Roast winter squash, mushrooms, and spinach drizzled with cashew creme, all wrapped in tortillas and topped with green chile sauce – these enchiladas combine serious flavor and nourishment. They’re indulgent-tasting yet full of plant-based goodness.
Why this dish?
For my first recipe I wanted to create something accessible yet special enough that you probably can’t find it in your neighborhood cafe. It seems like Tex-Mex food is everywhere, though the vast majority of it doesn’t fit well within a plant-based diet. I still enjoy the primary elements of Tex-Mex food. Chile pepper heat, garlic, and cumin combined with creaminess, the texture contrast between a tender filling and a crisp tortilla, and the accents of lime and cilantro. So I thought making a worthy plant-based Tex-Mex dish would satisfy my itch for something I can’t easily buy.
I had some fire-roasted chile peppers from the end of summer, which I thought would be perfect for a sauce. And this time of year, the markets are full of all kinds of winter squashes and I really enjoy them when in season. Including mushrooms was almost a reflex – I loved them before transitioning to a plant-based diet and still can’t get enough of them. And I figured that they would hold up well to the heat of the chile sauce. Choosing these ingredients helped me arrive at enchiladas.
I wanted some creamy component to balance the heat of the chiles – the peppers I had on hand were especially spicy. Using a vegan cheese alternative crossed my mind, and I ended up including that as an optional topping. But the unexpected gem in this recipe is the cashew creme. Containing just cashews, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and salt, this creme balances the dish perfectly. I’m looking forward to experimenting with it more.
A word about the workflow
Enchiladas are a somewhat time-consuming dish, no matter how you approach them. But I set up the workflow here to help make the best use of your time.
We start by getting the squash and mushrooms in the oven to roast, then moving on to the preparation of the two sauces. I used a blender for the sauces, though it should also be doable with a food processor. The green chile sauce requires some sauteeing of onion and garlic.
The recipe presumes that you already have roasted green chile peppers on hand. If you prefer to roast your own, see this recipe here. If you’re looking for a good online source for them, you can’t go wrong with this company. In any case, you’ll want to have the peppers roasted, peeled, and deseeded before starting the recipe.
Tips and substitutions
Different types of winter squash are largely interchangeable for the sake of this recipe. I used red kuri squash and it was fantastic. But acorn, butternut, and pumpkin should all work well, too.
I used cremini (aka baby bella, brown) mushrooms, though portobellos and champignons would also be tasty here.
Other greens are easily substitutable for the spinach in the recipe. Steamed or sauteed kale, collards, cabbage, and chard are all fine.
If you want to go off-recipe and use your own fillings, you can use practically any substantial plant-based ingredient. Just make sure it’s lightly seasoned, fully cooked, and cut into bite-sized or smaller pieces. Examples of some alternate fillings include sweet potato, potato, tofu, tempeh, cauliflower, onions, bell peppers, and nopal (cactus).
If you improvise, try to create a contrast of textures, colors, and flavors. For example, soft with firm and savory with slightly sweet. Sweet potato and marinated tempeh should be great together.
Final notes
While it took a little bit of work to put this dish together, it was really rewarding – the finished dish tasted as good as any I’d had in a restaurant (plant-based or not).
And it combined some really positive elements. Being made from simple, fresh ingredients, a variety of textures, flavors, and colors, and a general great feeling after eating it. We ate until we were full, but had none of the post-meal tiredness you typically get from a large Tex-Mex meal, none of the mental fog.
It is totally possible to make Tex-Mex food that is entirely plant-based, is both nourishing and satisfying, and makes you feel better (not worse) afterward. 🙂
If you give the recipe a try, let me know what you think in the comments below.
Vegan Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2.25 lb winter squash red kuri or other
- 1.5 lb mushrooms white, brown, portobello
- 3 cups spinach leaves rinsed and trimmed
- 6 tortillas (any kind, 8-inch diameter)
- 1 onion medium sized, peeled and diced
- 2 lb roasted green chile peppers hatch or anaheim, peeled and seeded
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt divided, with extra to season
- 2 tsp cumin ground
- 2 tsp oregano ground
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 cup almond milk unflavored, unsweetened; can use other plant milk
- 1 cup cashews soaked and drained
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup plant-based cheese optional
- 1/4 cup cilantro rinsed, dried, chopped
- 1/2 lime
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C)
- Peel and cut squash into bite-size pieces. Rub with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a lined baking sheet.
- When oven is hot, bake the squash. Set timer for 45 minutes.
- While the squash bakes, prep the mushrooms: rinse dry, and quarter them. Place on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- When 30 minutes remain on the timer, put the mushrooms in the oven with the squash.
- In a blender, combine almond milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl. Clean and dry the blender for the next sauce.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cumin, oregano, and salt. Saute 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic-onion mixture to the blender, together with roasted chile peppers and vegetable stock. Pulse until blended coarsely. This step can also be done in a food processor.
- Place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave for 20-30 seconds until spinach leaves are just wilted. Remove spinach from bowl and dry with a paper towel.
- Wrap tortillas snugly in a damp paper towel and place on a plate. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds or until tortillas are warm and pliable.
- When timer sounds, check on squash and mushrooms. If fully cooked and tender, remove them from the oven. If not, bake 5 more minutes and check again.
- Assemble the enchiladas in the baking dish:
- Spread a thin layer of green chile sauce on the bottom of the dish.
- Place a warm tortilla on a plate and scoop a few pieces each of mushrooms, squash, and spinach (there should be enough to fill the tortilla when rolled up).
- Drizzle a generous amount of the cashew cream sauce onto the ingredients in the tortilla.
- Taking care not to let any of the contents spill out, pick up and roll up the tortilla and place it in the baking dish as shown in the picture above.
- Repeat the assembly steps for the rest of the tortillas.
- Moisten the tortilla flaps with a bit of water if they don't stay wrapped tightly.
- Spread another thin layer of green chile sauce on top of the assembled enchiladas.
- Sprinkle plant-based cheese on top, if using.
- Cover baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake 5 more minutes, or until heated through and tortilla edges are slightly crispy.
- Squeeze lime juice over enchiladas and garnish with cilantro before serving.
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This was delicious! Will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing