Skillet Vegetarian Enchiladas

Skillet Vegetarian Enchiladas are no-roll enchiladas packed with ALL the flavor and minimal effort. Sweet potatoes and black beans are skillet baked under smoky enchilada sauce and cheese. This one fulfills meatless cravings you didn't even know you had.

Skillet vegetarian enchiladas are fondly known as lazy enchiladas because there is no rolling required. Save time by not stuffing every last corn tortilla with enchilada filling. Instead enjoy the flavors and textures of stuffed enchiladas with less work. If you like sweet potatoes and black beans in my quinoa chili, you'll equally adore them in vegetarian enchiladas.

Skillet Veggie enchilada ingredients

Ingredient amounts are included in the printable recipe below.

olive oil - or any neutral-flavored cooking oil.

garlic cloves - I almost always recommend fresh garlic over powdered garlic. You can’t beat the aroma and flavor, especially in Mexican recipes.

red onion - These are my favorite of all onions, but feel free to use white onion, yellow onion, or green onion. Any will work fine for this recipe.

sweet potatoes - Vegetarian enchiladas are so delicious with sweet potatoes! One trick I like to do is soften the sweet potato in the microwave while it's whole and uncut. Just pierce the flesh with a knife and nuke them on HIGH for a few minutes until they've softened up.

black beans - I always recommend reduced-sodium beans so you can control the salt in the recipe. Also, save money and use higher quality ingredients by making pressure cooked black beans for this recipe. They take less than an hour and are hands-free.

corn tortillas - Use white or yellow corn tortillas for vegetarian enchiladas.

enchilada sauce - If you're up for an easy recipe with TONS of flavor and NOT a ton of salt, make my homemade enchilada sauce. You can use packaged sauce if you like, but that homemade stuff is off the hook delicious! It's what gives these vegetarian enchiladas that deep red color and flavor!

shredded cheese - Use your favorite shredded cheese blend for this recipe. Super flexible.

optional garnish - sour cream, cilantro, lime, avocado ranch, salsa

Sweet potato black bean enchiladas recipe steps

Instructions are included in the printable recipe below.

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the enchilada sauce or use your favorite packaged sauce.

Step 2. In a large, oven-safe skillet, sauté garlic and onion in olive oil on medium-high heat for a few minutes.

Step 3. Add sweet potatoes and continue cooking until fork-tender (about 5 min). Transfer veggies to a mixing bowl and set aside.

Step 4: In the warm skillet, layer enchilada ingredients, alternating between tortillas, sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, cheese, and enchilada sauce.

Step 5. Cover the skillet and bake 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes until enchilada sauce is bubbly.

Serve warm. Garnish options: sour cream, lime, cilantro, avocado, salsa, avocado ranch.

What vegetables go in veggie enchiladas?

My recipe below is for a sweet potato black bean combination, but you can add any variety of vegetables to these skillet enchiladas. Just be sure the firmer vegetables get cooked soft in the skillet before baking the enchiladas to insure the right texture when served.

You can add onions, corn, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, butternut squash, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, spinach, or kale.

Recipe Tips

Tip #1: Make my smoky scrumptious enchilada sauce a day or two in advance to cut steps on enchilada night. Sure, you can use packaged enchilada sauce, but we really really recommend the homemade sauce for skillet vegetarian enchiladas. Trust me, the extra 15 minutes is so worth it!

Tip #2: You can either layer the tortillas with the enchilada ingredients, or chop and scatter them with the other ingredients and skip the layering part.

Tip #3: If using canned black beans, use reduced-sodium option. Better yet, you can meal prep my Instant Pot Black Beans and save money.

Tip #4: You can pre-cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave to cut down the sauté time. Scrub, then pierce sweet potato, and cook on high in 2 minute intervals until soft.

Tip #5: Add other ingredients like your favorite vegetables, cooked rice, or cooked quinoa. The grain will soak up the sauce and can add great texture to the enchiladas.

Toppings for vegetarian enchiladas

• sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
• fresh cilantro
• a squeeze of fresh lime
• sliced avocado
• 5-Minute Blender Salsa Recipe
• Avocado Ranch Dressing

Mexican recipes we love

• Chipotle Copycat Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
• 5-Minute Restaurant Style Salsa
• Avocado Ranch Dressing
• Instant Pot Taco Pasta
• Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Chicken Tacos with Peach or Mango Salsa
• Instant Pot Vegan Tortilla Soup