Dried Ancho chilies bring authentic flavor to this plant-based Mexican entrée. Healthy, gluten-free red quinoa provides the base for the hearty filling. This makes the perfect vegan dinner for a crowd – they’ll be begging for more!
Serve with 5 Minute Guacamole, Spicy-Sweet Raw Pineapple Salsa, Jicama Salad, and Mexican Chocolate Sauce.
- Medium
- Servings: 6
- Ready In: 60 minutes
- Yield: 12 enchiladas
Creating a Authentic Mexican Enchiladas
Enchiladas are one of my favorite dishes to order in a Mexican restaurant. I love when 3 tortillas come out, filled with a hearty filling and covered in spicy sauce. There’s something about tasting that warm combination of burrito + sauce that is pure comfort food. Even in this whole foods, plant-based version of the dish, I needed to keep that authentic flavor.
What are Enchiladas?
Enchilada literally translates “dipped in chili”. Since they originated in Mexico, the basic components were a tortilla, stuffed with meat, beans, or cheese, and dipped in a chili sauce. They typically come in two colors: Rojas (red) and Verdes (green). The red color comes from the red chilis (usually ancho and pasilla) that create the sauce. The green color comes from tomatillos, the base for salsa verde.
I adapted this authentic Mexican Salsa Roja recipe from Rick Bayless, a Chicago-based chef who specializes in traditional Mexican cuisine. His recipe uses it as a sauce for pork, but, like most salsas, you can use it for tacos, tostadas, or enchiladas.
Authentic Salsa Rojo: Ancho Chilies
The recipe starts with dried Ancho Chilies as the base. Ancho chilies are smoked, dried poblano peppers. They have a relatively mild spicy flavor. Yet, they offer a deep smokiness and dark red color. Adding red onion and fresh red bell pepper helps add sweetness to the Salsa Rojo.
You can adapt your salsa rojo to fit your tastes. For more smoky spice, add in a dried chipotle pepper (or two). For less heat, reduce the amount of Ancho peppers and use more fresh, sweet red bell peppers. Even fresh tomatoes can replace the onions if you want less heat. This is particularly helpful when cooking for kids.
For an even quicker version of Salsa Rojo, check out the recipe I use for my quick Easy Red Enchilada Black Bean Mexican Casserole. I used canned fire-roasted tomatoes for the base of the sauce.
Creating Delicious Whole Foods, Plant-Based Red Enchiladas Rojas
In order to transform regular enchiladas into a plant-based recipe, I had to consider a few essentials of the original dish:
- Red Salsa Roja: This is the hallmark sauce for red enchiladas. It’s worth the time and energy to make your own salsa. You can always make a double batch and freeze extras for future meals.
- Corn Tortillas: Again, this is essential to authentic Mexican enchiladas. While some parts of northern Mexico use flour tortillas, corn dominates through most of the country. Choosing a high-quality corn tortilla means fewer ingredients. All you need are corn, lime, and salt.
- Plant-Based Filling: For the enchilada filling, I wanted something hearty, satisfying, and typical of Mexican cuisine. Red quinoa, red bell pepper, and red onions fit the Salsa Rojo red theme. However, you could also use pinto beans, butternut squash, or mushrooms. All of these ingredients are common in Mexican cooking.
Red Quinoa creates the base for the filling in these vegan enchiladas 
Good-quality corn tortillas create the layers for this healthy, gluten-free, plant-based Mexican casserole
Easy Enchilada Assembly
That’s it! Once you have the basic components, you layer it together into a hearty, satisfying casserole. This recipe is:
- Hearty and Satisfying
- Full of Mexican Flavor
- Freezer-Friendly
- Great for Batch Cooking
- Budget-Friendly
I hope you enjoy this recipe! I think you will love how it brings the flavors of Mexico to your kitchen in a healthy, plant-based, approachable way.
For more Plant-Based Mexican Recipes: Authentic Mexican Recipes: Oil-Free Plant-Based Vegan Dishes
For more Quinoa Tips and Recipes: Quinoa Cooking, Rinsing, and Recipes to Get you Started
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips:
Authentic Mexican Spices: Dried spices like ground paprika and ground cumin help add authentic Mexican flavor to any dish. However, if you want to save cabinet space, you can substitute a store-bought Mexican or taco spice mix. Look for a salt-free or no-sodium blend. Use 2 1/2 teaspoons, in place of the paprika, cumin, and coriander.
Kid-Friendly: This dish is very kid-friendly. However, kids can be more sensitive to heat. You may need to scale down the amount of Ancho chilies when making this for kids.
Tortilla Dip: Dipping the tortillas in the Roja Sauce makes helps keep the tortillas pliable and evenly distributes the flavor. For a quicker version of this recipe, make a big batch of the salsa ahead of time and save for future enchilada dinners.
Gluten-Free: Quinoa, peppers, and corn tortillas are naturally a gluten-free food, which makes this a hearty gluten-free vegan recipe. You can also use cooked red potatoes, sweet potatoes, black beans, and mushrooms for the plant-based filling.
