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Indulge in delicious and satisfying vegetarian enchiladas for one! This easy and quick recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal or a solo lunch.
Get ready to treat yourself to our single serving Vegetarian Enchiladas. This recipe ensures you don’t need a crowd to enjoy a savory, saucy, and absolutely delicious enchilada. Perfect for all the solo diners out there, these enchiladas will prove that vegetarian meals can be every bit as flavorful as their meat-filled counterparts.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Portion-Controlled: Designed for one, this recipe ensures no leftovers or food waste.
- Versatile: You can easily substitute or add different veggies based on your preferences.
- Balanced Nutrition: It’s packed with healthy vegetables sandwiched between corn or flour tortillas for a balanced meal.
- Simple and Quick: With a handful of ingredients and straightforward instructions, this meal can be ready in no time.
RELATED: 20 Single Serving Meatless Recipes
Ingredient Notes And Substitutions
The beauty of this recipe lies in its flexibility:
- Corn Tortillas: While traditional enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, you could use flour tortillas if you prefer. Corn tortillas provide a slightly firmer texture and rich, corn flavor.
- Canola Oil: Any neutral oil like avocado oil, sunflower, or vegetable oil will work for frying the corn tortillas before layering them in the baking dish. We also use olive oil or avocado oil to sauté the zucchini.
- Zucchini: If you’re not a fan of zucchini, feel free to substitute with other veggies such as bell peppers, mushrooms, or spinach.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
How To Make Vegetarian Enchiladas For One
These step-by-step photos and instructions help you visualize how to make vegetarian enchiladas. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Cook the vegetables: The quickest way to cook zucchini is in a small skillet with a little oil and a pinch of salt. The zucchini cooks quickly and becomes fork-tender in about 5 minutes.
- After the vegetables have cooked, transfer them to a bowl and add some salsa, black beans, and spices.
- Assemble the enchilada
- Spread a layer of salsa on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Top with a corn tortilla
- Add vegetables.
- Top with cheese.
- Add another tortilla.
- Top with vegetables.
- Add more cheese.
- Top with a tortilla.
- Cover with salsa.
- Bake: Add the remaining cheese, cover, and bake for about 20 minutes.
Expert Tips
- To make the enchiladas ahead of time, you can prepare them up to the point of baking and then refrigerate them. When you are ready to bake, simply bake the enchiladas according to the instructions.
- To make the enchiladas gluten-free, use gluten-free corn tortillas.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The success of this recipe depends on the size of the baking dish you use. I use a 5×5 inch baking dish with a base area of 25 square inches. The dishes we use in our recipes can be found on our Store page.
Absolutely. Substitute dairy cheese with vegan cheese.
Yes, you can assemble the enchiladas and refrigerate. Just add the sauce and cheese right before baking.
Serving Suggestions
Enhance your enchilada experience with these flavorful accompaniments:
- Fresh Salad: A simple fresh salad can provide a refreshing contrast to the rich enchilada.
- Avocado Slices: Adding avocado slices on top of your enchiladas can add creaminess and a burst of healthy fats.
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt: A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt on top can cut through the spice and add a tangy touch.
- Lime Wedges: Serve with lime wedges on the side. A squeeze of fresh lime juice just before eating can really make the flavors pop.
Recipe Variations
Try these variations to put a fresh spin on your vegetarian enchiladas:
- Sweet Potato Enchiladas: Swap out zucchini for sweet potato to create a heartier, autumn-inspired version. Keep in mind that small diced sweet potatoes may take 10 to 12 minutes to cook in a skillet.
- Black Bean Enchiladas: Add extra black beans to the mix for extra protein and fiber.
- Spicy Enchiladas: For a spicier kick, add some chopped jalapenos or chipotle peppers to your vegetable mix.
- Vegan Enchiladas: Substitute the cheese with vegan cheese or nutritional yeast for a vegan-friendly version.
