Enchiladas is one of my favorite Mexican dishes. There’s just something about melted cheese and beans wrapped in a tortilla topped with some more melted cheese, all swimming around in a nice, hot taco-like sauce that’s very tasty. But being a public health major and trying to maintain a very healthy lifestyle, I can’t really get myself to eat enchiladas anymore…

That is until I found this recipe.

It’s definitely not one of those recipes you could quickly whip up in 20 minutes on those busy weeknights but the extra effort put into this dish is definitely worth it. Plus, the leftovers are amazing when you take them to work and/or school.

With this recipe, you first roast the veggies in some olive oil and salt and pepper for about 40 minutes. Once that cools, you can then make the core of these enchiladas: a roasted vegetable mixture with some black beans and various spices. Then you can start layering all your stuff, kind of like a lasagna, starting with the enchilada sauce, then tortilla, then the core mixture, and repeat.

See? That wasn’t too bad right? Plus, all that work you put into this dish helped create a masterpiece: a deliciously stacked enchilada you could eat guilt-free.

Win!

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchilada (adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod):

Yields 6 servings

  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 yellow squash, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 cups red enchilada sauce
  • 9-10 small corn tortillas
  • 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8×8 square baking dish or coat with nonstick spray; set aside.

Place red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash and onion on a large baking sheet line with foil.

Drizzle with olive oil and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place into oven and roast until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the roasted vegetables, black beans, cumin, chili powder, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking pan.

Add a layer of tortillas, to completely cover the bottom of the pan. (You might have to cut the tortillas to make them fit.)

Top with 1/3 of the vegetable-bean mixture and 1/3 of the cheese.

Add two more layers of tortilla, enchilada sauce, vegetables-bean mixture and cheese. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the pan.

Place into oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the enchiladas are bubbling.

Remove enchiladas from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.