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Vegetarian Verde Enchiladas
These vegetarian enchiladas verdes are packed full of vegetables. Sweet potato, black bean, and kale stuffed enchiladas with a homemade green enchilada sauce over the top. This vegetarian enchilada recipe is a great meatless twist, on a Mexican favorite.
-10 enchiladas
Ingredients
Verde Sauce
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 7 ounces chopped Hatch green chiles (1 can)
- 2 jalapeños (de-seeded and roughly chopped (2 tbsp) [see note])
- 1 small yellow onion (roughly chopped (1 cup))
- 3 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour or arrowroot (GF)
- 1 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (large handful stems included)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dark chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Enchiladas
- 1 large sweet potato (peeled and diced (2 cups) see in post for how-to dice sweet potato)
- 5 ounces roughly chopped kale (about 3 cups)
- 15 ounces can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese (freshly grated (see note) (divided))
- 12 flour or corn tortillas (lightly toasted)
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil (divided)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Garnish
- Fresh Cilantro
- 1 Avocado (diced)
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Equipment
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Instructions
Verde Sauce
- In a large skillet over medium/high heat, add 2 tbsp avocado oil, diced yellow onion, and jalapeño. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until onion begins to soften. Add in the hatch chiles, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle the 2 tbsp flour over the top and mix to coat all of the ingredients, this will help thicken the sauce. Slowly pour in the vegetable broth while stirring to combine.
- Allow the sauce to come to a soft boil, then remove from heat.
- Carefully add the sauce to a heat proof blender, add the cilantro, and blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
Enchilada Stuffing
- Give the skillet a quick wipe and place back on stovetop over medium/high heat. Add 2 tbsp avocado oil, diced sweet potatoes, and salt/pepper, then sauté for 5 minutes. Add in the kale, minced garlic, and 1 tbsp avocado oil. Sauté together till the kale begins to wilt (about 2-3 min). Add in the black beans and sauté another 2 minutes to heat beans through. Taste for seasoning and remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Spread a thin layer (about 1/3 cup) of verde sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Using an assembly line with all the ingredients, spread a heaping spoon (about a tbsp) of verde sauce on the tortilla and spread around. Next add 2 spoons of the sweet potato black bean mixture and then sprinkle some jack cheese over the top. Carefully roll the tortilla tightly to keep filling in and place tortilla flap side down into baking dish. Repeat until all enchiladas are made.
- Pour the green enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas. After pouring the sauce, sprinkle the remainder of the cheese all over the top of the enchiladas.
- Place in the oven for 25 minutes and broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is browned and bubbling (keep a close eye).
- Remove from oven and garnish with fresh cilantro and diced avocado. Enjoy!
Notes
Hatch Green Chiles
- Hatch chile season is typically August-September, but can be hard to find so I usually just use canned green chiles year round.
- If using fresh hatch green chiles, they will need more time to soften, so add them in the beginning with the onions.
Spice level
- If you do not like spicy, use only 1 jalapeño and remove the seeds. The spiciness of the sauce will mellow once combined with all the other ingredients.
Cheese
- I always prefer grating fresh cheese when I am going to be melting a lot of it. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents which don't allow it to melt as well, but still can be used if that is what you have on hand.
- I grated 8oz of Monterey jack and divided in two. Half to be used inside and half on top of the enchiladas.
Blending
- If you do not have a heat proof blender, you can use an immersion blender to puree the verde sauce
Sweet Potatoes
- Ensure your sweet potatoes are diced uniformly to ensure they cook evenly.
- See in-post for how to dice sweet potatoes
Kale
- If you do not have bagged pre-chopped washed kale, make sure to massage your kale while washing it prior to chopping and remove the large thick parts of the stems.
Making ahead and freezing
- You can assemble the enchiladas ahead of time and place in the refrigerator prior to baking. Ensure to fully seal the enchiladas in the baking dish to keep them fresh and add an additional 10 minutes to bake time.
- To freeze the enchiladas, I recommend using a disposable pan. Do all the steps except for adding the cheese on top prior to baking, cover tightly with plastic wrap so they are fully sealed, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in fridge overnight, then bake.
*See in-post for detailed steps with pictures*
Video
Nutrition Information
Calories: 424kcal (21%), Carbohydrates: 43g (14%), Protein: 15g (30%), Fat: 23g (35%), Saturated Fat: 7g (44%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 25mg (8%), Sodium: 822mg (36%), Potassium: 670mg (19%), Fiber: 11g (46%), Sugar: 3g (3%), Vitamin A: 8406IU (168%), Vitamin C: 36mg (44%), Calcium: 343mg (34%), Iron: 3mg (17%)