Before I get to this insanely delicious recipe, I want to let you know what I’ve been up to this month! Some of you have seen on Snapchat that I’ve been behind the lens each day for a very special photography project—which includes shooting more than 60 brand-new recipe photos! It’s been pretty crazy around here and I haven’t had a day off in ages, but it’s really coming together beautifully. Eric even helped me create a dedicated photography space in our empty dining room and it’s been nice to have a set area to shoot (why did it take me so long to do this?). We’re gearing up to share this new project with you late winter, and I appreciate your patience as things will continue to be a bit slower around here as I complete the photography project this month. If you want to see all the behind-the-scenes action, follow along on Snapchat (username: angelaliddon).
I’m also happy to announce that we’re gearing up to kick off a brand-new newsletter! It’s going to be packed with all kinds of beautiful photos, recipes, life updates, tips/tricks, and sneak peeks/insider info (such as on the aforementioned project!). Since it has been so long since I sent out a newsletter (probably 1.5 to 2 years), we’re starting fresh and asking you to sign up again. This is because we want to make sure our subscribers truly want to receive our newsletter; the goal is to connect with you in a meaningful way — not to spam unsuspecting inboxes! I’m all about quality over quantity. Once you’ve signed up you will get an email asking you to confirm your subscription, and you’ll need to click the link to activate the fun. The first newsletter is expected to go out this month with a special Valentine’s Day theme (va va voom!), so keep your eyes peeled! Sign up here:
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For those of you who have been asking if my next cookbook has a release date, I’m thrilled to tell you that it will release on September 6, 2016. Not too long to go now! You can now pre-order the book in Canada via Amazon.ca and Chapters/Indigo (many more retailers to come). We don’t have a cover yet, but of course I will share the preview with you as soon as I can!
As you can see there are a lot of fun things coming up in 2016. More on all of this very soon…
This recipe is honestly one of my favourite entrees in a very long time and I’m so excited to share it with you. This is the recipe to make when you want to blow your friends and family away. Trust me on this one. It’s a spin-off of my favourite vegan enchilada recipe from way back in 2011. Why the heck has it taken me so long to make another? Well, to be honest, I didn’t think I could improve upon that recipe, but I was wrong…very wrong. This version is even more flavourful, satisfying, and robust thanks to the addition of smoky roasted red peppers, umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes, and my favourite homemade enchilada sauce. I top it all off with a decadent cashew cream that’s flavored with cilantro, garlic, and lime. Yowza. This is winter comfort food at its best!
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Next Level Vegan Enchiladas
Yield
6 large enchiladas
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These mild- to moderate-heat enchiladas will change your life! A delicious homemade Enchilada Sauce smothers a sweet potato, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, and black bean filling wrapped in soft tortillas. After baking, I top it all off with a decadent Cilanto-Lime-Garlic Cashew Cream, green onion, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and chopped avocado. This dish will blow your taste buds away, I can promise you that! Please note that the prep time includes making the enchilada sauce and cashew cream in addition to the enchiladas. Yes, it's a labour-intensive recipe for sure, but you can save time the day of by prepping the cashew cream and enchilada sauce the day before.
Ingredients
For the enchiladas:
- 2 cups (260 g) peeled and chopped (1/2-inch dice) sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, diced (2 to 2 1/2 cups)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup jarred roasted red pepper, drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can black beans (about 1 1/2 cups), drained and rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups Homemade Enchilada Sauce (1 batch)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- 5 to 6 medium/large soft tortilla wraps
For the toppings:
- Cilantro-Lime-Garlic Cashew Cream
- Chopped green onion, red pepper flakes, avocado, and cilantro
Directions
- Prepare the Homemade Enchilada Sauce and soak the cashews for the Cilantro-Lime-Garlic Cashew Cream before you begin.
- Lightly grease a large rectangular baking dish (at least 8x12 inches). Set aside.
- Add the chopped sweet potato into a medium pot of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 9 to 15 minutes, uncovered, until fork tender. Drain and set aside. You can also steam the potatoes until tender, instead of boiling.
- In a large skillet, stir together the oil, onion, and garlic and sauté over medium heat for around 3 to 5 minutes until the onion softens. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Add the chopped roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked/drained sweet potato, spinach, and black beans. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat, until the spinach is wilted.
- Stir in 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of homemade enchilada sauce, followed by the lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Adjust seasonings to taste, if desired.
- Add 3/4 cup of Enchilada Sauce onto the bottom of your casserole dish and spread it out evenly.
- Scoop 3/4 cup of the sweet potato and black bean filling onto each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it, seam side down, in the casserole dish. Repeat for the rest. If you have any leftover filling, you can spread it on top of the tortillas. Spread all of the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas until they are completely covered in sauce.
- Bake the enchiladas, uncovered, at 350⁰F (180°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is a deep red colour and the enchiladas are heated through.
- While the enchiladas are baking, prepare the Cilantro-Lime-Garlic Cashew Cream.
- When enchiladas are ready to serve, add half of the cashew cream into a baggie, snip off the corner, and “pipe” the sauce all over the enchiladas. Alternatively, you can simply spread or dollop the sauce on top of each enchilada. Garnish with chopped cilantro, avocado, red pepper flakes, and green onion. Serve any remaining cashew cream on the side with a spoon.
