These creamy spinach enchiladas are a bit of a hybrid recipe (and I do love my hybrid recipes… curry + pizza? chilli + mac and cheese? huevos rancheros + shakshuka?).

They are a perfect halfway point between regular vegetarian enchiladas, and spinach and ricotta cannelloni – they’re essentially Italian enchiladas! And what could possibly be bad about combining two of the best cuisines of all time, Italian and Tex-Mex?!

I always think of cannelloni as being a bit of a faff to make, but actually, these spinach enchiladas only took about 20 minutes to prepare, plus a bit of baking time. And the pay-off is oh-so-worth it. The spinach filling of these veggie enchiladas is luxuriously creamy, the perfect contrast to the rich tomatoey sauce. And any dish with a crispy, cheesy topping gets a thumbs up from me.

What is Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni?

If you don’t already know, cannelloni are long, wide tubes of pasta, which are often filled with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling. The tubes are then baked in tomato sauce, with a cheesy topping – it is incredible.

However, making homemade cannelloni isn’t always straightforward. Sometimes it can be tricky to get the filling inside the raw pasta tubes – often people use some sort of piping bag. But simply rolling tortillas around the filling is a lot simpler!

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni is already one of my favourite dishes of all time, but these spinach enchiladas are quite possibly even better.

Yep, I said it.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• flour tortillas
• spinach – you could use frozen spinach if you prefer, but make sure you squeeze out the water after it’s cooked, as it releases a lot more liquid than fresh spinach does.
• ricotta cheese
• tomato sauce – choose a tasty one! I used a good quality tomato pasta sauce with garlic and basil.
• basil pesto – again, a good quality pesto can really amp up this dish!
• black olives – totally optional if you’re not an olive fan, but I love them, and they bring a lot of flavour to the dish!
• grated cheese – I used a mixture of mozzarella (for meltiness) and cheddar (for flavour).
• cherry tomatoes

Becca’s Top Tip

You could quite easily add some extra vegetables to these enchiladas if you want to. Some chopped mushrooms would be great, or some grated courgette (zucchini). Cook them off in a frying pan before adding them to the spinach mixture, to stop the enchiladas from getting too soggy.

Printable Instructions

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Spinach and Ricotta Enchiladas

These creamy spinach and ricotta enchiladas are a variation on the classic cannelloni dish – the perfect cheesy vegetarian casserole!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 3 people

Calories 599kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 200 g (~ 7 oz) fresh spinach
• 250 g (~ 1 cup) ricotta cheese
• 1 Tbsp basil pesto
• 2 Tbsp sliced black olives (optional)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 340 g (~ 1 1/3 cups) good quality tomato pasta sauce
• 6 medium flour tortillas (~ 8 inches)
• 125 g (~ 1 1/4 cups) grated cheese – I used a mozzarella and cheddar mix
• ~ 5 cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4 / 350°F).
• Place the spinach in a large microwaveable bowl, and cook in the microwave for approximately 2 minutes, stirring halfway. The spinach should be fairly wilted. If there’s a lot of excess water in the bowl, drain it away, then add the ricotta cheese, pesto, black olives (if using), and black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
  
• Spread a couple of Tablespoons of tomato sauce over the bottom of your baking dish. My dish measured approx. 8 x 8 inches, and was the perfect fit for the 8 inch tortillas.
  
• Lay out a tortilla, and spoon around a sixth of the spinach mixture along the centre.
  
• Roll the tortilla around the filling, and lay it into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling mixture.
  
• Top the tortillas in the baking dish with the remaining tomato sauce, and spread it around to cover.
  
• Top with grated cheese and halved cherry tomatoes.
  
• Bake for around 30 minutes, or until the cheese is crisped up to your liking.
  
• Serve warm with your choice of side dishes – I served mine with some fresh rocket (arugula).
  

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 66.5g | Protein: 29.1g | Fat: 23.6g | Saturated Fat: 10.1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 921mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 8.4g | Sugar: 11.9g | Calcium: 518mg | Iron: 6mg

Other Spinach Recipes

Vegetarian Italian Recipes

Spinach and Ricotta Enchiladas

30 Minute Saag Paneer (Cheese and Spinach Curry)

Easy Spinach and Garlic Rice

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas (with Easy Homemade Sauce)

The post Spinach and Ricotta Enchiladas appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Black beans are without a doubt my favourite bean (and my kids’ favourite too), and I absolutely love this simple black bean stew. It’s nothing fancy or complicated, just good, honest food – simply black beans in a rich tomato sauce, cooked with a few straightforward spices, and served up however you like. And best of all, it can be on the table in less than half an hour.

This easy recipe uses canned black beans, because who’s got time for cooking dried beans on a busy weeknight – or any other time?! Certainly not me, and I love using canned beans for a quick dinner. Just simmer them until the stew is nice and thick, and they really could not be more delicious.

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• black beans. Canned black beans ensure this recipe is quick and easy. If you prefer, you can cook dried beans from scratch beforehand, then follow the recipe as written.
• onion – I used half an onion, because I find a whole large onion is too much in this recipe. If you’d rather not have half an onion left over, try to just use a small one instead.
• tomatoes (try to use good quality ones)
• tomato paste
• garlic – I used minced garlic from a jar, but fresh garlic would also be fine.
• smoked paprika
• ground cumin
• fresh chilli (or chilli flakes, if you prefer) – I always choose a small, mild chilli. I do like things quite spicy, but adding too much spice can spoil a meal very quickly! If you’re not sure how hot your chilli is, start with just a small amount – you can always add more later.

Becca’s Top Tip

If you find you sometimes get stomach issues from eating too many beans or other legumes, make sure you rinse canned beans before cooking with them. This can help to wash away the gas-inducing substances from the beans.

Printable Instructions

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Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew

A super easy vegan black bean stew, with a rich tomato sauce and beautiful spices. This is such a versatile recipe!

