These vegetable enchiladas are made with spinach, mushrooms and creamy delicious cheeses for a unique taste sensation you will want to try right away.
Recipe | Is This Vegetarian? | How to Soften Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
For these vegetable enchiladas, I didn’t use many ingredients. If I had made my own Verde Enchilada Sauce, there would be a lot more ingredients and it would be more involved.
Right now, though, we’re unable to get back to the store to get fresh chiles and tomatillos. I’m not letting that stop me!
For this recipe, I’m using:
- Corn tortillas
- White cheeses
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Salsa Verde
- Seasonings
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Cheese for Vegetable Enchiladas
Vegetable enchiladas will, of course, include cheese and what cheese you use is up to you. I’ve used six ounces of a semi-soft cheese and 8 ounces of a soft melting cheese.
To maintain authenticity, use a white cheese but, really, if you want to use a yellow cheese, the enchilada police aren’t going to show up at your doorstep to take you away.
We found this wonderful semi-soft crumbling cheese at a market in Benton and it’s unlike any cheese I’ve ever tasted. It tastes like it’s been soaked in green olive brine and I, of course, love olives. I don’t know. Maybe that’s how loroco is supposed to taste.
We’ve used the last of it now and I can’t wait until we’re able to get some more. It will be a long while before we get all the way to Benton again, though.
Cheese Substitutions
Because it’s unnecessary to use this particular cheese, I’ve stated six ounces of Queso Fresco in the recipe. It’s easier to find. You can try Mexican cheeses of Oaxaca or Enchilado. You could also substitute parmesan, romano or feta.
For the soft melting cheese, I’ve used Mexican Chihuahua but you may also know it as Queso Menonita. Menonita and Chihuahua are the same.
Menonita is the name for the cheese because it was originally made by the Mennonite communites in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.
In Chihuahua, it’s called Menonita. Most everywhere else, including the U.S., it’s called Chihuahua Cheese.
You can easily substitute Menonite cheese with Mozzarella so don’t worry if you’re unable to find it. We had to go all the way to Hot Springs to get the Chihuahua cheese. It’s not readily available so I’ve stated Mozzarella cheese in the recipe instead.
Is this Vegetarian?
The exact recipe may or may not be vegetarian, depending solely on the cheese of choice.
You need to watch the ingredients in the cheese. Some cheeses use rennet and you need to confirm the type of rennet used. If it’s animal rennet, then it’s not vegetarian. Vegetatio has a nice list of vegetarian cheeses which will give you plenty of choices.
Instructions
This recipe starts with making the vegetable enchilada filling. Once the filling is made, you’ll fry the corn tortillas to soften them, then you’ll head straight to assembly.
Soften the Corn Tortillas
I fried these tortillas in a little bit of olive oil. If you have a nice non-stick pan, you may be able to cook the tortillas in a dry skillet without oil at all. Try it both ways to see which way you like best.
If you don’t want to pan fry the tortillas, you have options. You can soften them in the oven or in the microwave.
Alternative Methods to Soften Corn Tortillas
For the oven, brush each side of the tortilla with a little water. Place the stack of tortillas in a piece of foil and fold it up into a little packet. Heat the tortillas at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Let them cool just a few minutes before using.
For the microwave, start off by brushing each side with a little water just like with the oven. Place the stack of tortillas on a microwave safe plate and microwave for about 25-30 seconds. If it’s not hot enough, increase the microwave time 15-20 seconds more.
For either method, be sure to brush only one side of the tortilla and you’ll want a really thin layer of water. If you add too much water, the tortilla will get much too soft and they’ll stick together.
Don’t be afraid to use corn tortillas. You really can make them soft and pliable. I’ve written more extensive details for softening corn tortillas.
Using Flour Tortillas
I’ve used corn tortillas for more authenticity but you can use blanca flour tortillas, if you prefer. Be sure to heat them up a little.
Flour tortillas come in various sizes so be sure to get the ones marked “Taco” instead of the ones marked “Fajita” or “Burrito”. These are certainly tasty alternatives, but you have to watch to ensure your tortilla will fit inside your baking pan.
