These easy halloumi enchiladas will be the perfect midweek dinner when you are craving Mexican flavors! Beans and lightly fried halloumi are rolled in tortillas, baked until crisp, and smothered with smoky enchilada sauce for a tasty and hearty vegetarian meal.
Halloumi cheese is an absolute favorite around here, and while it’s very much a European cheese (from Cyprus, to be precise) I love working it into other international cuisines. Halloumi tacos have been a winner around here, so why not enchiladas?
It works so nicely! We have a strip of lightly fried halloumi stuffed into each tortilla with a smear of creamy refried beans. Compared to most vegetarian enchiladas which are packed with soft fillings like spinach, beans and cheese, these have some extra “bite” to them, thanks to the tender halloumi strips.
These enchiladas make a really simple meal, with only four ingredients required if you’re using ready made sauce and refried beans (though feel free to go fully homemade!) plus whatever toppings you wish to add. The only prep you need to do is to lightly fry the strips of halloumi. This is very weeknight friendly!
Good to Know: Ingredient & Recipe Tips
- Corn tortillas (15cm or 6 inch size) are your friend here! They are more sturdy and flavorful than flour tortillas but if flour is all you have, no worries. Just use small taco sized tortillas and don’t pre-bake them before adding the sauce, just add the sauce straight away.
- If you’re UK based and looking for corn tortillas, there are plenty on Amazon, but lately I am preferring to order from Masa Tortillas. They are the softest I’ve been able to find, less likely to split and crumble when you roll them. They are NOT the ones pictured here, which did in fact crumble and split, like, A LOT.
- I use canned refried beans here, but if you have a slow cooker try making your own refried beans! And if refried beans are just not gonna happen for you, toss some drained black beans with salsa and use that instead.
- I also use canned enchilada sauce, but I have a simple enchilada sauce recipe here if you want to make your own. For maximum ease you can even try a blender enchilada sauce.
- One block of halloumi yields 10 enchiladas, you can of course double this recipe to feed a crowd.
Toppings and Serving Suggestions
- I love avocado slices and sour cream to top these enchiladas; you can also add things like olives and diced red or green onion.
- I don’t add cheese to the topping, preferring to let the halloumi be the only cheese, but you certainly can add some melty cheese to the top (you’ll need to cook it a little longer in Step 4 to get the cheese well melted and crisp) or some crumbled cheese (feta, cojita, etc) once it’s out of the oven.
- Serve alongside rice or a salad to make a complete meal out of this dish. This Sauteed Kale Salad or Easy Smoky Roasted Corn Salad with Avocado & Mozzarella would work well if you want to go down the salad route.
More Vegetarian Enchilada Ideas
Halloumi Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 8 oz halloumi, cut into 10 strips (cut once widthways, then 5x lengthways)
- 1 cup refried beans, a little less than 1 can
- 1 can (350 ml) enchilada sauce, see notes
- 10 corn tortillas, 13-15cm (5-6 inch) size
Instructions
- Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a frying pan, then lightly fry your halloumi strips until they are just barely starting to brown. Don't cook them any more than this or they might dry out when they go into the oven.
- Heat a tortilla individually (either in a dry frying pan or over a naked flame) for a few moments to soften it up and make it pliable. Cover with a smear of refried beans, then add one strip of halloumi and roll it up. Place in the pan and repeat until all of the halloumi is used up.
- Once all of the enchiladas are rolled and in the pan, brush lightly with oil and place in the oven for 15 minutes, until the tortillas are lightly browned and crisp.
- Pour the sauce over the top of the enchiladas and place in the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the sauce is piping hot.
- Remove from the oven, add your toppings and serve immediately.
