Veggie Enchilada Bake

For this round of the recipe swap, the theme was vegetarian dishes. Now I figure that most of the things on my blog are actually vegetarian, but I don’t think that was really the idea! I like to participate in the recipe swaps because I get new recipes that I can make. Sometimes we get stuck in the same rut with dinner dishes and it’s good to have someone else pick for me. (Ok, we get stuck in a rut all the time, not just “sometimes.”)

I got this recipe from Nicole at Prevention RD, which is a blog that I adore. I’ve made a couple of things from her blog and they are always great. When I got this recipe, I actually made it right away since I was so excited. I hadn’t made enchiladas in a long time and I loved the idea of the veggie filling. 

You’ll notice that I made a layered enchilada bake rather than traditional enchiladas. The tortillas that I bought were thicker and there was no way that they were going to roll up without breaking to pieces. I even tried warming them a bit but that didn’t help. They layered bake was easier anyway! I also made sauce with an entire 15 ounce can of tomato sauce. I liked having the extra sauce. This was a big hit for dinner and we’ll certainly be making this again. Thanks, Nicole!

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sugar

15 ounce can tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

black pepper, to taste

2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine

1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 cup 2% shredded Mexican blend cheese

Make the sauce: heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar; cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Make the filling: add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until slightly softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the bell pepper; cook until softened, approximately for 2-3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook just until tender, 3-5 minutes more. Add in the garlic and black beans and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the veggie mixture to a large bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and the cilantro.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spread about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce around the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Place 1/3 cup of the filling mixture down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll up the tortilla and place in baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas. Evenly pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the sauce.

Alternatively, place a layer of tortillas in the pan and then top with ½ of the veggie filling and 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, the rest of the veggie filling and another 1/3 of the sauce. Top with one more layer of tortillas and the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top.

Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes more. Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Prevention RD