Vegetarian Enchiladas

This is one of those meals that I go to for comfort. It’s cozy, simple to make, and these days, most importantly, cheap. This meal costs <$2 per serving and is super filling. These vegetarian enchiladas are a great quick meal for weeknights since it takes very little time to put together. Now it isn’t authentic, traditional, or pretty to be honest, BUT it is delicious and filling. With the cost of groceries increasing, sometimes all you need to do is get food on the table and this is it!

I shopped at Safeway for all the ingredients and used the app to clip coupons to get deals on tortillas, cheese, enchilada sauce, and beans.  Here is the cost breakdown:

I used canned refried beans in this recipe however you can use plain kidney beans to make it cheaper. Just drain, add in 1/4 cup of hot water, and mash until it’s the consistency you prefer. You might need to add a little extra seasoning to add more flavor. Also, you can skip out on the homemade pico de Gallo as well to decrease the cost. 

I decided to share a very basic recipe where the cost is low. But if you have room in your budget, you can zhuzh up the meal by adding avocado, sour cream, shredded lettuce, and hot sauce if you like! You can also beef up the filling by adding sauteed mushrooms, sauteed zucchini, roasted sweet potatoes, or sauteed kale. I usually just grab whatever is in my fridge and shove it in. 

If you’re a college kid, you can easily make this in the microwave! Just pop it in the microwave for 5-9 minutes! I would even meal prep this meal when I was younger. I would make individual enchiladas in the microwave by adding a few tablespoons of sauce to the bottom of a plate adding my rolled-up tortilla on top with more sauce and cheese and microwaving it until hot and melty. Easy peasy! 

If you make these vegetarian enchiladas be sure to tag me on social media @milkandcardamom! 

Vegetarian Enchiladas

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• Author: Milk and Cardamom
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Easy, simple and cost-efficient meal thats delicious and little time to make! Makes 4 enchiladas

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 (16 oz) can vegetarian refried beans*
• 1 packet of taco seasoning OR 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 cup onion, diced (red or white)
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 2 tbsp cilantro, diced (optional)
• juice of half a lime
• 4 soft flour tortillas
• 1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray an 8×8-inch pan with vegetable spray and set aside
2. In a mixing bowl, add refried beans,2 tbsp of water, taco seasoning, 1/4 cup of cheese, bell pepper, and 2 tbsp of diced onions. Mix well and set aside.
3. Make your pico de Gallo by first rinsing the leftover diced onion in cold water to get rid of any of it’s harsh flavors. Drain well and add to a mixing bowl along with 1 Roma tomato that’s been diced, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix well and set aside.
4. Make your enchiladas. Pour enough enchilada sauce into your baking pan to cover the bottom in a thin layer. Add 2-3 heaping spoons of the refried beans in the center of each tortilla. Spread the beans down the center and roll the tortillas up and place it seam-side down into the baking pan side by side. Pour the rest of the enchiladas sauce and 2 tbsp of water over the top of the tortillas and spread with a spoon to make sure everything is covered in the sauce. Top with more cheese and a tbsp of pico de Gallo.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let the enchiladas sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

You can use kidney beans and mash them with a little bit of water instead as well. Also, there will be leftover beans, I like to use them to make myself a bean burrito for lunch the next day!  For the filling: feel free to add whatever vegetable you have on hand to the beans. I’ve use sauteed mushrooms, chopped kale, cooked sweet potato, and zucchini in the past!

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: American, Mexican

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