Dinner is made easy with this one-pot vegan enchiladas skillet recipe. It’s made with butternut squash and black beans for a seasonal and hearty gluten-free dinner.
How are you on this fine September day?
Me, I’m doing great! This weather makes my heart sing. And the change of season brings a mixture of hope and nostalgia that fills me up in the best ways possible. It’s a beautiful time of year. The change in season has brought a change in schedule. With my kids both in school during the day, I have hours upon hours that can now be dedicated to working; a change I have been anticipating for a long time.
But on the flip side of that, time with my kids is very limited. Last week I had the realization that my daughter spends more waking hours with her teacher than with me. This broke my heart a little as I came to accept the end of an era. And then I was determined to make the most with our few afternoon hours as possible.
One of the ways in which I am making more time for the kids is by keeping weeknight dinners short, sweet, and simple. Under 30 minutes. Little mess. Lots of great flavors.
Enter: Butternut Squash Vegan Enchiladas Skillet
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
How to Make Skillet Enchiladas {Video}
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
This simple vegan and gluten-free dinner can be made in under 30 minutes for a delicious and hearty meal the whole family will love. The entire meal can be made in one single skillet for a quick dinner that gives you all the vegetables, protein, and flavor you can handle.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil – I recommend avocado or coconut but any high heat, neutral flavored oil will do.
- Corn Tortillas
- Red Onion
- Garlic
- Butternut Squash – Feel free to substitute this with equal amount acorn squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato.
- Black Beans – 1 (14) oz can or about 3/4 cup dried black beans
- Corn – Either canned or frozen will do.
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Enchiladas Sauce – Use either Homemade or store-bought.
- Kale – You can also use Swiss chard, collard greens, or spinach
- Spices – You will need chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt.
- Toppings – I like to top my skillet enchiladas with cilantro, jalapeño, green onions, and avocado.
Recommended Equipment
You don’t need much when it comes to this recipe. Make sure you have a cast-iron skillet ,a good chef’s knife, cutting board, and basic kitchen utensils.(<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
Best Skillet For Skillet Enchiladas
When making these skillet enchiladas, I recommend using a 12″ cast-iron skillet. (<<affiliate link)
Cast iron heats evenly and holds heat well, meaning that vegetables cook faster and you won’t need to stir or rotate the pan on the stove as it holds and distributes heat better than any skillet.
How to Make Vegan Skillet Enchiladas
Step One – Fry Tortilla Strips
To make the enchiladas skillet, first, pan-fry the tortilla strips until they are crispy and brown. Once they are lightly-fried, transfer them to a paper towel.
Step Two – Sauté the Veggies
Add the remaining oil and sauté onions, garlic, squash, and spices cooking until the squash is tender. Add the black beans, corn, tomatoes, enchiladas sauce, and kale.
Step Three – Combine and Cook
Stir in corn tortillas and bring to a simmer, letting the excess liquid boil down.
The enchiladas will continue to take shape as they cool. Top with jalapeño, cilantro, green onions, and serve!
Serving and Storing
Serving – Let the vegan enchiladas set up 10 minutes before serving. Serve these skillet enchiladas with jalapeño, cilantro, and green onions.
Storing – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
More Easy Vegan Dinners
- Simple Vegan Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Tofu Stir Fry with Broccoli and Bell Peppers
- Instant Pot Portobello Pot Roast
- One-Pot White Wine Pasta
More Mexican-Themed Recipes
- Vegan Fish Tacos
- Sheet Pan “Chicken” Fajitas
- Homemade Vegan Nachos
- Fully Loaded Quesadillas
- Mexican-Style Stuffed Bell Peppers
Vegan Enchiladas Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil divided
- 10 small corn tortillas cut into strips
- 1/2 large red onion diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small butternut squash peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup corn frozen or canned
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 10 ounces enchiladas sauce
- 4 large kale leaves chopped small
- salt and pepper to taste
- a few springs of cilantro chopped
- 1 jalapeño diced
- 2 green onions diced
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- In a large cast-iron skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add tortilla strips and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until lightly crispy and browned. Transfer to a paper towel.
- Add the remaining oil and sauté onions for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds.
- Add the butternut squash, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir to coat then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until the squash is tender. About 5 minutes.
- Add the black beans, corn, tomatoes, enchiladas sauce, and kale. Cook for an additional 3 minutes until kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in corn tortillas and bring to a simmer, simmering for about 10 minutes until the liquid has boiled down. Remove enchiladas from heat and let set up 10 additional minutes before serving.
- Top with jalapeño, cilantro, and green onions.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Liz says
This is absolutely dreamy! I think I’ll be cooking this up every night for some time, as my husband and teenage son love it too. I crushed 4 oz of corn chips with my hand, since I couldn’t find any corn tortillas at the store, and that worked nicely too.
Thank you so much for sharing your lovely recipe with all of us, you are lovely!!
Liz
Kitty says
I don’t have a cast iron skillet. Will there be that large of a difference in the finished dish using a nonstick skillet instead?
Rob says
Yes. Your enchiladas will slide right out of the pan while cooking. The finished dish will be a mess on the floor. All will be sad.
Tina L. says
Kitty, a regular non-stick skillet is fine. I just made it in one. With stove top cooking I think the difference would be that people usually use the cast iron skillet also as a serving dish.
Roberta says
I tried this recipe. It was amazing thank you so much my whole family loved it ????
Daniel says
Love this! My partner and I have been cooking vegan meals together for three years now, and this is our new household favorite.
Robin says
Thank you for this recipe! It’s absolutely delicious and my whole family loves it, including my two kids! We have a squash allergy in the family, so I substituted sweet potatoes for the squash and it was great! This recipe is naturally vegan, so it’s great for both vegans and people who aren’t vegan.
Kris Porter says
Made this last night and my wife said it was the best thing I’ve ever cooked! Delicious and great to bring to lunch the next day.
Teresa Swaffar Moore says
This is delicious but makes a great deal for a single vegan in the family. Quick and easy with easy to find ingredients. Very economical as well. I’m sure a family would devour the whole skillet, but even planning to take some for lunch the next day, I have quite a bit leftover. What is the best way to store for at least a couple of days between meals?
Jennifer Braun says
This was a huge hit for my four kiddos who can be quite the picky eaters. They all asked if we could have it again tomorrow. The flavors in this recipe are delicious. We added black olives and tomatoes at the end. It was fantastic!
Sarah says
I’m glad to hear that! I know exactly how that goes with picky eaters!
Heather says
This was a hit for everyone, including the meat eaters 🙂 I used our stainless steel skillet and green enchilada sauce because it’s what we had on hand and it was delicious! (My husband melted some cheese on top of his 😉 This will definitely be part of the meal rotation at our house!
Sarah says
Awesome! Glad it was a hit!
Kathryn Semrau says
Is it possible to print just the recipe and not the whole article. I’m on a limited budget and cannot afford all the ink for 7-8 pages of ads.
Sarah says
I do not have 7-8 pages of ads running my website. The ads I do run on my website help me continue to create recipes that are 100% free to readers like you. If you do not want to print out the images and content there is a yellow print button underneath the image in the recipe card that will allow you to just print the recipe.