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Lazy Chopped Vegan Enchiladas in a Skillet

5 from 8 reader reviews
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 -6
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Ingredients

Sunflower “Cheese” Topping:

  • ½ cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • 5 tablespoons red enchilada sauce
  • 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Chopped Enchilada Skillet:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small sweet onion, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder (I used ancho)
  • ½ cup walnut halves, finely chopped
  • 1 19oz can (540 ml) lentils or black beans (no salt added preferred)
  • 1 ½ cups red enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup low sodium vegetable stock, plus extra
  • 6 small tortillas, chopped into 2-inch pieces (3 cups chopped pieces total)
  • chopped cilantro, for serving
  • diced, ripe avocado, for serving

Instructions

  • Make the sunflower “cheese” topping. In an upright, high speed blender, combine the drained sunflower seeds, water, red enchilada sauce, nutritional yeast, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Blend the sauce until completely smooth and silky. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Set aside.
  • Heat a large, oven-safe skillet (I used an 11-inch braiser) over medium heat. Once it’s hot, pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the onions, bell pepper, and zucchini to the skillet and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are tender and browning in spots, about 8-10 minutes.
  • To the skillet, add the garlic, paprika, onion powder, cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Keep sautéeing until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add the chopped walnuts and lentils to the skillet and stir to coat in the seasoning. Add the enchilada sauce and vegetable stock to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring the sauce and "filling" to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer the skillet, covered, until the walnut pieces are tender and the mixture is saucy but still slightly thick overall, about 20-25 minutes. I pop in to stir it up a few times.
  • Once the walnuts are soft, stir in the chopped tortillas. There should be enough sauce/broth mixture to keep things saucy. If not, pour in a few extra splashes of vegetable stock. Remove the skillet from the heat.
  • Preheat the oven to broil.
  • Using a spatula, level out the surface of the enchilada skillet. Dollop the sunflower “cheese” topping over the surface and spread it out a bit with the back of your spoon. Place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the “cheese” topping is bubbling and starting to darken in spots, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Remove the skillet from the oven and garnish with chopped cilantro and avocado. Serve warm!

Equipment

  • Blender

Recipe Notes

  • Really important! Most store bought enchilada sauce is on the salty side. This is why I recommend no sodium canned lentils and vegetable stock for this recipe. Exercise caution when seasoning both the “cheese” topping and the skillet itself.
  • Choose an enchilada sauce that you enjoy the flavour of on its own. My favourite store bought red enchilada sauces: Frontera (although I read recently that they changed the formula?), Trader Joe's, and in Canada I like the President's Choice branded one.
  • There are tons of recipes online if you prefer making your own enchilada sauce.
  • For both components of the recipe, you will need 14.5 ounces (428 ml) red enchilada sauce total.
Ready in 1 hour, these lazy chopped vegan enchiladas in a skillet are a hearty vegan dinner with minimal dishes--no rolling! Made with fresh veggies, lentils, walnuts, spices, tortillas, store-bought red enchilada sauce for extra ease, and a creamy sunflower seed "cheese" topping that browns under the broiler.