Tip:
- Make it kid-friendly: Omit the cayenne and red pepper flakes.








Angela, did i MISS a “Most Popular of 2015” post?? It’s my favorite part of every new year!!!! Is it posted and I’m just the dork who can’t find it?
Great news, Angela! I seriously can’t wait for your new cook book! I absolutely LOVE the first one. And these look so delicious! Thanks for sharing! :-)
I made these last night as a special birthday dinner for my boyfriend (he usually balks at anything labeled vegan) and we both LOVED them!! They were fantastic! And one of his first comments was “the sweet potato in here is a brilliant idea!!”. I did give you the credit for the “brilliant idea” Angela haha and I think I may have even won him over on the “doesn’t need meat to be delicious” front!! Thanks so much for creative and delicious recipes such as this! Can’t WAIT for cookbook #2!
I want to make these so badly but I’m worried that they will be on the sweet side since it uses sweet potato. We do not care for sweet entrees and I have used sweet potato in dishes that did not turn out to out liking because they tasted sweet.
Are these on the sweet side?
Hi Sharon, I don’t think I’d say that these end up on the sweet side – if anything, a few people have found the enchiladas a bit too far on the spicy side! The various spices and seasonings in the recipe do a lot to cut and balance any sweetness you’d get from the potatoes. If you give the recipe a try, please let me know what you think. I’d love to hear!
Thanks,so much for reaponding. I did make them and they were perfect!!! So yummy and not sweet at all. My meat satin’ hubby loved them too!!
These enchiladas look absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Angela – can’t wait for the book. I have been using HYDROPONICS from a company called www.planetponics.com that allows me to grow the herbs for some of your recipes. I really enjoyed the value and idea this company was striving for. Thought I would share it for others. You can GROW ALL YEAR. GROW FOOD, HERBS OR FLOWERS. No soil, no mess, self-watering hydroponics. Fresh food faster than a traditional soil method.
Yep, made this a few weeks ago. Husband and I gobbled them up. So so so good. I almost didn’t make the enchilada sauce and was going to use my tried and true verde, but decided to make it. YUMMY! Making again this weekend. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
So happy the recipe was a hit, Sue – enjoy the second batch!
I just finished cleaning up, after having this for dinner. My lovely wife – who adores this site – surprised the family with this dish. I loved it SO much, I just had to leave a comment. I’m pretty sure I’ll be talking it up this week, at work and hoping for it again soon. Next time, I’m helping make AND clean up! Thanks for a fantastic dinner, Tracey and OSG <3
So. Good.
Hi Steven, what a tasty surprise!! I LOVE this recipe, and I’m so happy to hear you and your family did too. :) Thanks for the comment!
We had these for dinner tonight… oh my goodness I could eat the whole pan!
I might even prefer these over real enchiladas with cheese!
I made this recipe for my Easter weekend. It was wonderful! I will definitely make it again. I will decrease the amount of chili powder in the enchilada sauce next time. I love spicy, but there are so many wonderful flavors that I thought the chili powder overpowered the other flavors.
Honnnnn…my God !!!! A pur delish this recipe. I’ll definitely make it again and again and again. The Cilantro Sauce is out of this world.
5 stars and up !!!
Thnaks for sharing this tresor with us :)
Oh my! I made these over the weekend and loved them. Even my non-vegan husband went back for seconds and left-overs. We fought over the cilantro cream (I had put out sour cream for him but he didn’t touch it.) Thank you for another great recipe.
Blessings,
J
I am in need of vegan entrees that freeze and reheat well. Could this be one of those?
Definitely! These enchiladas freeze really well. I suggest wrapping the cooled enchiladas individually in tin foil, then popping them in a freezer bag (I wouldn’t recommend freezing the green sauce on top, though, as it discolours; best to make that fresh). To reheat, thaw the enchilada on the counter then bake in the tinfoil for 20 mins at 350F.
These enchiladas are my new favourite thing to eat! Thanks for taking them to the next level. Actually, thanks for creating such a beautiful cookbook with so many delicious recipes for all of us plant eaters. I can’t wait for the next one & the app!
Thanks Leah! So glad you enjoy the enchiladas as much as I do :)
I made these for my family last night, and we were all so impressed! This will become a weekly meal in my house for sure! Even my hubby the meat eater loved it!
Yay! Glad the recipe was a hit with everyone, Kathy. :)
These were incredible! I was seriously so impressed with how delicious and easy they were. The cashew avocado sauce and homemade enchilada sauce were so yummy and went perfectly with it! As a person who does not know how to cook well and is a fairly new vegan, I really appreciate yummy recipes like this that taste extravagant but are cheap and easy. I even made them for my mom and she said that she would totally pay for and order these at a restaurant and she’s not even vegan! Thank you so much for this, I am totally in love!
Aw, so glad the recipe was a hit, Gwen! :)
This one is going straight to the meal plan!
It looks wonderful..thanks for nice share about this recipe…rate 5/5 starts!
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! Even my none vegan husband couldn’t get enough!
Whilst my enchilada presentation needs some work, the rest of the recipe worked out brilliantly. Really tasty. Thanks a lot, Angela. Pleased to hear about your good news, too re: baby and app!