Appetizer Recipes

Skillet Enchiladas with Soy Curls

Everyone will love these unconventional vegan skillet enchiladas made in one skillet with soy curls, black beans, sauteed veggies, queso,…

  • Ready 36 minutes
  • Serves 4
  • Prep 20 minutes
  • Cook 16 minutes
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Skillet Enchiladas with Soy Curls

Homemade Enchiladas are one of my favorite quick weeknight meals but sometimes I don’t have the time or energy to roll up tortillas and bake them. Sometimes I need quick and easy! Let me introduce you to easy vegan skillet enchiladas! They are life-changing!

I love this vegan enchiladas recipe because you don’t have to roll or spend hours making the sauce and fillings, and you don’t have to worry about a perfect presentation. This is as easy as Tex-Mex gets. We make a simple red sauce in the blender, then fry up some soy curls which act as chikin sub, with bell peppers and onions. DONE! Now, we simply layer our enchiladas sauce with tortilla chips instead of soft tortillas and add some black beans and vegan cheese shreds while we’re at it!

close-up overhead shot of vegan skillet enchiladas with tortilla chips, black beans and soy curls

You are basically making an enchilada nachos casserole! Awesome for game day or Superbowl! All done in so little time and with so little effort. This a no-fuss Mexican skillet dinner recipe. And let me tell you kids LOVE it, even with all of the added veggies!

I use soycurls as a chikin sub in this recipe. You can use seitan or other as well or use mushrooms or more veggies to make soyfree/Glutenfree.

If you would rather make classic enchiladas, make my Vegan Enchiladas!

a hand reaching for a serving of vegan skillet enchiladas with black beans

More Mexican inspired recipes from the blog

You can use some of the above recipes as the enchilada filling as well. Let’s make these!

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Ingredients for making Vegan Skillet Enchiladas:

  • For the simple homemade Enchiladas Sauce, we blend tomato paste, fresh tomato, some vegetable broth,  chipotle in adobo sauce, and season with cumin for that Mexican touch.
  • For the ” Meat Layer”, we sautee soaked soy curls with onion, garlic, bell pepper, pepper, and chili powder.
  • Then we layer meat and sauce with tortilla chips and canned or cooked black beans, drained
  • I love topping these with some Vegan Cheddar Cheese Shreds but you can also use my vegan queso
ingredients for vegan skillet enchiladas on a marble countertop

Tips & Substitutions:

  • I like to use onion, and bell pepper, but you could add zucchini, poblano pepper, and some drained, canned corn. Feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand.
  • As a short-cut, you could use store-bought enchilada sauce.
  • If you don’t want to use black beans, you can use pinto beans instead
  • Cannot find chipotle in adobo? Add some smoked paprika instead along with the chili powder. 1 tsp should be perfect.

How to make Vegan Skillet Enchiladas:

onions bell peppers and soy curls sauteeing in a black skillet

Blend all the ingredients in the red sauce and set aside. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and when the oil is hot, add in the onion and bell pepper, mix well. Cook until translucent.

Drain your soy curls, and squeeze lightly to remove excess moisture, then chop up some of the larger pieces, then add the soy curls to the skillet as well.

filling for vegan skillet enchiladas in a frying pan
spices being added to sauteed veggies and soy curls in a black skillet

Cook this mixture until the onion is golden brown, and the soy curls are starting to turn brown on some of the edges. Add in the garlic and mix well, add in the chili powder, salt, and pepper and mix well, then add in your chipotle pepper, two tsp of the adobo sauce, mix well.

chile in adobo being added to soy curls and sauteed veggies in a black skillet
filling for vegan skillet enchiladas in a black cast iron skillet

Add in 3-4 tbsp of the red sauce and mix.

tomato sauce being added to skillet with veggies and soy curls for making Mexican enchiladas
tortilla chips being layered on top of Mexican soy chunk veggie filling for making enchiladas

Take off heat, then layer this mixture with the tortilla chips, black beans, and the remaining red sauce all over the beans and the tortilla chips.

black beans being added on top of tortilla chips for making enchiladas
vegan red sauce being layered with tortilla chips and black beans for making vegan skillet enchiladas
vegan skillet enchiladas being topped with vegan cheese shreds

Then your vegan cheddar shreds or cashew queso. Drizzle it all over.

vegan skillet enchiladas with red sauce and black beans next to a dish with green onions

Move the skillet to an oven, and broil for 4-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, and the mixture is bubbly, and the top is starting to get golden brown.

vegan skillet enchiladas with a spoon

Remove the skillet, garnish with cilantro, and green onions, and serve it with chili. You can serve this with avocado, vegan sour cream, and any other toppings of choice. Alternatively, cover the skillet and cook over medium heat until the cheese on top is bubbly

Topping ideas:

Recipe

Skillet Enchiladas with Soy Curls

Everyone will love these unconventional vegan skillet enchiladas made in one skillet with soy curls, black beans, sauteed veggies, queso, and crunchy tortilla chips. Garnish with your favorite Mexican toppings like cilantro, vegan shredded cheese, and avocado. A great recipe for 5 de Mayo

  • Serves 4
  • Prep 20 minutes
  • Cook 16 minutes
  • Total 36 minutes

Ingredients

For the Red Sauce

  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 1 1/2 cups water (or vegetable broth)
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce (or 1/4 tsp of chipotle chili powder)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp salt

For the Soy Curl Meat Layer

  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
  • 2 oz soy curls (soaked in 1 1/2 cups of warm vegetable broth for at least 15 minutes)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 tsp chili powder blend
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 black pepper

For the rest of the ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups or more tortilla chips (or use sliced tortillas)
  • 15 oz can of black beans (drained)
  • Vegan Cheddar Cheese Shreds of choice (or use my queso (linked in notes))

Instructions

  1. 1

    Blend all the ingredients in the red sauce and set aside.

  2. 2

    Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil, and when the oil is hot, add in the onion and bell pepper, mix well. Cook until translucent.

  3. 3

    Drain your soy curls, and squeeze lightly to remove excess moisture, then chop up some of the larger pieces, then add the soy curls to the skillet as well.

  4. 4

    Cook this mixture until the onion is golden brown, and the soy curls are starting to turn brown on some of the edges. Add in the garlic and mix well, add in the chili powder, salt, and pepper and mix well, then add in your chipotle pepper, 2 tsps of the adobo sauce, mix well, then add in 3-4 tbsp of the red sauce and mix.

  5. 5

    Take off heat, then layer this mixture with the tortilla chips, black beans, and the remaining red sauce all over the beans and the tortilla chips.

  6. 6

    Then distribute the vegan cheddar shreds or vegan queso. Drizzle it all over.

  7. 7

    Move the skillet to an oven, and broil for 4-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, and the mixutre is bubbly, and the top is starting to get golden brown. Remove the skillet, garnish with cilantro, and green onions, and serve it with chili. You can serve this with avocado, vegan sour cream, and any other toppings of choice. No oven: Alternatively, cover the skillet and cook over medium heat until the cheese on top is bubbly

Notes

Use any beans of choice. You can also use some Seitan instead of soycurls to make these Soyfree.or add mushrooms or more veggies use Cheddar Cheese Shreds or use my vegan queso

Nutrition

  • Calories449 kcal
  • Carbohydrates65 g
  • Protein21 g
  • Fat13 g
  • Saturated Fat2 g
  • Trans Fat1 g
  • Sodium683 mg
  • Potassium799 mg
  • Fiber16 g
  • Sugar6 g
  • Vitamin A799 IU
  • Vitamin C25 mg
  • Calcium174 mg
  • Iron6 mg