A simple vegetarian potato enchilada recipe that turns simple, inexpensive ingredients into a bubbling pan of tasty Tex Mex style comfort food! Cheesy, filling and easy to scale up for a crowd, this is a great way to use up lots of potatoes.
Every year we grow a batch of potatoes in our garden, and every year I am totally overwhelmed when they show in huge volumes. Some great things have come from the potato overloads! Two of my most popular recipes, my Cheesy Veggie Potato Bake and The Best Vegetarian Potato Soup, have come from such times. This year I am kicking off with these potato enchiladas!
These enchiladas are simple and hearty. We make a filling out of potatoes which we saute and semi-mash, before adding green chiles, cheese and sour cream to the mix. It’s creamy and gooey and delightful. With lots of red sauce to bring moisture and a hit of flavor and spice, and a cheesy topping for delightful crispy texture.
Ingredient Tips & Swaps
- Potatoes! Mine are simple white homegrown potatoes. I would not hesitate to swap 25-50% of the white potatoes for sweet potatoes if you have them available.
- I use a canned enchilada sauce here, but if you want to make your own, I like this recipe from Budget Bytes.
- The cheeses are pretty flexible. I use cheddar for the filling (for its flavor) and mozzarella for the topping (for its melty crisping qualities), but you can change this up as you wish or use a Mexican blend for either/both.
- The green chiles are a supermarket staple in the US, but if you’re in the UK you can buy jarred green chilis that are stored in brine for a similar flavor – you would just need to chop and de-seed them yourself.
- Sour cream could be replaced with greek yogurt if you want to lighten things up.
- I am a fan of corn tortillas for enchiladas, and in this recipe I like to fry them up a little before rolling. It helps bring out the flavor and it avoids them getting as soggy. If you want to use flour tortillas, go ahead, it’s just not my fave. Using corn tortillas will also keep the recipe gluten free.
Finishing Touches: Toppings and Side Dishes
There’s no two ways about it, we are doubling up on carbs here so everything is a little soft and a little heavy. The magic happens when we add the right toppings and side dishes, so we need to be thoughtful about this. For me, a little crunch and zing is what we’re looking for.
My thoughts:
- Some fresh, zingy pico de gallo makes a perfect topping against the heaviness of the enchiladas. If you live in the US and can source a tub of the pre-made stuff, go for that. Otherwise, you’ll get a similar effect if you just scatter some chopped cherry tomatoes, red onions, and cilantro (fresh coriander) on top, as I did with the enchiladas pictured.
- I’d also love this with Cherry Tomato & Avocado Salsa <– this recipe uses green cherry tomatoes but you can use any!
- I also definitely recommend lots of sour cream or crema for topping – the moisture is very welcome.
- Another great idea would be to throw a pile of taco slaw over the top. The slaw in my Potato Tacos recipe would be perfect, and it’s super easy. Unconventional, yes, but quite perfect for these particular enchiladas.
- For a side salad, this Vegetarian Taco Salad with Crispy Chickpeas would be great. All the fresh flavors would be the perfect contrast.
- If you want to serve it with rice, try my Feta & Kale Rice which incorporates juicy fresh kale to lighten things up. A couple of swaps will make it fit into a more Mexican vibe: lime instead of lemon, 1/2 teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin instead of the dill and mint, and add lots of finely chopped cilantro at the end. (If you make this, I would personally leave the crispy topping off of the enchiladas to avoid a complete cheese overload but that’s up to you!)
Potato Enchiladas
A simple vegetarian potato enchilada recipe that turns simple, inexpensive ingredients into a bubbling pan of tasty Tex Mex style comfort food! Cheesy, filling and easy to scale up for a crowd, this is a great way to use up lots of potatoes.
Ingredients
- 8-10 6 inch corn tortillas
- 10 oz can of enchilada sauce
- 1 lb (450 g) potatoes, peeled and diced
- ½ onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic , crushed
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- salt and pepper, to taste – be generous!
- 4 oz (115 g) can green chiles, drained but not rinsed
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, or Mexican blend
- ½ cup sour cream
- 0.5 cup grated mozzarella, or another good melting cheese, for topping
Instructions
- Heat a little olive oil in a large saute pan / deep sided frying pan. Add the onions and saute until they are slightly soft, then add the garlic and potatoes. Saute until the garlic is fragrant.1/2 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 lb potatoes
- Add the cumin and mix through the pan for just a few moments until the scent is released. Don't linger here – we don't want the cumin and garlic to burn!1 tsp cumin
- Add half of the vegetable broth, lots of salt and pepper, then cover the pan. Allow the potatoes to cook for about 15-20 minutes until they are soft and breaking down. The broth will be absorbed by the potatoes and mostly disappear. You want to lift the lid often to stir and add more broth if the pan dries out too much.1 cup vegetable broth, salt and pepper
- Get the oven preheating to 180C / 360F.
- Once the potatoes are soft, use a spoon to smush them up a little. Add the green chiles, cheese and sour cream to the pan and mix through, continuing to mash the potatoes down. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.4 oz can green chiles, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream
- Time to roll the enchiladas! Lightly fry each corn tortilla until slightly browned but still flexible, then scoop in potato filling, roll up and place in an oiled pan.If you're using flour tortillas, don't fry them, just gently warm them in a dry pan to make them pliable. I haven't added sauce to the bottom of the pan, just to encourage the corn tortillas to stay more firm, but you can if you wish – and you definitely should if you're using flour tortillas.8-10 6 inch corn tortillas
- Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and allow it to pool at the sides of the pan. Sprinkle cheese over the top.10 oz can of enchilada sauce, 0.5 cup grated mozzarella
- Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then serve, with your choice of toppings and side dishes.
Calories: 464kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 1276mg, Potassium: 716mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1201IU, Vitamin C: 36mg, Calcium: 379mg, Iron: 3mg