Like almost everyone else, I want to eat healthier. Now that the holidays have ended that is back in front of me in sharper focus(and I’m not driven by the desire to post Christmas sweets any longer) and it’s time to get back to healthier eating. To me, that means eating vegetarian meals for the bulk of the week, with meat once or twice as a main dish.
I came up with these enchiladas because, frankly, the idea of a vegetarian enchilada didn’t exactly sound appealing to me and I wanted to create a dish would be just as good as the meat laden ones I was used to.
And I can honestly say that these enchiladas are just as good, if not better than any meat enchilada. I made them for my extended family and they licked both pans clean, almost everyone going back for thirds.
I made these with flour tortillas(my preference), but they would go very well with corn also. They are stuffed with roast zucchini, sweet onion, mushrooms, sweet orange bell pepper, and corn, melted monterey jack cheese, and then topped with a sauce made of sweet corn and green chilis.
Did I mention that they are almost vegan? All you would have to do is switch out the monterey jack for some vegan cheese, leave off the Cotija on top, and there you are! I use coconut oil and coconut milk in place of milk and butter and it only makes them more delicious.
—-a little tip—–
*Choose the smallest zucchini possible when purchasing. Smaller zucchini are always more flavorful and sweet and contain very little seed in the middle, as apposed to the larger types.
- 10 small zucchini, cut in half and then lengthwise into sticks
- 2 Orange Bell Pepper, sliced
- 2 Sweet Onions, sliced thickly
- 1 lb. Cremini Mushrooms, cut in half and sliced(thickly)
- 1 lb. Frozen Sweet Corn
- 1 T. Kosher Salt
- ¼ t. White Pepper
- ¾ t. Chili Powder
- 1½ t. Cumin
- 3 T. Coconut Oil
- FOR THE CORN/CHILI SAUCE:
- 1 Sweet Onion, chopped
- 2 T. Coconut Oil
- 2 oz. Diced Green Chilis(canned)
- 1 t. Salt
- 1 lb. Frozen Sweet Corn
- ¼ c. Coconut Palm Sugar
- 1 28 oz. can Mild Green Enchilada Sauce(I prefer La Vitoria), divided
- 1 C. Coconut Milk
- 1½ lb.(24 oz.) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- Cotija cheese, crumbled, for garnishing
- Cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnishing
- Sour cream, if desired
- Place the zucchini, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, coconut oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Toss until the vegetables are evenly coated with spices and oil, then spread them out evenly on a baking sheet(you will need two).
- Roast the vegetables at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
- Halfway through cooking, sprinkle 1 lb. of the frozen sweet corn evenly between pans of vegetables and return to the oven to finish cooking.
- Vegetables are done when they are almost tender and turning lightly golden brown on top.
- While the vegetables are roasting, Make the sweet corn chili sauce:
- Add 2 T. of coconut oil to a large saucepan and melt on medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion to the pan and saute for 4-5 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent.
- Add the green chilis and salt to the onion and saute for another 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining 1 lb. of frozen corn to the pan, along with ½ of the green enchilada sauce and coconut palm sugar.
- Continue to cook over medium heat until the corn is heated through. Add the coconut milk to the corn mixture and remove from the heat.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Pour the corn mixture into a food processor or blender(I use a vitamix and it purees the corn to a totally smooth mixture because it is very powerful. If you don't have a powerful blender it is likely that your corn sauce will be a bit more chunky).
- Puree the corn mixture at a medium/high speed for 1-2 minutes, or until it is very smooth. Make sure to vent while blending to allow the steam to escape!
- TO ASSEMBLE THE ENCHILADAS:
- Lightly grease 2 9x13 baking dishes and one 8x8 baking dish. Divide the remaining green enchilada sauce between the three baking dishes and tilt to evenly coat the bottoms with sauce.
- Lay out all of your tortillas on your work space(or do as many as you can at a time).
- Divide the roasted vegetables among the tortillas, placing them in the center of the tortilla and keeping the longer vegetables going the same direction(this will make them easier to roll up).
- Sprinkle about 3 T. of the shredded monterey jack cheese evenly over the vegetables in each tortilla.
- Starting at one end of a tortilla, tightly roll it up and place it seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. You should be able to fit 7 enchiladas in each large baking dish and 4 in the smaller dish(more if you use corn torillas).
- Pour the sweet corn sauce over the tops of the enchiladas, dividing evenly between the three pans. Spread the sauce to cover the tops of the enchiladas.
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese evenly over the enchiladas, dividing between the three pans.
- Bake the enchiladas at 350 degrees on the top rack of the oven for about 20 minutes. Enchiladas are done when the cheese inside the tortillas is melted, sauce is bubbling, and the cheese on top is golden brown.
- Remove enchiladas from oven and sprinkle with crumbed cotija cheese and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.
Holly Waterfall says
Holy yum girl! I just love enchiladas, and I love just about anything with roasted veggies. I made some taquitos like this a few months, and they were to die for, so I can only imagine that these would be delish as well!
Kayley says
Thanks Holly! These are really good, you should give them a try! Taquitos would be yummy made similar to this!
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
These look really good Kayley! I’ve never tried veggie enchiladas, I think it’s time 🙂
Kayley says
Thanks, they are very yummy! These were the first vegetarian enchiladas I have ever had and I’m not sure I’ll go back 🙂
cat says
Omg this is so awesome! Thank you Kayley for sharing us such wonderful recipe. I have never eaten enchiladas before, but I think I love it from now :3
Kayley says
Thank you Cat! I’m so glad you liked them! They are definitely my favorite way to eat enchiladas!