Course Main Course

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3 people

Calories 266kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 onion (or 1 small onion), finely diced
• 1 tsp garlic puree (or 4 cloves garlic, minced)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 small mild chilli, finely diced (or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes)
• ~ 5 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 x 400g tins black beans, drained (480g, or ~ 2 1/2 cups, in total when drained)
• 75 ml (~ 1/3 cup) water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the diced onion, and cook for around 5 minutes, until fairly soft but not browned.
  
• Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and chopped chilli, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. You can start with just half of the chilli if you’re unsure how hot it is.
  
• Next, add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste, and cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture forms a thick, tomatoey paste.
  
• Add the drained black beans to the pan, along with the water, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, and allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes – leave it longer if you have time, ideally more like 15-20 minutes. The mixture should be thick and rich. You can remove the lid for the last few minutes if your stew needs thickening up.
  
• Serve warm. I like to serve mine with rice and a dollop of sour cream.
  

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.7g | Protein: 13.6g | Fat: 6.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 954mg | Fiber: 14.3g | Sugar: 5.5g | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 4mg

Other Black Bean Recipes

Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew

Ricotta and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

Mexican Baked Eggs

The post Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Vegetarian enchiladas have got to be one of my favourite meals of all time. You just can’t beat a hot, bubbly pan of spicy, cheesy enchiladas – and these spinach and black bean enchiladas are the best ever. Fresh vegetables and tasty black beans, wrapped up in soft tortillas, and coated in a simple homemade enchilada sauce – wonderful.

The enchilada sauce is really easy to make yourself – it literally takes about 5 minutes (the method is similar to making a simple white sauce), so if you have the right ingredients, I’d recommend giving it a try. I’ve been making my own enchilada sauce for years, and it never fails – see it used in my enchilada noodles, enchilada casserole, enchilada stuffed shells, enchilada lentils… Yeah, I’m kind of obsessed with the stuff.

However, if you’re pushed for time, or you just can’t be bothered to make your own sauce, shop-bought enchilada sauce works totally fine too!

And if you really want to make these enchiladas memorable, you could fold them in a zigzag, like I did in my creamy tortilla bake! It’s a bit more fiddly, but makes a fun shape.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe.

These ingredients assume you’ll be making your own enchilada sauce – if you’re choosing to use a shop-bought sauce, your ingredients list will look a little different.

You’ll also need a few store cupboard ingredients for the sauce, like flour and oil. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• flour tortillas – nice big ones!
• black beans
• spinach
• spring onions – these are great to use as they’re milder than regular onions, so they do really well with not being pre-cooked.
• fresh cilantro
• grated cheddar cheese

And, if you’re making your own sauce:

• tomato paste
• spices – garlic granules, cumin, smoked paprika, and hot chilli powder
• vegetable stock cube (or liquid veggie stock)

Becca’s Top Tip

I used fresh spinach to make my enchiladas, but you could use frozen spinach instead, if you prefer. Frozen spinach does release a lot of liquid as it defrosts though, so make sure you squeeze out as much liquid as you can before adding it to the enchiladas.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Wilt the spinach in the microwave, and combine it with the other ingredients for the enchilada filling. Nothing else needs pre-cooking!

Step 2: If you’re making your own enchilada sauce, make it now – it only takes 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add the enchilada filling to the large tortillas, roll them up, and place them in a baking dish.

Step 4: Top with the remaining sauce and cheese, and bake!

Step 5: Serve the black bean enchiladas hot, either on their own (if only serving 2 people), or with some additional side dishes (if serving 4).

Becca’s Top Tip

Don’t forget the toppings! At the very least, a dollop of sour cream is a great contrast to the rich, spicy enchilada sauce. If you want to, go further with guacamole, sliced avocado, or fresh tomato salsa.

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Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

These tasty spinach and black bean enchiladas are the perfect vegetarian Tex-Mex dish – they're spicy, cheesy, and super comforting.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 851kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 100 g (~ 3 1/2 oz) fresh spinach
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• Few sprigs fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• 100 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 cup when grated)
• 1 cup red enchilada sauce (I used homemade)
• 4 large flour tortillas

Instructions

• Cook the spinach in a large bowl in the microwave for around 1 minute, until it has wilted. Set aside to cool for a minute or two.
• While the spinach is cooling, add the black beans, spring onions, cilantro, and half of the grated cheese to a mixing bowl. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, give it a quick chop, and add that to the mixture too (discarding any excess liquid from the spinach). Mix well to combine.
• If you’re making your own sauce, make it now. You can see detailed instructions and process photos on the blog post about my homemade enchilada sauce – it only takes about 5 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
• Spread a tablespoon or two of the enchilada sauce around the bottom of a baking dish (mine measured approximately 10 x 6 inches) – this helps to stop the enchiladas from sticking. Add about half of the remaining sauce to the black bean mixture, and mix.
• Lay a large tortilla on a board, and spoon a quarter of the filling mixture in a line across the centre. Roll the tortilla around the filling, and place it in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.
• Spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the rolled tortillas in the dish, and top with the remaining grated cheese.
• Bake for around 30-40 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has crisped up to your liking.

Nutrition

Serving: 2enchiladas | Calories: 851kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 39.4g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 1648mg | Potassium: 810mg | Fiber: 14.3g | Sugar: 7.3g | Calcium: 462mg | Iron: 5mg

Other Tex-Mex Recipes

Tex-Mex Recipes

Spinach and Ricotta Enchiladas

Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas (with Easy Homemade Sauce)

Vegetarian Breakfast Tostadas

The post Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas (with Easy Homemade Sauce) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to eat Tex-Mex food for breakfast (), these breakfast tostadas are just the thing!

They’re the perfect halfway point between a full English breakfast and a vegetarian taco – crispy baked tortillas topped with slightly spicy refried beans, garlicky spinach, tomatoes, and a fried egg. Breakfast has never looked so good!

