Vegetarian Enchiladas – Creamy Mushroom Spinach Enchiladas
Comforting. Meatless. Cheesy. There are so many descriptors I can use to talk about these Vegetarian Enchiladas, but I can really summarize it with just this phrase – MUST MAKE! Even if you’re the biggest carnivore, you’ll love these rich and hearty enchiladas.
If you’ve never made enchiladas before, have no fear! It may seem a little daunting at first (we all get nervous rolling that very first tortilla with filling), but it’s really easy to get the hang of it. This is a quick and easy dinner you’ll love making time and time again!
Simply put, you just need to make the filling and sauce, then spread that cheesy, veggie-packed filling evenly amongst the tortillas. Roll those tortillas, smother them in your creamy sauce, then bake. It’s so simple!
Once you try these spinach and mushroom creamy enchiladas, try my vegetable enchiladas with creamy verde sauce!
Key Ingredient Notes
- Spinach – Fresh or frozen both work. If using fresh, you’ll cook it down first; if using frozen, make sure it’s fully thawed. Either way, squeeze out as much liquid as you can before adding it to the filling or the enchiladas will turn watery.
- Mushrooms – Oyster, crimini, and/or shiitake are all excellent choices. You can use just one variety or mix them for more depth of flavor. Cremini are the easiest to find and most budget-friendly; shiitake adds a meatier, more complex flavor.
- Shallots – Milder and slightly sweeter than regular onion, which works really well in this filling. You can substitute with half a small yellow or white onion if needed.
- Garlic – Fresh is best here. The range is 4-6 cloves, so adjust to your preference.
- Monterey Jack cheese – The go-to choice for enchiladas because it melts beautifully into a smooth, creamy layer. For a little heat, swap in Pepper Jack. For more sharpness, use a combination of Monterey Jack and sharp white cheddar. Whatever you choose, buy a block and grate it yourself because pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting properly.
- Heavy whipping cream + sour cream – These two together create a rich, tangy sauce that coats the enchiladas beautifully. It’s best not to substitute with lighter dairy here but if needed, use half and half but the sauce will be thinner.
- Garlic powder, salt, and black pepper – Simple seasoning that lets the filling flavors shine.
- Tortillas: Flour tortillas (8-inch) – Soft taco-size flour tortillas hold up well and roll easily. Corn tortillas are a more traditional option and work fine, though they’re more delicate and break easily. Gluten-free tortillas can also be used, just handle them gently when rolling.
Tips To Make My Creamy Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Prepare the ingredients: Before you get started, you’ll want to make sure everything is ready to go! Chop the spinach, slice the shallots and mushrooms, and mince the garlic. Grate the cheese. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Spinach: You can use either frozen or fresh spinach. Fresh spinach needs to be cooked first and frozen spinach should be completely thawed. For whichever one you use, make sure to squeeze out most of the liquids before adding it to the filling mixture!
- Cheese options: I love using Monterrey Jack cheese in enchiladas because of the smooth and creamy consistency when it’s melted. If you want to add a little spice, use Pepper Jack cheese instead. If you want strong and sharp cheese notes, you can use a combination of Monterrey Jack and sharp white cheddar cheeses.
- Whichever you choose, I always highly recommend that you get a block and grate the cheese yourself. It tastes and melts much better because there are not separators or additives like you have in the pre-shredded cheeses.
Storing and Reheating
- You can transfer your leftover enchiladas into a food storage container with an air-tight lid or store them right in the baking dish where they were baked. Just make sure to cover it airtight.
- Store your leftovers in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. You can reheat individual portions in the microwave. For the best results, reheat all of them in the oven at 350°F, just until warmed through for about 15 minutes.
Vegetarian Enchilada Recipe FAQs
Yes! Assemble the enchiladas, pour the sauce over the top, cover the dish tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, add the cheese and bake straight from the refrigerator, adding 5-10 minutes to the bake time.
I don’t recommend freezing these. The cream-based sauces doesn’t hold up well after freezing and thawing, it tends to separate and turn watery. These are best made fresh or stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Absolutely. Black beans or pinto beans are a great addition if you want more substance. You can also mix in corn, roasted poblanos, or diced bell pepper. Just be mindful not to overfill the tortillas or they’ll be hard to roll.
Almost always comes down to the spinach. Make sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible before mixing it into the filling. Mushrooms also release moisture as they cook, so don’t rush that step, let them cook until all the liquid has evaporated.