Enchilada Assembly
You will split your filling evenly to the 16 tortillas. That’s about two tablespoons spinach mixture and one or two tablespoons cheese mixture.
Roll up the enchiladas and place them seam side down in your pan. If you’ve made enchiladas before, you may have added a layer of sauce before the rolled enchiladas. I decided not to do this because I had already fried the tortillas in a bit of oil. They didn’t need any extra moisture on the bottom.
If you use a different method of cooking the tortillas, like in the oven or microwave mentioned above, place a thin layer of the sauce evenly in the bottom.
You may need a little more sauce than stated in the recipe. Go ahead and pick up two jars of the sauce because it’s great to add when plating or with tortilla chips.
I used two 9×13 pans for these enchiladas and that worked really well for the 8″ tortillas.
Once you have all the tortillas rolled, pour half the verde salsa down the center most part of the pan. You want to leave some of the open ends unsauced. This allows the enchiladas to crisp up a bit at the edges.
More Mexican Food
If you’ve followed my website for long, you will already know how much I love Mexican food. Pizza and Mexican food. Yum! Here are some other recipes to try.
- Homemade Chorizo and Ground Beef Tamales
- Easy Chicken Tacos with Mole Sauce
- Chicken Tinga Tacos Dorados Fried Tacos
- Creamy Salsa Chicken Enchiladas
If you’re looking for another meatless enchilada alternative, try these Cheese Enchiladas with Roasted Poblano Peppers.
Be sure to browse all our Mexican food recipes for more ideas.
Feature
This recipe was featured in this roundup of 8 Favorite Recipes for Cinco de Mayo.
Recipe
Spinach and Mushroom Veggie Enchiladas
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For more information, be sure to check the recipe details in the attached 24Bite® post.
Equipment
- Two (2) 9×13" oven-safe baking pans
Ingredients
Veggie Enchilada Filling
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, large, chopped
- ½ pint Baby Bella Mushrooms, chopped
- 6 ounce Baby Spinach, chopped
Preparing Tortillas
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 16 Corn Tortillas
Assembly
- 6 ounce Queso Fresco, crumbled
- 16 ounce Herdez Salsa Verde
- 8 ounce Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- Cooking Spray, like Pam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450℉.
- In a skillet, on the stove top, on medium heat, place 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add chopped onion and mushrooms. Cook until softened, about 6-7 minutes.
- Add chopped spinach to same skillet and cook until wilted, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In another skillet, begin frying the tortillas. This will add some color to the tortillas and make them easier to roll without much cracking. (See above for alternate methods.) Brush the tortillas with a very thin layer of olive oil and fry each one in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, 20-30 seconds on each side. Stack the tortillas on a plate until completed. Set aside.
- Spray two 9×13" pans with cooking spray. Place a tortilla in the baking pan, place about two tablespoons of spinach mixture and one tablespoon of queso fresco inside. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking pan. When the rolled tortillas make it so you no longer have room in the pan to put the tortilla directly on the pan, just set it on top of the already rolled tortillas in order to roll them. You'll be able to fit eight rolled tortillas in each pan.
- Pour half the salsa verde down the centermost part of the enchiladas, leaving a little bit of the open edges unsauced. This allows them to crisp up a bit in the oven. Repeat for the second baking pan.
- Sprinkle half the Mozzarella cheese also down the center, still leaving some of the edges open. Repeat for the second pan. Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Your goal is simply to heat through and melt the cheese. Everything is already cooked.
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Notes
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and 24Bite® takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier. Please calculate the amounts yourself based on package labeling if you have specific dietary requirements. 24Bite®, Kim Guzman or Christian Guzman shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.
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Andrea Metlika says
This is my favorite veggie combo and I love that you made them into an enchilada. They look marvelous!
Heidy says
Spinach and Mushrooms are two of my all-time favorites. Loved this enchilada recipe and the husband asked me to make it again! Bookmarking.
Cathleen says
I love how easy this recipe is to put together. Thank you so much for the recipe, I loved it!
Sue says
Enchiladas are always a hit at this house, I love that these are vegetarian. YUM!
Dannii says
What a great combination for enchiladas. I love anything that I can add some spinach to.