One of my favourite things about these breakfast tostadas is how customisable they are. The toppings can be swapped for any number of other things, which makes them perfect to serve if you have friends over for brunch, especially if you’re dealing with a variety of dietary preferences! Just prepare a selection of toppings, and let your guests assemble their own.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like oil, salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• mini tortillas (or if you prefer, you could use larger tortillas, and just make two mega tostadas, rather than four smaller ones)
• eggs
• refried beans – make sure you choose a vegetarian variety, as some brands contain lard. The Old El Paso ones are my all-time favourite (you can get them from Amazon UK / Amazon US).
• spinach
• garlic
• tomatoes
• avocado
• feta cheese

Becca’s Top Tip

This recipe will make 4 breakfast tostadas, which will serve 4 people for breakfast. Or, if you’re particularly hungry, you can double up and have 2 tostadas each.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Spread a dollop of refried beans over each mini tortilla, and bake them until crispy. You might need to use two baking trays.

Step 2: Wilt some spinach in a pan, with plenty of garlic.

Step 3: Crack in the eggs, and add some sliced tomatoes. Cook to your liking.

Step 4: Serve the crispy tostadas topped with the eggs, garlicky spinach, tomatoes, sliced avocado, and crumbled feta cheese.

Print

Vegetarian Breakfast Tostadas

Start your day with big flavour and a satisfying crunch! These customisable vegetarian breakfast tostadas are the perfect Tex-Mex brunch.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 tostadas

Calories 384kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 4 mini flour tortillas
• 4 Tablespoons refried beans
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 large handfuls fresh spinach
• 4 eggs
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 55 g (~ 2 oz) feta cheese, roughly crumbled
• 1 medium avocado, sliced

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
• Lay the mini tortillas out on a baking tray (or use two baking trays, if needed). Add a dollop of refried beans to each tortilla, and spread them around with the back of the spoon. Bake for around 10 minutes, or until the tortillas are beginning to crisp up nicely and the beans are warmed through.
• Meanwhile, heat a dash of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, and add the minced garlic. After a couple of minutes, add the spinach, and cook for a few more minutes until the spinach has wilted.
• Move the wilted spinach to the edge of the pan, and crack in the 4 eggs (or use a second pan if you don’t have space).
• Fry the eggs to your liking. I’m not a fan of super runny yolks, so I prefer to use a medium-low heat, and cover the pan to help the yolks cook. You could even scramble the eggs, if you prefer. I also like to warm through the tomatoes a little at this stage, by placing them on top of the eggs (you can serve the tomatoes as a cold topping if you prefer). Sprinkle everything with a little salt and pepper as it cooks.
• When the eggs are cooked to your liking, serve them on top of the crispy tortillas and beans. Top with crumbled feta, and some sliced avocado.

Notes

Feel free to swap any toppings you don’t like. Fried mushrooms, scrambled eggs, scrambled tofu, etc. would all be great alternatives.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tostada | Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.7g | Protein: 14.8g | Fat: 22.5g | Saturated Fat: 6.6g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 834mg | Potassium: 838mg | Fiber: 7.7g | Sugar: 3.7g | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Vegetarian Breakfast Tostadas appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

These Mexican baked eggs are the perfect brunch for a lazy Sunday morning!

They’re essentially a combination of shakshuka and huevos rancheros – and if you don’t know what either of those things are, here’s a quick overview of these Mexican baked eggs:

baked eggs + a simple bean chilli + crispy cheese

It’s such a good combo!

The eggs soak up heaps of incredible flavour from the chilli – it’s so good served with a soft tortilla to mop up the plate.

This is such an easy recipe to prepare, and you can put your own spin on things by using different veggies in the vegetarian chilli, or finishing your plate with different toppings (I love some freshly sliced avocado!).

I’ll admit, the ingredients list isn’t the shortest, but don’t let that put you off – it’s really just a case of chucking everything into a pan and letting it all bubble away nicely (the perfect one pot meal). You can always use leftover chilli from the night before to speed things up, if you have some!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like oil, salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• eggs
• black beans – I always use canned, for convenience.
• tinned tomatoes
• vegetables – I used sweetcorn, red pepper and onion.
• pickled jalapeños (if you like a bit of heat)
• garlic
• grated cheese – I used cheddar
• spices (cumin and smoked paprika)
• fresh cilantro (coriander), to garnish

Becca’s Top Tip

If you’re serving this as a light breakfast, or as part of a wider brunch buffet, one egg per person should be enough, so the recipe will serve 4. Or, if you’re serving it on its own as a more substantial lunch, opt for 2 eggs per person (so the recipe will serve 2 people).

Equipment

An oven-safe frying pan is ideal for this recipe, because it can initially be used on the stove top to make the chilli, then transferred to the oven to bake the eggs. If you don’t have a suitable pan, you’ll need to transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish for baking.

In my experience, it’s worth spending a little more for good quality frying pans, which will last for years. This one on Amazon UK / Amazon US is from the same brand as the ones I use and love. It’s nice and deep, safe to use in the oven and dishwasher, and also comes with a lid, which makes it even more versatile.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Begin to sauté your choice of vegetables – I used sweetcorn, peppers and onions.

Step 2: Add garlic, spices, and some jalapeño peppers.

Step 3: Add black beans and canned tomatoes.

Step 4: Make 4 dips in the chilli mixture, and crack in the eggs.

Step 5: Cover with grated cheese, and bake until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

Becca’s Top Tip

I’m not a huge fan of runny eggs, so I baked my eggs for a little longer than you might want to – about 20 minutes. If you prefer a runny yolk, check them after just 10-15 minutes in the oven.

