This Vegan Enchilada Casserole with Jalapeño Cream Sauce is the perfect make ahead meal for busy weeknights or Sunday meal prep.
I am all about a one and done meal.
Cook once, eat all week.
And that is exactly what I do when I make this this Vegan Enchilada Casserole with Jalapeño Cream Sauce.
Make it on Sunday, have it for dinner and then eat it for lunch all week.
At least if you’re like me and in a household of two.
And if you’re feeding 6+ people this is the perfect make ahead meal.
Make it on Sunday, freeze it and reheat during the week when you are short on time.
In addition to being a total time saver, this casserole also does not skimp on flavor.
Veggies are sautéed in spices until slightly tender before being combined with my all time favorite flavor bomb – jalapeño cream sauce.
I’ve raved about this sauce many times and you can read all about it’s delicious-ness here.
Once your veggies are ready, all you need to do is layer them with beans and tortillas before baking until the top is crisp and the middle is warmed to perfection.
After it has cooled slightly, you can dish it up and dig in.
This is sure to be one of your weekly go-to’s!
Need more recipes to use with the jalapeño cream sauce? Check out my Black Bean Green Chili Enchiladas or Jalapeño Corn Fritters.
Vegan Enchilada Casserole with Jalapeño Cream Sauce
This Vegan Enchilada Casserole with Jalapeño Cream Sauce is the perfect make ahead meal for busy weeknights or Sunday meal prep.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Jalapeño Cream Sauce separated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 jalapeño diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 can refried beans
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups green enchilada sauce separated
- 12 corn tortillas
- Optional toppings chopped cilantro, jalapeño slices
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Prepare Jalapeño Cream Sauce according to instructions and set aside until ready to use.
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Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, corn, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to the pan and lower heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, until veggies have begun to brown and are slightly softened (approx. 5-7 minutes).
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Remove veggies from heat and add half of the jalapeño cream sauce to the pan and stir to combine.
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Add refried beans to a bowl with 2 tbsp. of water and stir to combine.*
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To assemble, spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Layer 4 tortillas on top of the enchilada sauce, followed by half of the refried beans, half of the black beans and half of the veggies. Repeat layers, beginning with 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce. To finish it off, layer the 4 remaining tortillas on top, followed by the final 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce. Place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, uncovered.
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Increase oven heat to broil and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until top begins to brown.
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Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
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Top casserole with jalapeño slices, remaining jalapeño cream sauce and cilantro.
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Slice, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*This makes them easier to spread.
**If you plan on freezing for later: assemble casserole per instructions but do not bake. Allow to cool completely before covering and placing in the freezer. When ready to cook, add 45-60 minutes onto the normal cooking time.
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If you make this recipe be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and @thissavoryvegan!
This came out great, thank you for the recipe. I substituted Tofutti sour cream for the cream cheese in the sauce, and it was delicious. I also broiled some Chao original style cheese for the last few minutes of baking, and topped with avocado as well as the other toppings.
Made this but made a few changes (my fav veggies, no beans, and mixed in a tiny bit of my own fav enchilada sauce to the jalapeño cream sauce) and WOW. So good!! Cooked perfectly too. Yum!
Awesome! I love how adaptable this recipe is – you can really switch it up depending on your preferences and what you have on hand. So glad you liked it!
I never leave comments but I have to tell you that this recipe is so delicious and flavorful. I am a meat eater and this recipe just change my whole outlook on veganism.
Yay! So happy to hear it 🙂
Made this tonight. Tortillas on top seem a bit tough. Is this normal?
Disclaimer: I have not actually made this recipe, but stumbled upon it just now when searching “vegan enchiladas.” Many enchilada recipes call for covering the pan with foil, at least initially, during the baking time. This would no doubt keep the tortillas from drying out so much and becoming tough. It’s worth a try.
Hi Margretta – there are a few reasons this could have happened. Your oven heat could have been too high (or different than mine when I made this), maybe the last 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce didn’t cover them completely or your tortillas may have not been 100% fresh – if they are slightly old they can get hard while cooking. If you plan on making this again I would just up the amount of enchilada sauce you use at the end and place the pan on the bottom rack in your oven. Hope that helps!
What kind of enchilada sauce do you recommend?
One of the main reasons I’ve always loved enchiladas is the cheese… But I must say, this recipe is SO good and full of flavor that you don’t even miss the traditional non vegan enchiladas! My brother even came back for seconds AND thirds! NOM!
What size baking dish?
Love this recipe!! It will be definitely be one of our go to dishes!!!
This was a bit labor intensive because I made the beans & enchilada sauce from scratch but SO worth it! I ended up freezing the leftover beans & sauce for next time. Donna was right. Husband approved. I will be making it again. Thank you!
Where do you get green enchilada sauce?
Any grocery store – I usually get mine at Target.
What brand of enchilada sauce?
I just use whatever I find at the grocery store 🙂
This is divine! I have been quite disappointed with the vegan recipes that I have found over the last few years. My husband says that Mexican food is a food group. LOL So, since he loves it so much, I have looked for a tried a number of recipes. This one nails it. I don’t like things very spicy and this one was easy to adjust. I did it just as described, just used less jalapeno without the seeds. I, too, am not a fan of vegan cheese products, but I did use the Trader Joe’s cream cheese. I was very pleasantly surprised. It added the right amount of creaminess with no funky flavor or texture that other vegan cheeses seem to have. In fact, nothing funky at all. It just added a beautiful creaminess. I do love my cashew cream, but one does get tired of it. I normally will try a recipe once as written, then look to see how I can improve upon it, because they often fall short. This one delivers as is! Fabulous recipe!
Thanks for such a thorough review and I’m glad this was husband approved!