Authentic Mexican Enchiladas Vegetarian Recipe with Cheese
This mexican enchiladas vegetarian recipe is a family classic with a unique twist on the red enchiladas sauce! Addictingly both sweet and spicy, these tasty enchiladas are filled with cheese and onion for a filling dish everyone is sure to love! You’ll be surprised what the winning ingredient is!
Ingredients
- 7 chile pasillas see note below
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 8 Saltine crackers
- 1 bar Ibarra chocolate
- ¼ cup piloncillo (unrefined brown sugar cane)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2½ cups water
- salt to taste
- red chili flakes to taste (optional)
Enchilada Filling
- corn tortillas (large pack)
- 1 onion finely diced
- shredded mozzarella cheese (large pack) or other Mexican style cheese blend
- Crema Mexicana
- green onion for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Wash the chile pasillas. In a large bowl, cover the chile pasilla with water and let it soak in hot water for 1 hour or until softened. Tip - I usually put a plate on top of the chile to have the top submerged in the water.
- Once the chiles are softened, remove the stems and some of the seeds. You can keep some of the seeds for spiciness. Place the chile pasillas in the blender. Add the cinnamon stick to the blender, the Saltine crackers, 2½ cups of water (you can use some of the water used to soak the chile pasilla), and salt to taste. Blend until the sauce texture is achieved.
- In a large saucepan, heat 1 cup of olive oil until hot. Once hot, pour the sauce and cook until boiling. Stir constantly.
- Once the sauce boils, add the Ibarra chocolate, piloncillo (unrefined brown sugar cane), and bay leaves. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted. Add salt and chili flakes to taste if using. Simmer covered on low heat for 25 minutes. Discard the bay leaves when serving.
Assembling the Enchilada
- Heat the corn tortillas over a griddle. Once ready to serve, spoon some of the enchilada sauce on the plate and on top of the tortilla.
- Put a strip of the diced onion and cheese on top of the sauce on the corn tortilla. Roll the tortilla or fold over. Spoon more of the enchilada sauce on top of the tortilla.
- Sprinkle additional cheese and onion on top of the tortilla. Drizzle Crema Mexicana on top and green onion if using. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- I used 7 chile pasillas in this recipe. However, if you would like the sauce spicier, you can use more. Adjust the water as necessary.
- After the sauce has been blended then simmered, you’re aiming for a slightly thickened consistency. As in it won’t be spaghettis sauce thick! It may look too saucy in the pan, but don’t worry it will be the perfect topping to the enchiladas. If you do want this more on the thicker side, add more Saltine crackers to simmer with the sauce. The Saltine crackers will break down as the sauce simmers.
- Serving size is subject to change depending on the amount of sauce used. Using a generous amount of sauce, I made 20 enchiladas for my family. Just be sure to have a large pack of shredded mozzarella cheese and a large onion.
- If you don’t have cinnamon sticks, you can use ground cinnamon. 1 stick is the equivalent to ½ a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- See Sam’s Pro Tips for this Mexican Enchiladas Vegetarian Recipe for further detail.