Print

Mexican Baked Eggs

These Mexican baked eggs, cooked in a simple bean chilli, are a cross between shakshuka and huevos rancheros – a great Sunday morning brunch!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 554kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 50 g (~ 1/3 cup) sweetcorn kernels (I used frozen)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Few pieces pickled jalapeños, chopped (optional)
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 eggs
• 50 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1/2 cup when grated)
• Fresh coriander (cilantro), to serve

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a frying pan. If you have an oven-safe pan, that’s ideal – otherwise, you will just need to transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish later.
• Add the chopped onion, pepper and sweetcorn to the pan, and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened.
• Add the cumin and paprika, along with the minced garlic and the chopped jalapeños, if using. Cook for a couple more minutes.
• Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
• Add the black beans and chopped tomatoes, as well as some salt and pepper. Mix to combine, bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
• If your frying pan isn’t oven-safe, transfer the mixture to a baking dish.
• Make 4 small dips in the bean mixture, and crack in the 4 eggs. Sprinkle with grated cheese, and place in the oven for between 10 and 20 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking. I cooked mine for 20 minutes, as I like a firm egg yolk. If you prefer a runny yolk, check them after 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with fresh coriander (cilantro), if desired.

Notes

I’ve said this recipe will feed 2 people, which accounts for 2 eggs per person. It’s a generous portion – if you’re serving the dish as a light breakfast, or as part of a wider brunch spread, one egg per person will be enough (it’s pretty filling!), and the recipe will serve 4.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 554kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 31.7g | Fat: 25.9g | Saturated Fat: 9.2g | Cholesterol: 354mg | Sodium: 1071mg | Potassium: 1306mg | Fiber: 15.4g | Sugar: 7.7g | Calcium: 343mg | Iron: 8mg

The post Mexican Baked Eggs appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

We all know that chilli and rice go well together – but have you ever tried chilli with pasta?! This vegetarian chilli mac combines two of my favourite dinners to create something that’s way more than the sum of its parts:

mac and cheese + spicy vegetarian chilli = vegetarian chilli mac!

It’s packed with vegetables, beans, and of course, plenty of gooey cheesy pasta!

If that hasn’t already convinced you to try this recipe, perhaps this will: This vegetarian chilli mac be made in just one pot! If there’s one thing that can make a tasty meal even more irresistible, it’s knowing that you’ll only have one pan to wash afterwards!

This is a one pot pasta recipe, meaning everything – even the pasta – cooks right there in the homemade enchilada sauce, helping to make it thick and luscious.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need some kitchen staples, like oil, salt and black pepper.

A few ingredient notes:

• pasta – I used fusilli, but any similar shape will work, e.g. penne or spirali.
• onions – I actually used frozen diced onions, but fresh onion would be great too!
• bell pepper – I used a few mini ones, because that’s what I had on hand. One large pepper would also be great – red, yellow or orange would be the tastiest.
• mushrooms
• garlic
• kidney beans – black beans would be great too.
• spices – smoked paprika, ground cumin, and mild chilli powder. Use more chilli if you like it spicy!
• passata – this is a tomato sauce that is literally just made from sieved tomatoes. If you can’t find passata, any other similar tomato sauce will be fine.
• grated cheese – I used the pre-grated stuff, but cheese grated from a block would be even better.

See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Becca’s Top Tip

I love using frozen vegetables in this kind of meal. Frozen peppers, frozen onions and frozen mushrooms would all work well! They’re just as nutrient-rich as the fresh versions, but there’s no peeling or chopping involved, and frozen vegetables help to reduce food waste too!

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Start by cooking off the onions, peppers and mushrooms for a few minutes, until they’re beginning to soften.

Step 2: Add the spices and kidney beans. The spices will begin to create the rich, spicy sauce as they coat the vegetables.

Becca’s Top Tip

If you find canned beans are sometimes a bit sludgy and get stuck to the inside of the tin, try giving the can a good shake before you open it. This will dislodge any beans that are stuck, and makes them much easier to tip out!

Step 3: Add the uncooked pasta and the passata. Bring to a simmer.

Step 4: When the pasta is cooked, stir through some of the cheese to make the whole dish nice and creamy. Melt the remaining cheese on top.

Step 5: Serve with your choice of toppings or side dishes. I chose fresh parsley and sliced avocado.

Print

One Pot Vegetarian Chilli Mac

This vegetarian chilli mac combines two favourite dinners, mac and cheese and spicy bean chilli, to create something truly incredible!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3 people

Calories 605kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 75 g frozen diced onions (~ ¾ cup, or 1 regular onion)
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 medium mushrooms, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder (adjust to taste)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 400 g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 500 ml (~ 2 cups) passata or tomato sauce
• 250 ml (~ 1 cup) water
• 200 g (~ 7 oz) uncooked pasta (I used fusilli)
• 100 g (~ 1 cup) grated cheddar cheese
• To serve, your choice of toppings (optional): sliced avocado, fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley, sliced spring onions, sour cream, etc.

Instructions

• Heat a splash of oil in a pan (I used a large, deep frying pan), and add the onions, peppers and mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes over a medium heat, until slightly softened.
• Add the garlic, spices, and plenty of salt and pepper, along with the kidney beans. Cook for a couple more minutes. The spices should become fragrant, and begin to coat the vegetables in a rich sauce.
• Add the passata, water, and uncooked pasta. Mix well to combine, and bring to a simmer. Stirring regularly, allow the dish to cook for around 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked al dente. I covered my pan in between stirs to prevent the sauce from spitting. You can add an extra splash of water to help cook the pasta, if needed.
• When the pasta is cooked, stir through half of the grated cheese to make the mixture slightly creamy. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, cover with a lid, and leave it to melt for a couple of minutes.
• Serve topped with your choice of toppings – I used fresh parsley and sliced avocado.

Notes

This chilli mac can be cooked in advance, and reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. You can add an extra splash of water when reheating if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 605kcal | Carbohydrates: 81.8g | Protein: 27.6g | Fat: 18.4g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1013mg | Potassium: 733mg | Fiber: 9.3g | Sugar: 4.5g | Calcium: 302mg | Iron: 7mg

The post Vegetarian Chilli Mac (One Pot!) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Taco soup has got to be one of the most irresistible ways to eat your vegetables. It’s a simple bean and vegetable soup, inspired by one of my favourite Tex-Mex dishes – tacos!

