Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole with Beans, Corn & Veggies
Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole Recipe – Easy Meal Prep Dinner!
For an easy meal prep dinner that you’ll want to enjoy on repeat, give this vegetarian enchilada casserole a try! Zesty and flavorful, hearty and satisfying, and totally budget friendly. Plus, it’s such an EASY enchilada casserole to make—just layer all of your components into a dish to bake!
If you’re a fan of enchiladas or just love a Mexican-inspired dish as much as I do, this recipe is worth giving a try. It’s got hearty beans and corn with bright sautéed peppers, layered between corn tortillas, bursting with flavor from the salsa, enchilada sauce, and green chiles. And of course, it’s loaded with plenty of cheese!
After baking, you’ve got a vegetarian enchilada casserole ready to enjoy immediately or store it for dinners throughout the week. Personally, I love this recipe because I can just store my entire casserole IN the dish that I baked it in, covered, and reheat a piece when I want it. And, so many of these ingredients are affordable canned and dry goods that I can keep stocked in my pantry.
Better yet, this easy enchilada casserole is completely customizable—you can change it up from week to week! Add new veggies, different beans, or even toss in some meat if you didn’t need it to be vegetarian. The beauty of any casserole is it’s just a bunch of tasty ingredients baked together in a dish. There’s no ‘wrong’ way to do it!
Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole Ingredients
1 can (15oz) corn, drained & rinsed
2 cans (15oz ea.) black beans
1 can (28oz) enchilada sauce
½ cup salsa
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
drizzle of oil
½ cup green onion, chopped (white base, no greens)
2 cups mini sweet peppers, cut into strips
1 can (4oz) diced green chiles
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
9 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese of choice
Ingredient Recommendations
As mentioned, you can totally switch up these ingredients and customize this vegetarian enchilada casserole however you like! For those who do choose to mostly stick with the recipe as-is, I’ve got a few recommendations.
- Beans & Corn: I prefer to drain and rinse mine to remove any excess sodium! Your enchilada sauce, salsa, and taco seasoning will likely add plenty of salt.
- Enchilada Sauce: if you have a preferred brand or type, go for it. I personally ended up using a brand that contains MSG, which wouldn’t be my usual choice if I hadn’t already bought it… Be sure to read those labels, and green or red enchilada sauce works great!
- Green Onion: instead of chopped white onion, I used the white base of green onion stalks as part of my sautéed veggie mixture! I like the flavor of green onion and it’s what I could find at the store, but feel free to use white onion instead if you prefer.
- Taco Seasoning: check the ingredients for additives, sugar, etc. to be sure you’re getting a seasoning blend that suits your preferences.
- Tortillas: I used white corn tortillas to keep this easy enchilada casserole gluten free, but yellow corn tortillas work great—as do regular glutinous tortillas if that’s what you like!
How to Make an Easy Enchilada Casserole with Corn Tortillas
To start, I get the protein mixture for this vegetarian enchilada casserole ready: black beans and corn. I add my drained and rinsed canned beans and corn into a bowl, then toss them together with enchilada sauce, salsa of choice, and chopped cilantro for some tasty, herbaceous flavor. Set that aside while you sauté your veggies.
As mentioned, I chopped the white base of green onion stalks to use in my veggie mixture. So I first add those into a hot pan with oil, along with chopped sweet or bell peppers for 4-5 minutes—until starting to soften. Finally, pour in a can of diced green chiles along with a sprinkle of taco seasoning, stirring well and giving it another few minutes to cook. Remove the pan from the heat, and you’re ready to assemble!
In a 9×13-inch casserole dish prepped with cooking spray, add some enchilada sauce, followed by tortillas. I like to place 2 whole tortillas side by side, with a 3rd tortilla cut in half to cover the edges. Next, spoon on some of the bean mixture, followed by sautéed veggies, and a generous layer of cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, beans, veggies, and cheese—finishing with a final layer of tortillas, enchilada sauce, and one more essential layer of cheese.
Pop that into the oven at 375°F (190°C) to bake for 25 minutes, finishing with a broil at the end if you like your cheese browned on top. And easy as that, in under an hour, this vegetarian enchilada casserole is ready to serve for dinner or store for the week!
Storage & Reheating
I recommend storing this easy enchilada casserole whole if you can: cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap/foil and store in the fridge for 5-7 days. Then, simply cut out the desired pieces to reheat whenever you want them! Storing whole is the best way to keep your casserole intact, but you can of course cut it up into smaller portions to store if needed for fridge space.
When you’re ready to reheat, add the pieces you want onto a baking sheet and reheat in the oven or toaster oven, or pop them into the microwave on a plate. You can also just reheat the entire dish in the oven if you plan to eat all of the leftovers in one sitting!
$50 ALDI Vegetarian Meal Prep for the Week
For more casserole inspiration, check out my Keto Casserole Recipes!
Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole
- 1 can corn, , drained & rinsed (15-oz)
- 2 cans black beans, (15-oz ea.)
- 1 can enchilada sauce, , green or red (28-oz)
- ½ cup salsa, your favorite
- 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- drizzle of oil
- ½ cup green onion, chopped (white base, no greens)
- 2 cups mini sweet peppers, cut into strips
- 1 can diced green chiles, (4-oz)
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 9 large corn tortillas, ~8-inch
- 2 cups shredded cheese of choice, I used a Mexican cheese blend
Optional Serving Ideas:
- cilantro, chopped
- green onion, chopped (greens)
- sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- lime wedges
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine corn, black beans, 1 cup of enchilada sauce, ½ cup of salsa, and cilantro. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute chopped white base of green onion and sliced sweet mini peppers for 4-5 minutes, until softened.
- Add diced chiles and taco seasoning. Continue to cook another 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Prep a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Add a layer of enchilada sauce to cover bottom of dish, followed by a layer of corn tortillas. (I layered in 2 whole tortillas, along with a 3rd tortilla cut in half to cover the edges.)
- Scoop corn & bean mixture on top of tortillas, followed by veggie mixture, and a layer of cheese.
- Repeat layers: tortillas, corn & bean mixture, veggie mixture, cheese.
- On top, add a final layer of tortillas, remaining enchilada sauce, and cover with cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Broil for a few minutes at the end to brown on top, if needed.
- Slice into pieces and serve with cilantro, chopped green onion tops, a dollop of sour cream, lime wedges—whatever you like!
Storage & Reheating
- To store, simply leave remaining casserole in dish, cover, and store in the fridge for 5-7 days. Reheat entire dish in the oven, or slice desired piece(s) at the time of serving and reheat to your liking.
- If preferred, you can slice casserole into pieces and store as individual servings. Just know that your casserole will hold together best if it stays intact until serving!
One Comment on “Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole with Beans, Corn & Veggies”
So so so good!