Vegan Enchiladas with Smoky Lentils

These tasty vegan enchiladas are secretly healthy with a delicious stuffing of smoky lentils and veggies. They are doused in a flavorful, easy, 10-minute enchilada sauce, smothered in vegan cheese and baked until the edges are crispy. They are soy-free and nut-free and can be gluten-free.

If a tasty, easy--but fun--Mexican recipe is what you're looking for this Cinco de Mayo, you can't go wrong with these Vegan Enchiladas with Smoky Lentils.

Enchilada recipes don't get any better than this: soft corn tortillas are dunked in a bright red, flavorful enchilada sauce, stuffed with a smoky mix of lentils, carrots, leeks and celery, smothered in vegan cheese and baked until the edges are crispy and the cheese is melting and golden-brown.

Serve with toppings like salsa and guacamole and you have a winning recipe that'll have everyone begging for more.

I took inspiration for my vegan lentil stuffing from these creamy vegan lentils with ancho that I shared with you in the past. But I did tweak it to make it simpler as I was making these on a weeknight and speed was important. Instead of the ancho paste, I used chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce which also add smokiness and heat.

There's more smokiness in the enchilada sauce with smoked paprika and oregano (you can also try this green tomatillo salsa verde instead for a different flavor!). I smothered it all in vegan cheese shreds because I cook in the real world for a real preteen and sometimes I need to give a little to get him to eat and lick his plate clean.

Try it, and let me know if you do. I know this is going on my regular rotation for easy meals that everyone loves.

Why you'll love this vegan enchiladas recipe

• They're delicious, with so many explosively flavorful elements layered on top of each other.
• They're healthy. Lentils and veggies--it doesn't get any better than that.
• They're easy to make. You can make the enchilada sauce and the lentils ahead of time and just put it all together before eating. Even if you were to make everything from scratch the same day, you shouldn't need more than an hour, with some clever planning, to make these.
• They're kid-friendly. If you have little ones around, you can be sure they will love 'em. There are so many amazing flavors here and colors, and the golden-brown crispy cheese and edges are sure to have them coming back for seconds--and thirds.

Ingredients

• The tortillas: Corn tortillas work best for enchilada casseroles, and are traditional. However, you can use flour tortillas if you'd rather.
• The lentils: I used brown lentils here. French puy lentils work just as well. You can also use another legume, like black beans or pinto beans. For the stuffing, in addition to the lentils you will need leeks (or onions), carrots, celery, garlic, ground cumin, oregano, paprika and chipotle chilis in adobo sauce.
• The red enchilada sauce: This is a divine sauce, so full of flavor, but it's also incredibly easy to make. All you need to do is make a roux with oil and flour, whisk up the remaining ingredients -- smoked paprika, tomato paste, onion powder or flakes, oregano, garlic powder, ground cumin, salt and ground black pepper-- in a bowl. Add this to the roux, and let it all cook until it boils and thickens.
• The cheese: I used Daiya vegan mozzarella shreds, but any other vegan brand would work just as well.

How to make vegan enchiladas

• Assemble your ingredients and cookware: There are a few different things you will need here, so make sure you have everything on hand before you begin. This includes the ingredients, two saucepans--a small one for the red enchilada sauce and a bigger one for the lentils--and the baking dishes (this recipe makes about 16 enchiladas and I needed two baking dishes to fit them all in).
• Make the lentils: Begin by making the lentils, which need the most time. Chop all the vegetables--leeks or onions, carrots and celery--in small pieces, you don't want big chunks in the filling. Saute the veggies with the garlic and ground cumin, then add the lentils and water or vegetable stock/vegetable broth. Let the lentils cook about 15 minutes or until tender (they don't need to be mushy), then stir in the ancho chili and paprika. Cook until the lentils are quite dry and almost all of the visible moisture has evaporated. Set aside to cool.

• Make the enchilada sauce: While the lentils are cooking, whisk tomato paste, 2 cups water, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin and salt and ground black pepper in a bowl. Heat oil in a small saucepan and add the flour. Let it cook a couple of minutes over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it becomes grainy and browns a little. Lower the heat and gently pour in the tomato-spice mix from the bowl. Whisk in the flour until there are no lumps visible, and let the sauce come to a boil. Whisk again and let it cook a couple more minutes before turning off the heat. Let the sauce cool a bit as you will need to dip the tortillas in it.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Assemble the enchiladas: This is the fun part. Divide half the lentil filling between the two baking dishes and spread it in an even layer in each dish. Make an assembly line with the tortillas, enchilada sauce and lentil stuffing. Dip each tortilla into the enchilada sauce so it has a light coating of the sauce on both sides (if you prefer you can just use a spoon to smear sauce on both sides of the tortilla). Place the tortilla on a plate, spoon in two tablespoons of the lentil stuffing, and roll it up into a tight cylinder. Place it in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining tortillas. I could accommodate eight tortillas in each baking dish I used, for a total of 16.
  Sprinkle eight ounces of vegan mozzarella shreds on top of the enchiladas.
  Place the baking dishes in the oven and bake 20 minutes or until the cheese is melting. Turn on the broiler for three to five minutes so the cheese melts further and browns a bit, and the edges of the tortilla get really crispy. Keep a close eye on the enchiladas at this stage because you don't want anything to burn.
  Serve the enchiladas hot.

How to store vegan enchiladas

• These will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to three days.
• For longer storage you can assemble the enchilada casserole, cover the baking dish tightly with cling wrap, and freeze. Thaw and bake before serving.
• You can store the baked casserole or leftovers in the freezer as well for up to three months. Defrost and reheat.

Related recipes

• Vegan Lentil Tacos (oil-free)
• Mexican Potato and Bean Cakes with Tomato Sauce
• Mexican Green Rice
• Mexican Sweet Potato Hash with Black Beans
• Vegan Baked Chimichangas with Filo
• Vegan Empanadas