Although it uses simple ingredients, taco soup is packed with flavour, and some crispy tortilla strips on top really add that crunchy taco vibe.

It’s light yet filling, simple yet interesting, healthy yet comforting… and you can’t say all of that about many dishes.

The base of the soup is a nutrient-packed mixture of all my favourite vegetables – basically anything I’d usually put into tacos or fajitas. I added some black beans too, as they make the soup extra hearty with more protein – and you can’t bean a good black bean taco.

To add the taco-like crunch, I topped the soup with some crispy strips of tortilla – they’re like a Mexican version of a crouton! They add a different texture and flavour to the soup, which is really lovely. You could use broken tortilla chips or taco shells if you prefer!

I also added some sliced avocado too, but there are all sorts of other toppings you could go for – read below for some more ideas.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

A few ingredient notes:

• vegetables. I used peppers, onion, mushrooms and sweetcorn, but you can switch these up if you like! Use whatever you’d usually put in your favourite vegetarian tacos.
• garlic
• spices. I like to start with my favourite fajita spice blend, to speed things along a bit. This time I also added some extra cumin and smoked paprika.
• tinned tomatoes
• black beans
• veggie stock. I used a stock cube, but liquid stock would be fine too.
• flour tortilla – to make the crispy tortilla strips for topping.

You might also want to prepare some additional toppings, such as:

• sliced avocado
• fresh coriander (cilantro)
• sliced spring onions
• sour cream*
• grated cheese*

*(use vegan versions if needed)

See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Equipment

I love to use a silicone spoon when cooking something with a strong flavour, like this vegan taco soup – you can see my favourite bright pink one in almost all of my recipe photos!

Unlike with a wooden spoon, silicone doesn’t absorb flavours from your cooking, so you can use it for curry one day, and custard the next, without any flavour contamination or staining. Silicone spoons are even dishwasher safe, to help with thorough washing.

My favourite shape is a spoon with slightly square corners, as it makes it so easy to scrape around the corners of a saucepan. You can buy them here on Amazon US / Amazon UK.

Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Sauté the peppers, onion and mushrooms in a large saucepan.

Becca’s Top Tip

This soup can be cooked more quickly if you’re pushed for time, but I think it’s worth taking your time over it. Let the vegetables cook for a little longer, over a slightly lower heat, to really enhance their flavour and make this a seriously tasty soup.

Step 2: Add the garlic and spices, and let them cook for a few minutes until your house smells like a Mexican restaurant.

Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients, and let the soup simmer for a while. The vegetables will soak up the tasty liquid, and become soft and flavourful.

Step 4: While the soup is simmering, cut a large flour tortilla into strips.

Step 5: Fry the tortilla strips in a splash of oil, until they’re browned and crispy. Alternatively, you could bake tortilla pieces in the oven.

Becca’s Top Tip

A pair of tongs is, by far, the best tool for making the crispy tortilla strips. The tongs allow you to either stir the strips as a whole, or individually pick up and turn over specific pieces as you notice them browning.
I always use silicone-tipped tongs, like these on Amazon US / Amazon UK.

Step 6: Serve the soup topped with the crispy tortilla strips and any extra toppings you’ve chosen.

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Vegan Taco Soup (with Crispy Tortilla Strips)

This vegan taco soup uses simple ingredients, but is packed with flavour – and some crispy tortilla strips give that crunchy taco vibe!

Course Main Course, Main meals

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 3 people

Calories 377kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the vegan taco soup:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 onion, sliced or diced
• 2 bell peppers, cut into short strips (I used orange and yellow)
• 100 g (~ 3 ½ oz) mushrooms, sliced or diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fajita spice mix
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
• 200 g tin sweetcorn, drained (160g, or ~ 1 cup, when drained)
• 500 ml (~ 2 cups) vegetable stock

For the crispy tortilla strips:

• 1 large flour tortilla
• 2 Tbsp oil

Extra toppings (optional):

• Sliced avocado
• Fresh coriander (cilantro)
• Sliced spring onions
• Grated cheese
• Sour cream

Instructions

• Heat a dash of oil in a large saucepan, and add the sliced onion, peppers and mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until very soft – probably around 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic and spices, and cook for a few more minutes, until the spices are fragrant.
• Next add the tin of black beans, canned tomatoes, sweetcorn, and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer, and allow to cook until everything is piping hot and the vegetables are totally cooked. It will be ready to eat after only 10 minutes or so of simmering, but for an even tastier soup, leave it for 20 or even 30 minutes to allow the flavours to intensify.
• While the soup is simmering, prepare the crispy tortilla strips. Cut a large tortilla into strips. Heat a good splash of oil in a frying pan, then add the tortilla strips. Cook them over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring and turning them regularly, until they are crispy and nicely browned.
• Serve the taco soup topped with the crispy tortilla strips, and any other toppings you’ve chosen.

Notes

The soup can be cooked in advance and reheated before serving, if needed. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer. Reheat thoroughly in a saucepan or in the microwave, and add toppings just before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.6g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 15.1g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 982mg | Fiber: 12.6g | Sugar: 11.2g | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 6mg

The post Vegan Taco Soup (with Crispy Tortilla Strips) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Cowboy caviar is the recipe of the summer! It’s going viral on TikTok at the moment, and for good reason – it’s fresh, it’s full of vibrant flavours and colours, it couldn’t be easier to make, and it’s packed with goodness. What’s not to love?!

What is cowboy caviar?

Cowboy caviar – also known as Texas caviar – is, of course, not made with real caviar. This is a vegetarian website, after all.

In fact, it’s actually a bean salad, usually made with black eyed beans and various crunchy vegetables, served in a simple vinaigrette-style dressing. It’s fresh and vibrant, and is a perfect cold salad to serve as a side dish alongside any number of meals – or to scoop up with tortilla chips!

Cowboy caviar is really easy to customise – you can pretty much add whatever vegetables or other mix-ins you fancy. I’ve listed plenty of ideas below!

