Enchiladas meet kid food for this veggie filled vegan enchilada casserole. Easy to throw together, healthy and super flavorful! This healthy comfort food dish is sure to get the thumbs up by the whole family.
It was a crazy day and dinner wasn't made. I had 3 tired kids and whining was going full force. Sound familiar? I bet it does. Pretty normal day for many of us. As my middle cried for noodles (his favorite food) while I was announcing I was making enchiladas, my oldest yelled "How about enchilada noodles?!" So to get the noise of toddler tantrums to stop, I put my brain to work and created our new kid favorite meal. This vegan enchilada casserole was a huge hit.
Since I didn't have actual pasta, I cut the corn tortillas I had into really thin strips and called it a day. I pureed the beans with a few other ingredients, threw in some veggies and mixed in my homemade Easy Red Enchilada Sauce. I poured it all into a pan and baked to until the outside got crispy. I was so excited about it, I barely heard the hungry whiney kids in the background. And as they shoveled the food into their little mouths, the whines turned into yums. Mommy wins. Vegan enchilada casserole wins. A rare moment these days!
I don't think they even noticed that mixed up with their tortilla noodles were thin strips of zucchini noodles and chopped spinach. I however loved that this meal I created was an all in one. No fight on eating the veggies...happy kids, happy mom. And as you know, that means peace.
I'm pretty darn sure I'm not the only one that has these days. Tired, dreading the task of prepping dinner, but wanting something healthy on the table. Well my friends, here is your answer. Vegan enchilada casserole. Easy recipe, and even quicker and easier if you prep the parts before hand. Don’t forget to let me know what you think since you'll have all this extra time. I love seeing all your comments and feedback, especially after long days! Leave a comment here, find me on Facebook or tag me on Instagram at both @veggiesdontbite #veggiesdontbite so I don’t miss it! And don’t forget to tag me in your main comment, Instagram has changed some rules and makes it easy to miss things ! I respond to each and every comment I see so I'm never ignoring you!
Enchilada Noodles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2- 15 oz cans black beans
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1- 4 oz can green chiles
- 2-4 tablespoons of water , just enough to get the beans blended
- sea salt , to taste
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 medium sized zucchinis
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups Easy Red Enchilada Sauce
- 3 green onions
Optional Sides:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
- Rinse Beans and put them with the walnuts, green chiles, water and salt into a blender and puree. Place in large bowl.
- Wash spinach and zucchini. Using a spiralizer, make zucchini noodles out of the zucchini. I use the flat thin blade versus the spaghetti like blade.
- Make sure you stop and break the string of noodles as you go or cut them down a bit after so you don’t have one long zucchini noodle.
- If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can also cut the zucchini into flat thin noodle like slices. Add both the spinach and zucchini noodles to the large bowl. Slice green onions and set aside.
- Slice the tortillas into ½ inch strips. Add to the bowl.
- Add the enchilada sauce to the bowl and mix everything until combined well.
- Add mixture to a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with sliced green onions. Bake at 350F (180C) for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling.
- Serve with sides of choice!.
Notes
- You can omit the walnuts to make this nut free. They are there for a little more depth and creaminess to the dish.
- You can also substitute it with cooked cauliflower or potatoes for added creaminess. I have tried both and the flavor is great.
- You can also use a store bought enchilada sauce instead of using my homemade version. Be mindful of how runny your sauce is though. If it’s too thin then it may make this dish more runny overall.
- Tips to prep ahead: Puree bean part of the dish. Make enchilada sauce. Make sides.
- Baby/toddler food idea: Bake spinach and zucchini on the side while baking dish and puree with black beans. Can also add avocado from guacamole. Use liquid of choice to thin out to desired consistency. For toddler, cut up into small pieces and serve.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Howie Fox
THAT is so COOL!! I love my mum, but she wouldn't have come up with an idea to satisfy our lunch wishes with a new recipe "mashup" - it was rather straight forward cooking .-)
Love the idea!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks! Any way I can make dinner easier is a win for me!
Madiha Nawaz
This looks amazing and I'm sure, I would have devoured it too! ?
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Madiha! It was indeed devoured!
The Vegan 8
It's late and I'm starving and I could really go for a HUGE PLATE of this right now!!!!
veggiesdontbite
Wish I lived closer so I could bring you some!
Byron Thomas
OMG... that looks sooooo freaking good! Can I invite myself over for dinner? Haha!
veggiesdontbite
If my ravenous bunch didn't completely devour it then I'd say yes ?
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Beyond delicious! This is such a fantastic idea!!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Rebecca! It was pretty tasty!
pragati
Ingenious!! All going to the same place as they say 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Pragati! It's such an easy and great family meal!
Mel @ avirtualvegan.com
What a great idea! I can just imagine how great it tastes and smells. My teenage son is going through a bit of a fussy stage at the moment and even he commented on how good it looks when he caught sight of it on my iPad earlier! It must be good to get his attention. Pinned to make very soon!
veggiesdontbite
So you're telling me the fussy stage continues?! UGH! LOL! Glad I could give you some light at the end of your fussy stage tunnel!
Shivani Saxena
Mouthwatering and healthy!!!Wow!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Shivani! Super healthy and my kids love it!
Mary sandera
Looks delicious! Do you drain or rinse the black beans from the can?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Mary! Yes! I need to add that to the directions. Forgot to, I always just do it so I forget others don't! Let me know if you try it!
Mandy
What a gorgeous dish!!! And so creative! I'm not sure this is a Willow meal, but I know Josh and I would devour this. I love how it's packed with so many wonderful ingredients...including zucchini noodles. Adding this to our MUST-TRY list for fall!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Mandy! It's a great all in one dinner! And super easy. Let me know if you try it!
Jenn
I love casseroles like this. Everything all mushed together in one pan....so delicious! My kids would love this too!
veggiesdontbite
Aren't they so easy?! Perfect mom and kid meal! Thanks so much!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit
This is so unique and creative I don't even know what to say!! And the fact that there is no "real" pasta is so sneaky 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Natalie! I'm so sneaky like that. Even got in some veggies ?
The Vegan 8
Well you KNOW how much I love Mexican food! I grew up eating it more than anything else! Love the idea your son had to make this all casserole-like! I of course love the avocado slices on top....that always completes a Mexican meal for me! I bet it smells delicious too!!
veggiesdontbite
Yes I do!! You and Olivia would love this one, especially with the zucchini noodles in it. It smells amazing when cooked! And avocado accompanies ALL Mexican meals...heck it accompanies almost all meals period. LOL
Ryan @ Feed by Round Pond
Great thinking on your part...and it turned into a delicious post!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Ryan! We need to stay on our toes with these little guys!
Linda @ Veganosity
I'm actually salivating over the pictures. Mexican food is my jam, and this looks delicious. Pinning!
veggiesdontbite
Well, if I have you salivating then that's a good sign! LOL! I love Mexican food too, it's just so tasty and really you can put anything in a taco or enchilada!