More Enchilada Recipes To Try
If these spinach and mushroom enchiladas have you in full enchilada mode, you have plenty of options to keep going. My cheesy vegetable enchiladas with creamy verde sauce are another great meatless option with a totally different flavor profile. If you want to bring meat into the mix, my chicken enchiladas recipe with homemade enchilada sauce are a family staple, so are my beef enchilada recipes. As far as more creamy enchiladas, check out my creamy shrimp enchiladas and steak enchiladas with jalapeño cilantro cream sauce.
More Vegetarian Recipes To Make
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Spinach Mushroom Vegetarian Enchiladas
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 10 oz spinach
- 10 oz mushrooms like oyster, crimini, and/or shiitake
- 2 shallots
- 4-6 garlic cloves
- 8 oz grated Monterey jack cheese
Sauce:
- 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Enchiladas:
- 4 soft taco flour tortillas (8-inch)
- 4 oz grated Monterey Jack cheese
- fresh cilantro optional garnish
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients first: chop spinach, slice shallots and mushrooms, mince the garlic.Grate all the cheese.Whisk ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl.
Filling:
- Heat up a large cooking pan over medium-low heat and add oil. Add chopped spinach, cover and cook until completely cooked down. Make sure to stir from time to time.
- Take the spinach out of the pan and into a mesh strainer. Let is cool while it drains off.
- In the same pan, add more oil if needed, and raise the heat to medium. Add sliced shallots and start to sauté. When onions start to soften, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms and onions are completely done.
- Move veggie to the side and add garlic. Sauté just until fragrant and mix with onions and mushroom. Gently squeeze most of the liquids from the spinach and mix it in with the vegetables in the pan. Season with some salt and pepper and cook another minute or so.
- Transfer the vegetables into a mixing bowl and add 8 oz. grated cheese. Mix quickly and thoroughly.
Prepare Enchiladas:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9×9 casserole baking dish (or another dish that you comfortable fit 4 enchiladas).
- Divide the filling evenly among the four tortillas. Spread the filling in a line across the center of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla and place them into the baking dish, seam down.
- Give the sauce another whisk and pour in evenly and slowly over the enchiladas, letting the sauce seem through inside and in the middle.
- Spread remaining grated cheese over the top and bake for about 20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Is it okay to use frozen spinach? You can use either frozen or fresh spinach. Fresh spinach needs to be cooked first and frozen spinach should be completely thawed. For whichever one you use, make sure to squeeze out most of the liquids before adding it to the filling mixture!
- Corn vs Flour Tortillas: You can use corn or flour tortillas, whichever you prefer works just fine. While corn tortillas are traditional, flour tortillas are softer and hold together better. For enchiladas, you are looking for about 8-inch tortillas.
Note: that flour tortillas will often be larger than corn tortillas, but you can always just use more of the smaller ones. 8-inch flour tortillas are usually labeled “soft taco.” - Gluten free: you can use gluten free tortillas, although they are a little more delicate. You can also use corn tortillas.
- Storing: You can transfer your leftover enchiladas into a food storage container with a lid or store them right in the baking dish where they were baked. Just make sure to cover it airtight.
- Reheating: Store your leftovers in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. You can reheat individual portions in the microwave. For the best results, reheat all of them in the oven at 350°F, just until warmed through for about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
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Categories:
Dinner Recipes, Enchilada Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
My husband was licking his fingers of the cream sauce. Yes, this was a 10 in my book of vegetarian recipes. Thank you. Want to make your shrimp enchiladas Friday night. Looking forward to doing them.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, when someone is licking the sauce off their fingers, that’s always a good sign! 😊 I hope you love the shrimp enchiladas just as much on Friday night. They’re one of my favorites too. Let me know what you think when you try them!
These enchiladas are so good!
The best part is that they are meatless but we couldn’t tell! – Thank you for posting these recipes.
I love mushrooms and spinach; I too would love this and WILL want to try it, but it’d have to be with my GF’s because my hubby would be wanting meat too. He’d call it chick food for sure; hey I love chick food!Sharon Anne
Featured you tonight! Love this recipe, can’t wait for meatless day!
Yummm! Those look really, really good. I LOVE mushrooms. I’m adding this to my menu for next week. Thanks!
this looks amazing I’ve love you to add it to my what we wore and made party over at raegunwear
These sound really good, Lyuba! Definitely going to try them!
Haha, my husband is just like yours. When my son can eat veggies, I can totally see him passing them off and saying he’s doing a good deed. But I think these enchiladas would be a hit in our house! Spinach is well-liked by all of us!
Ohhh yum, this looks delicious!!
Stephanie
These are delicious! My husband is the same way as yours, though. Drives me nuts!