Creamy cowboy caviar

Cowboy caviar is usually made with a light, vinaigrette-style dressing.

But this time, I thought I’d make it extra special, with a creamy avocado dressing. I blended ripe avocados to make a glossy coating for the crunchy vegetables – it’s such a nice contrast.

I also added jalapeños, fresh herbs, spices, and lime juice, so it adds heaps of flavour, and makes it feel a bit more luxurious than a standard bean salad.

I’ll admit, I’m not generally a salad lover – I’ve said before how I need my salads to be a bit more substantial than pure lettuce, like pasta salad, or fattoush. But this cowboy caviar is definitely an irresistible salad, with plenty of extra little touches like the flavourful, creamy avocado dressing.

Is cowboy caviar vegan?

This cowboy caviar is completely vegan.

I may have made my version extra creamy, but since I used avocado instead of a dairy-based sauce, even this creamy cowboy caviar is totally vegan.

Of course, if you decide to stray from the recipe, just make sure you avoid any non-vegan mix-ins if you need your cowboy caviar to be vegan.

What are the ingredients of cowboy caviar?

There’s no set recipe for cowboy caviar – you can pretty much add whatever you have to hand, and it will probably end up good. I love recipes like this, where you can make things slightly differently each time!

I like to choose a nice variety of ingredients, using as many different colours and textures as I can.

You’ll probably want to choose your ingredients from a few different categories. For example:

• beans (I used black eyed beans and black beans – you could turn it into a chickpea salad instead, if you prefer)
• raw vegetables (I used red pepper, spring onions and tinned sweetcorn)
• nuts or sees (I used pumpkin seeds) for an extra bit of crunch
• any other extra tasty bits for added wow factor (I added some black olives)

If you choose a couple of ingredients from each of these categories, you’ll be golden.

How to make cowboy caviar

Step 1: Mix together the bean salad ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, raw vegetables, and any other mix-ins you’ve chosen to add.

Step 2: Blend up the creamy avocado dressing

Use a food processor to blend together the dressing ingredients. As well as the avocado itself, I also added fresh coriander (cilantro), pickled jalapeños, cumin, lime juice, and a few other things.

Blitz it all together until it’s nice and smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Combine

Add the dressing to the bowl, and mix thoroughly.

That’s all there is to it – no cooking, no waiting around. Just mix, and eat.

How could I adapt this recipe?

There are plenty of other things you could add to your cowboy caviar. If you don’t have one of the ingredients I used, no problem – just skip it. Swap it out for anything else you have lingering in the fridge.

I tried to keep to a vaguely Tex-Mex vibe for my cowboy caviar, but you can take it in any direction you like.

Here are some ideas for ingredients you could add, in addition (or instead of) the ones I used:

• diced tomatoes
• diced cucumber
• other types of bean e.g. kidney beans
• crumbled feta cheese
• finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• chopped peanuts
• grated cheddar cheese
• diced red onion

Really, just go wild. Cut everything into fairly even pieces, and mix it all up.

How to serve cowboy caviar

This recipe makes a nice big bowlful of cowboy caviar – a good 6 portions – so it’s great for feeding a crowd or adding to a buffet. I probably wouldn’t eat it as a full meal on its own (though there’s no reason you couldn’t, since it’s fairly balanced), but rather I’d eat it as a snack, or as a side dish alongside something else.

Since it’s a Tex-Mex dish, it would be absolutely perfect served alongside some vegetarian enchiladas or tacos.

You can also use it as a dip for crunchy tortilla chips – perhaps alongside a refreshing margarita?!

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Creamy Cowboy Caviar (with Avocado Dressing)

This creamy cowboy caviar is an irresistible version of a simple bean salad, with fresh flavours and a creamy avocado dressing.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 229kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the bean salad:

• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 400 g tin black eyed beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 small spring onions, diced (or 1 large)
• 200 g tin sweetcorn, drained (160g, or ~ 1 cup, when drained)
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tbsp sliced black olives

For the creamy avocado dressing:

• 1 Tbsp sliced pickled jalapeños (optional)
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• Few sprigs fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ripe avocado, skin removed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp water

Instructions

• Add all of the salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
• In a food processor, add the pickled jalapeños, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, coriander (cilantro), cumin, and olive oil. Blitz until fairly well chopped. Add the avocado and a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and blitz again until fairly smooth. If the mixture seems a little thick, add a splash of water – it should be thin enough to lightly coat the salad.
• Add the dressing to the bowl, and mix thoroughly. Serve chilled.

Notes

If you don’t have an ingredient, just swap it for something else. Any vegetable that you enjoy eating raw will work, or something different, like crumbled feta cheese, or chopped nuts. There are lots more ideas in the blog post.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.4g | Protein: 8.9g | Fat: 10.3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 243mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 9.8g | Sugar: 2.8g | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Creamy Cowboy Caviar (Vegan Bean Salad) with Avocado Dressing appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

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Quesadillas have been one of my go-to easy lunches for ages now, but I’ve just discovered a way to make them even quicker and even easier to make – use the air fryer! These air fryer quesadillas can be whipped up in just 10 minutes – perfect when you’re pushed for time (or even when you’re not).

What are quesadillas?

Just in case you’re not (yet) as enamoured with quesadillas as I am, I’ll explain what they are.

Quesadillas are a Mexican / Tex-Mex dish, which are essentially two layers of crispy tortilla sandwiched around a hot filling. You can use whatever fillings you like, though I usually make sure I include some cheese, as when it melts, it acts as a kind of glue to hold the quesadilla together.

Sometimes I’ll make a full size quesadilla, using two flat tortillas, and other times I’ll make a smaller version, with one tortilla folded around the filling (like I did here). Either way works just fine – it just depends how hungry you are, and what else you’re serving alongside your quesadillas.

Why make quesadillas in an air fryer?

Usually, I make my quesadillas in a frying pan. Admittedly, they’re already really simple to make – just fry them in a dry pan for a few minutes each side.

