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.
These were AMAZING!! All the way from the home made enchilada to the cilantro cashew cream! So much flavor that, my husband could not get enough. I will say that for the cilantro cashew cream, my vitamix was way better than the food processor. 5 stars all around :)
I’m so happy to hear the enchiladas were a hit, Lindsay!!
Loved these enchiladas! I used an enchilada sauce from a plant-based cooking course I’m taking, but I’ve made the Oh She Glows enchilada sauce before as well with success! The abundance of veggies made me feel better about slurping up every bit of the cilantro lime cashew cream. My omni boyfriend ate 1.5 of these and stated he was full but “can’t stop eating it’s so good.” Haha so he finished the second one with a full and very happy belly :) Thank you! These will definitely show up on our dinner table again!
Just made these tonight and they were excellent – I hadn’t thought of adding sundried tomatoes to enchiladas before but they’re perfect in them. And the cilantro cream was so rich and wonderful :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed the addition of the sundried tomatoes! I really enjoy that twist, too. :) Thanks for the kind words!
I am 3 weeks into life changing eating. I came across your cookbook from a friend and decided to make the enchiladas. Before I went to the store to buy ingredients, I came across your updated recipe.
Da bomb…mic drop!
Haha, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Deanna!!
These look so good!! Everytime I’ve made vegan enchiladas I use verde sauce because I couldn’t find a good red sauce recipe. Can’t wait to try this!
I hope you love them when you give them a try, Fred!
I recently made this recipe for one of my banquets for 50 people. Amazing! Everyone loved it! Thank You So Much Angela! If you want to make it kid friendly I would omit the spices as some people found it spicy. Overall it was amazing and everyone licked the plates!!
It’s so great to hear they were a hit, Nadia! Thanks for the lovely comment.
These were outrageously amazing. This along with your taco recipe has definitely acted as inspiration as I work towards a vegan diet! Thank you!!
I’m so happy my recipes have inspired you, Emma! Best of luck on your journey toward a vegan diet–it’s always so helpful making a transition like that when you find meals you really enjoy. :)
Thank you for your reply, and so true! I’m making these (again) tonight to show it off to my friends. I had left over taco meat (the walnuts and lentil recipe) as well as the cashew sauce and so for lunch today, I put that on top of zucchini noodles, added fresh avocado and it was delicious! I love when I can use leftovers for a simple and quick lunch. I’m waiting for your cookbook from the library and I can’t wait to see what other inspirations I discover. Two days on a vegan diet and I already have so much more energy: there is so much positivity within this life-style. Of course, I feel motivated now but that doesn’t always last very long! It feels good, however, to de-bunk the stereotype that being vegan is “impossible” or “uppity” or even “gross”! It’s so possible, except perhaps when in a time crunch.
I made NLEs again last night but I was so anxious to eat them that I forgot to serve the cashew cream! That’s what I get for being organised & making it ahead of time. We had it on the leftovers tonight but now I have lots of cashew cream leftover. Can I freeze it?
Also, congrats on the new book. Can’t wait to have it my hands!
Leah
I have been using this website to transform my family’s eating. These enchiladas were a hit,even with my pickier eater. Thank you!
That’s so great to hear, Clara! I always try to create recipes that will be crowd-pleasers, and it’s wonderful to know when I’ve been successful. I hope if you try something else out from the blog that it goes over just as well!
Made this recipe from your app and it is absolutely delicious!
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Gayla!
I made this recipe for dinner last night, but had to substitute kale for the spinach. Wow, these are so, so good! The sun-dried tomatoes really work in this dish. I’m so glad I found your blog!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! And it’s great to hear that kale worked out well as a sub for spinach. Thanks for sharing!
Sorry Angela, I meant to give this recipe a rating of 5!
I made this dish – complete with enchilada sauce and the cilantro sauce – for my vegan aunt and uncle this past weekend and it was amazing. I am still eating the leftovers four days later and loving it.
The only change I made was leaving out the cilantro, as I hate that herb :) but the sauce was great without it. I added more avocado, so it was like a smooth, creamy lime sauce.
My only quibble with this recipe is the prep time. I think an hour is way too little. I did tons of prep the night before (made both sauces, prepped veggies) and it still took an hour to cook it and put it all together.
I will definitely make this again!!
OMG! I made this tonight and it is SO good. My husband (who is by vegan) had the cheese out and was gonna add cheese but I convinced him to take a bite first. He took a bite and out the cheese away. Said it was so good. And, of course, I’m in love with it. You hit it out of park!!!!
SO glad you both enjoyed the enchiladas, Rachel!
i mean my husband who is not* vegan.
I’ve had these twice and I’m addicted! I used green enchilada sauce however.
I made these for my husband’s birthday, and we both loved them! I had some leftover enchilada filling, so I saved it for the next day, added tofu, and called it a morning with a quick scramble. Thanks for the recipe!
Just made these for the second time. Cannot get enough of them. I omit the red pepper flakes so my 14 month old can eat it, otherwise I follow the recipe exactly. The cilantro lime sauce is life changing.
Made this recipe last weekend, and it was amazing!!
Glad it was a hit, Jamie! :)
OMG it was absolutely perfect. My really first attempt at Vegan cooking : I’m definitely convinced that vegan food can be delicious and savoury. Thank you so much for this great recipe ! <3
Hi Kristina, I am so happy to hear the recipe was a hit!! :)
These are amazing!! So good I don’t care what the next level is!! By the way I made the cilantro lime sauce with no avocado and it turned out amazing! Reheated next day still sooo yummy amazing best enchiladas I EVER had!!