Single and Smaller Portions: For smaller portions of this recipe, assemble the enchiladas into smaller pans. Don’t cover completely with sauce. However, do wrap the pans in foil or plastic wrap. When ready to eat, pour on extra sauce and bake at 350F until hot, 12-15 minutes.
Lasagna Casserole Version: For a lasagna casserole version of this recipe, layer the tortillas with the filling like a lasagna. Check out Salsa Verdes Black Bean Enchilada Mexican Plant-Based Casserole for tips on how to do this.
Oil-Free: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oils. This recipe skips oil and uses parchment paper to keep the bars from sticking to the pan. This makes a healthy, low-calorie recipe.
Piles of ancho chili peppers await you at the many Mexico City markets – August 2019 
Tortillas Cooking in Guatemala Market – Photo 
Cook red quinoa about 12 minutes, until it “pops” open
Watch to Learn More:
Red Quinoa Enchiladas Rojas
Red Quinoa Enchiladas Rojas
Ingredients
For Ancho Roja Sauce:
- 4 dried Ancho chile pods about 1.5 oz
- 1 red onion cut into large chunks
- 2 red bell peppers cut into large chunks
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups hot water as needed
For Red Quinoa Enchiladas Rojas:
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1/2 tablespoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup uncooked red quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
To make the Ancho Salsa Roja:
- Toast the Ancho chilies in a large, dry sauté pan over medium-high heat until aromatic, about 2 minutes each side. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl. Cover with 1 1/2 cups hot water. Place the red onion and red bell pepper in the sauté pan and cook until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Transfer the red onion, pepper, and garlic to the bowl with the Ancho chilies. Make sure the chilies are fully submerged in the water. Set aside for about 20 minutes, while you prepare the enchiladas filling.
To make the Red Quinoa Enchilada Filling:
- Use the same sauté pan used to toast the Ancho peppers. Add the diced red bell pepper, red onion, cumin, and paprika. Sauté over medium heat just until onions start to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. When onions and peppers start to stick to the bottom of the pan, you’re ready for the quinoa.
- Add the red quinoa to the pan. Stir well and continue cooking over medium heat 2-3 minutes, to toast the quinoa. Add 2 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Cook until the quinoa is done, about 12 minutes. The quinoa will be ready when it “pops” open. Remove the lid to cook off any excess moisture. Salt to taste and set aside until ready to assemble enchiladas.
- To finish the Ancho Salsa Roja: Remove the dried Anchoes from the soaking liquid. Remove the stems and scrape out the seeds. Tear into large pieces. Place the anchoes in a blender along with the charred onion, pepper, and garlic. Add the red wine vinegar, salt, and about 1 cup of soaking water. Puree until smooth. Add more water, as needed, to reach a smooth, pourable consistency. Taste to adjust seasoning.
To assemble the Red Quinoa Enchiladas:
- Place your tortillas in the 350F oven for 3-5 minutes, to soften. Remove from the oven and wrap in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.Spread about 1/2 cup of the Ancho Chile Salsa into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stir another 1/2 cup into the Red Quinoa filling mixture. On a small plate, pour another 1/4 cup of the Ancho Chile Salsa. This is your “coating” station. Take one tortilla and dip it on the plate. Flip over, coating both sides with the Ancho Chile Salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the quinoa mixture into a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla. Place the tortilla in the sauced baking dish, seam-side-down. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas.
- Spoon extra Ancho Chili sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Cover bake in the oven 10-12 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.
- Yield: 12 enchiladas
Notes
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 6.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 270 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 5 g | 7 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 215 mg | 9 % |
| Potassium 350 mg | 10 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 51 g | 17 % |
| Dietary Fiber 9 g | 36 % |
| Sugars 6 g | |
| Protein 8 g | 16 % |
| Vitamin A | 59 % |
| Vitamin C | 45 % |
| Calcium | 4 % |
| Iron | 22 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping and Gear List
- Dried Ancho Chiles Peppers 4 oz, Great For Sauce, Chili, Stews, Soups, Mole, Tamales, Salsa and Mexican Recipes By Ole Mission
- truRoots Organic Red Quinoa, 12 Ounce
- Artisan Spanish smoked paprika, Pimenton from La Vera region.
- The Spice Way – Mexican Seasoning Spice Blend
- Simply Organic, Cumin, 2.31 oz
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This looks delicious! How can you substitute fresh Ancho peppers in this recipe?
Ancho peppers come from fresh poblano peppers. There’s no such thing as a “fresh Ancho”. Don’t ask me why they get a new name just because they get dried out, haha! You can substitute with fresh bell peppers (stick with red, yellow, or orange to keep the red color). I do this for clients who need less spice. Use 2 fresh peppers instead of the Anchoes. Still char or grill the peppers until darkened on the outside – more flavor 🙂