But using the air fryer is even easier and more hands-off – and I’m willing to embrace anything that makes my life easier.

There are lots of advantages to using an air fryer to make your quesadillas:

• You don’t need to pay any attention to the quesadillas as they cook – just set the air fryer to cook, and then you can ignore them until the machine beeps, with no risk of them burning (as long as you take them out after the time’s up!)
• Air frying is a really quick way to cook – they’re ready to eat in just 5 minutes (which is quicker than using a frying pan).
• The quesadillas end up beautifully crispy all over, and hot and gooey in the middle – without even having to flip them over.

I have a tendency to forget about what I’m cooking halfway through, so knowing my lunch will be ready in mere minutes, and I’ll even get beeped at when it’s ready to eat is really handy.

Ninja Foodie MAX Dual Zone air fryer

I’ve had an air fryer for a while now (see my air fryer fajitas!), and I cook in it at least a few times a week. But since I’ve seriously fallen in love with it, I’ve been finding myself wanting a larger one, so I can cook two things at the same time.

The Ninja Foodie MAX Dual Zone air fryer, which I got from very.co.uk, is exactly what I wanted. It has incredible reviews, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a large air fryer, but still looks attractive and sleek in the kitchen, and it’s really easy to use.

The Ninja Foodie MAX has a really impressive capacity, with two separate cooking trays, so you can cook multiple things at the same time without anything getting mixed up.

I took full advantage of this by roasting up some diced potatoes to serve alongside my air fryer quesadillas (any excuse for roast potatoes, right?). I used the ‘sync’ feature to make sure the two pans of food would be ready at the same time, even though they took different amounts of time to cook – so handy for a scatterbrain like myself.

How to make quesadillas in an air fryer

Quesadillas can be made in the air fryer in just 10 minutes – which includes 5 minutes to assemble them, and 5 minutes for cooking. They’re the perfect quick and easy vegetarian lunch!

Step 1: Add fillings to a flour tortilla

First, add your chosen fillings to one half of a flour tortilla.

Since quesadillas cook so quickly in the air fryer, you need to make sure you choose ingredients that don’t need much cooking. They will end up warmed through, but don’t use any really hard vegetables, for example, as they’ll come out almost as hard as they were when they went in.

See below for lots more quesadilla filling ideas – this time, I used refried beans (make sure you choose vegetarian ones – these Old El Paso ones* are my favourite of all time!), spring onions, red pepper, and grated cheese.

Step 2: Fold the tortilla

Fold the tortilla in half over the fillings.

Or, if you want a quesadilla that’s twice the size, use the full side of the tortilla, and place a second one on top.

Step 3: Place in the air fryer

Place your filled and folded tortilla in the basket of your air fryer.

Since air fryers cook with a blast of hot air, the top part of a quesadilla can sometimes be blown upwards during the first minute of cooking. To make sure your quesadilla stays closed, place an oven-proof item on top for the first couple of minutes (or for the whole cooking time, if you prefer).

A small heat-proof ramekin is ideal, or you can even just lay a metal fork across your quesadillas to weigh them down. Just remember that when you remove your item, it will be hot!

Step 4: Air fry for 5 minutes

The Ninja Foodie MAX air fryer has several different settings. I found the ‘air fry’ setting was perfect for cooking these quesadillas (the other settings are ‘max crisp’, ‘roast’, ‘bake’, ‘reheat’ and ‘dehydrate’).

The air fry setting defaults to 200°C (390°F), and 5 minutes was the perfect amount of time to give quesadillas that were crispy on the outside, with gooey melted cheese inside.

Other quesadilla filling ideas

As I mentioned previously, you can use all sorts of things to stuff your quesadillas – just don’t choose anything that needs a lot of cooking.

Here are a few other quesadilla filling ideas:

• (vegetarian) refried beans
• tinned black beans
• tinned sweetcorn
• fresh tomatoes
• grated cheese
• crumbled feta
• black olives
• diced peppers
• spring onions
• diced red onion
• hummus (I love white bean hummus!)

Just choose 3 or 4 fillings from the above, and go to town.

Quesadilla FAQs

Have I inspired you to give these air fryer quesadillas a try? If so, head over to very.co.uk to grab your very own Ninja Foodie MAX Dual Zone air fryer!

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10 Minute Air Fryer Quesadillas

Whipped up in just 10 minutes, these air fryer quesadillas are quick and easy to make, with whatever fillings you have on hand!

Course Light lunch, Main meals

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 small quesadillas

Calories 199kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 2 mini flour tortillas
• 2 Tbsp vegetarian refried beans
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• Small handful grated cheese (I used cheddar)

Instructions

• Spread the refried beans over one half of each of the tortillas. Sprinkle with diced peppers and spring onions, as well as a generous amount of grated cheese. Fold the tortillas in half, and press down firmly over the fillings.
• Place the folded tortillas in the air fryer, and weigh down the tops with an oven-proof item, e.g. a small ramekin or a metal fork. Cook in the air fryer at 200°C (390°F) for 5 minutes, until crispy.
• Best served immediately.

Notes

If you don’t have an air fryer, quesadillas can also easily be made on the hob. Just assemble the quesadillas as written, then place them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes each side, until crispy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1small quesadilla | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.6g | Protein: 11.9g | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 643mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 2.9g | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 2mg

The post 10 Minute Air Fryer Quesadillas appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Some of my favourite dinners are those that can be a bit of a faff to make – lasagne, shepherd’s pie, enchiladas… They’re always worth it in the end, but sometimes I just don’t want to stand there for half an hour preparing my dinner.

Luckily, I’m the queen of a shortcut – and this enchilada casserole is a much quicker way to make vegetarian enchiladas, without all the fiddly rolling!

What are enchiladas?

Just in case you’ve never had enchiladas before (what have you been doing all your life?), I’ll give you a brief description.

