some pre-chopped frozen sweet potatoes that made the assembly even easier. This is delicious and filling – it’s so nice to have enchiladas that are sans dairy and meat. They were a treat I didn’t think I’d be able to eat any longer!
I love the pre-chopped frozen sweet potatoes; that would make it even easier. Glad you enjoyed this recipe, one of my personal faves! 🙂