Vegan Enchiladas

Vegan Enchiladas

These protein-rich vegan enchiladas are made with lentils and other healthy ingredients. It can be made ahead of time and the recipe is freezer-friendly. Veggie enchilada casserole is gluten-free, plant-based, nut-free, perfect for lunch or dinner, and super delicious.

Ingredients

• 12 tortillas (22 cm diameter)
• 7 oz (200 g) vegan cheese or to taste

Enchilada stuffing:

• 1 cup (192 g) dried lentils (*see recipe notes)
• 2 1/2 cups (600 g) vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup (70 g) sunflower seeds (*see recipe notes)
• 1 1/3 cups (120 g) gluten-free rolled oats if needed (*see recipe notes)
• 3 heaped tablespoons (120 g) of tomato paste
• 2 small bell peppers
• 1 medium carrot grated
• 1 medium diced tomato
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds (ground) or flaxseed
• spice mix: 1/2 tablespoon of onion powder, 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, 1-2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1-2 chopped hot peppers (less if you don’t like it too spicy)
• sea ​​salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon of oil for frying vegetables

Enchilada Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour (or all-purpose flour if not GF)
• 2 1/2 cups (600 g) tomato sauce
• spice mix: 1/2 tablespoon of chili flakes, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of paprika
• sea ​​salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse the lentils thoroughly to remove any dirt and place them in a medium saucepan. Add broth and bring to a boil, then bring to a boil. Cook with the lid on for about 20 minutes (or until tender). Then remove the saucepan from the heat, but leave it covered for another 10 minutes.
2. While the lentils are cooking, first prepare your enchilada sauce and then start making the enchilada stuffing.
3. To make the enchilada sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add all the spices and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Add tomato sauce and let it boil. Cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
4. To make the enchilada filling: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion + garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped bell pepper, tomato, grated carrot and 1-2 hot peppers and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Add all dry ingredients (spices, salt + pepper, oats, sunflower seeds, and ground chia seeds) to a food processor and blend for about 20-30 seconds.
6. Add the boiled vegetables and tomato paste and mix again.
7. Finally, add the boiled lentils and mix until everything is smooth. The mixture should stick together and the texture should look like the images below. If the mixture isn’t thick enough or doesn’t stick together, add more ground oats.
8. Preheat the oven to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C).
9. Spread 2 heaping tablespoons (100 g) of enchilada filling on a tortilla.
10. Roll the tortilla and place it on a greased baking tray.
11. Repeat this step with the other tortillas.
12. Then pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas. I doubled 4 loaves each (7 x 11 in the baking dish), but you can only make one layer with 8 tortillas. The filling is enough for 12 tortillas, so you can also make more than 8 loaves (depending on the size of your baking dish).
13. Bake under the lid for 15 minutes. Take it out of the oven, pour my easy vegan cheese sauce on top (or use your favorite vegan cheese to taste), and pop the enchiladas back into the oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander or greens of your choice (optional). You can also pour some vegan sour cream on it if you want.

notes

Lentils: I usually use brown lentils, which cook in about 20-25 minutes if pre-soaked in warm water. You can use 2 1/2 cups of cooked lentils or beans instead (and skip the vegetable broth).
Seeds: You can use other seeds or nuts (eg walnuts) instead of sunflower seeds.
Flour: Chickpea flour is a good substitute for oats. Other flours should work as well.
Bread: You can use regular flour bread or gluten-free bread.
Check the blog post to keep the instructions and other helpful tips.