Regular enchiladas consist of vegetables and beans (or whatever other fillings you fancy), rolled up in large tortillas, and coated in enchilada sauce. They’re then baked in the oven until they’re hot and bubbly.

They’re one of my all-time favourite Tex-Mex meals – not only do you get all the incredible Tex-Mex flavours of a burrito or a quesadilla, but you also get the added bonus of a tasty sauce and a crispy cheese topping.

Enchiladas are all sorts of good bits, rolled up in one incredible dish.

Vegetarian enchilada casserole

This enchilada casserole is basically the low effort way to make vegetarian enchiladas. Instead of rolling the veggies and beans up into individual tortillas, I just mixed it all together (including bitesized pieces of tortilla), casserole-style.

Why does it matter whether the ‘filling’ is actually wrapped in a tortilla, or if it’s underneath it, or on top of it? It all tastes the same once you’re eating it, so why bother faffing around rolling each enchilada up separately?

This version takes less time, involves less hands-on prep work, and creates less washing up.

Win win win!

How to make roasted vegetable enchilada casserole

Step 1: Roast the vegetables

As you might guess from the name of this dish, it begins with roasted vegetables.

Roasting is by far my favourite way to cook the majority of vegetables. It’s hands-off, and it always gives the veg a really lovely flavour. They end up soft in the middle, with nice little crispy bits around the edges.

You can pretty much roast up whatever vegetables you like for this enchilada casserole. I stuck with my favourite Tex-Mex veggies – peppers (red and yellow), mushrooms, and courgette (zucchini).

Step 2: Prepare the enchilada sauce

There’s absolutely no reason why you couldn’t use a shop-bought enchilada sauce for this casserole, if you can find one you like. This is meant to be a low effort dinner, after all – and in fact, if you do just use a jar, this will end up being a one pot dinner, which is always good!

However, enchilada sauce is actually not that easy to find in the UK – and when I do spot it somewhere, it’s always super expensive. So, since homemade enchilada sauce literally takes just a few minutes to make, and the ingredients are things I always have in the kitchen anyway, I decided to make my own. Either way works just fine.

I’ve previously written a whole post about my homemade enchilada sauce, if you’d like to see step-by-step photos. It’s basically the same process as making a white sauce.

You’ll also need to cut up some flour tortillas, ready for adding to the casserole.

Step 3: Mix everything together

When the vegetables are nice and roasty, it’s time to mix everything together:

• the roasted vegetables
• your (shop-bought or homemade) enchilada sauce
• pieces of flour tortilla
• a tin of black beans

I mix it all straight in the baking dish, so it doesn’t create any additional washing up.

Step 4: Bake until crispy

Top the dish with a bit of grated cheese, and pop it back in the oven for about another 15 minutes, until it’s all nice and crispy.

The end result tastes just like my favourite vegetarian enchiladas. The pieces of tortilla soak up a little of the sauce, just like in ‘real’ enchiladas – and by the time you’ve scooped up a big forkful, it’s totally irrelevant that they weren’t neatly rolled.

How to serve enchilada casserole

This enchilada casserole doesn’t really require any side dishes – it’s already a full meal in itself.

However, it’s sometimes nice to prepare some side dishes, if only so you can have a bit of variety on the plate. I probably wouldn’t bother if I was just making this for my family, but if we had guests, I’d probably choose one or two of these to serve alongside:

• green salad
• guacamole
• sour cream
• corn on the cob
• garlic bread (if you don’t mind double carbs…)

What vegetables can you use in enchiladas?

To make my enchilada casserole, I used mushrooms, courgette (zucchini), and red and yellow peppers. These are my go-to veggies for Tex-Mex cooking.

You could also use:

• onion / red onion
• eggplant (aubergine)
• tinned sweetcorn (add along with the black beans)
• potatoes
• tomatoes
• sweet potato

Or, to be honest, pretty much anything else that roasts up nicely. For example, carrot may not be a vegetable I would often put in enchiladas, but it does roast up really nicely, so there’s no reason you couldn’t add that too.

Just be aware that some vegetables roast more quickly or more slowly than others, so bear that in mind – you may need to add some veg to the dish a little later than others.

Can you freeze vegetarian enchilada casserole?

Yep! Vegetarian enchiladas (including this casserole version) are just the sort of meal that can be frozen easily – so they’re perfect for batch cooking. Just transfer the cooked casserole to a freezer-safe tub, and pop it in the freezer.

I’d personally reheat it thoroughly in the microwave. You could reheat it in the oven instead if you prefer, but it may dry out a little.

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Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

This enchilada casserole tastes like my favourite vegetarian enchiladas, but only takes 15 minutes of effort – no rolling or layering! The perfect veggie-packed comfort food.

Course Main meals

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 3 people

Calories 485kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 small (or 1/2 large) courgette (zucchini)
• 100 g (~ 3 1/2 oz) mushrooms (~ 6 medium mushrooms)
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 250 ml (~ 1 cup) enchilada sauce (shop-bought or homemade)
• 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 4 small flour tortillas, cut into bitesized pieces
• 75 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 3/4 cup when grated)
• Fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish

Instructions

• Cut the vegetables into chunky dice, and toss them in a little oil. Place them in a baking dish (mine measured approximately 10 x 7 inches), and roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway, until the vegetables are fairly soft.
• If you're using homemade enchilada sauce, prepare it while the vegetables are roasting. You can see my full enchilada sauce recipe here. Shop-bought sauce is also fine to use.
• When the vegetables are fairly soft, add the enchilada sauce, tinned black beans, and the pieces of tortilla. Mix well until everything is coated in the sauce.
• Sprinkle with some grated cheese, and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the cheese is crispy and the sauce is hot and bubbly. Garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro), if desired.

Notes

Feel free to use different vegetables if you like – there are some more ideas in the blog post.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.1g | Protein: 19.8g | Fat: 21.8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 1119mg | Potassium: 664mg | Fiber: 10.6g | Sugar: 7.9g | Calcium: 235mg | Iron: 4mg

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