- Low-Fat Enchiladas: Opt for low-fat cheese and whole-grain tortillas for a healthier take on this classic dish.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this vegetable enchilada recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Corn tortillas: Enchiladas Verdes, Baked Black Bean Tacos
- Zucchini: Zucchini Bread, Ratatouille, Squash Casserole
- Cumin: Classic Chili, Butter Chicken, Beef Tacos
- Black beans: Turkey Chili, Black Bean Hummus, Breakfast Burritos
- Salsa: Taco Casserole, Baked Tortilla Chips
- Cheddar cheese: Chili Baked Potato, Broccoli Cheese Soup
RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes
If you’ve tried these vegetarian enchiladas or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Recipe
Vegetarian Enchiladas For One
Ingredients
- 3 corn tortillas
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small zucchini , diced or thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ cup black beans , rinsed and drained
- ½ cup salsa , divided
- ⅓ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F (177° C)
- Heat canola oil in a 10-inch skillet. Once the oil is hot, place tortillas in the oil one at a time to soften for about 15 to 20 seconds each. Take each tortilla out and reserve on a paper-towel lined plate. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a separate 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently 5 minutes until zucchini is fork tender. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Stir the black beans and 1/4 cup of the salsa into the cooked zucchini.
- To assemble the enchiladas, place about 2 tablespoons of salsa on bottom of a 5-inch baking dish. Place 1 tortilla on top of the sauce. Top with about half of the cooked zucchini and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese.
- Place another softened tortilla on top of the zucchini/cheese and top with the remaining zucchini mixture and 2 tablespoons of cheese.
- Place the last tortilla on top, cover with the remaining salsa and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake, covered for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until cheese has melted.
Notes
- To make the enchiladas ahead of time, you can prepare them up to the point of baking and then refrigerate them. When you are ready to bake, simply bake the enchiladas according to the instructions.
- To make the enchiladas gluten-free, use gluten-free corn tortillas.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
These were amazing. I used flour tortillas instead, and made some Spanish rice that I put inside of each enchilada. I also doubled the recipe for myself and my husband.
I haven’t made this yet, but it looks very tasty. I’m trying to figure out which ingredient I can adjust so it won’t have so much sodium (besides not adding the salt). Any suggestions?
Rinsing the beans will remove some of the sodium and I would look for lower sodium cheese such as Swiss or Gruyere which has less sodium than cheddar.
What other size pan (similar size) can I use hard to find your pan
Use any baking dish that comfortably holds the corn tortillas. I use a 5×5-inch dish and also a 4×6 dish. We link to the dishes we use on our bakeware page: https://onedishkitchen.com/bakeware-cooking-for-one-kitchen/
Simple, delicious recipe! I followed the directions as written. I ate half, as it was very filling. I am looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for taking the time to let me know.
I never expected such a simple recipe to make such a flavorful and satisfying dinner. This is definitely going into my regular meal rotation. The chunkier the salsa, the better!
I missed rating this earlier. It is a winner in my books!
Nancy
Thank you, Nancy! I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
I made this as written and it is absolutely delicious! I ate half of it and several days later reheated the remainder in the microwave. It was just as good if not better!
Love this recipe.
Nancy
I didn’t have salsa so I used homemade roasted tomato sauce which worked our well with leftover pepper jack cheese. Great recipe!
I’m confused this recipe states 1/4 cup cheese, the first 2 steps use 2 Tbsp cheese per layer, yet the last step says to add the remaining cheese on top, so wouldn’t the total amount of cheese actually be 1/3 cup or thereabouts, so there is in fact some left for the top layer?
Hi Wendy, Yes – use 1/3 cup of cheese. The recipe has been adjusted to reflect that change. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Yum! Thanks for the tasty and easy recipe. I added some tomatoes. I probably used more cheese than recipe called for. It would kind itself to whatever vegetables you have on hand.
Ugh. Autocorrect. It would LEND itself . . .