This vegetarian enchilada soup tastes just like ... you guessed it: enchiladas, but in soup form. Not only is it super tasty, it’s much quicker and easier than traditional enchiladas as it can be ready in just 20 minutes! It’s a super lazy, freezer friendly and filling meal that costs less than two dollars a serving.
Soup season is almost over but I figured I’d squeeze in just one more hot one before we all start craving pasta salads and gazpacho. I do love all things Mexican with cumin, cilantro and chili peppers being three of my favourite things EVER.
They all come together with black beans, sweet potato and red pepper in this wonderful vegetarian enchilada soup (it’s actually vegan but more people search for “vegetarian enchilada soup” than vegan. Shhhh, don’t tell).
Enchiladas are great and, like tacos, you can stuff pretty much anything in them. My favourite combination has always been black beans and sweet potatoes and so it was my first thought when developing this enchilada soup recipe.
However, this soup is so easy to adapt, feel free to throw in whatever you happen to have in your fridge. I found half a red pepper chilling out in the back of the crisper so he went in. Zucchini, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, whatever ... it’s all good in this soup!
The key to making this a vegetarian enchilada soup and not just a regular old vegetable tomato soup is the enchilada sauce. That’s what gives it its special enchilada flavour.
If you usually buy enchilada sauce in a jar then you’ll be mad at yourself when you find out just how quick and easy it is to make at home. Simply puree tomato sauce with onion, garlic, chili and some typical Mexican spices and you’ve got a homemade enchilada sauce to use on all your enchiladas and in this delicious soup!
As always I recommend cooking your beans from dry because it’s cheaper. Think about batch cooking them on the weekend and freezing to have ready any day of the week.
This soup can also be batch cooked and frozen as it’s freezer friendly (without the tortilla chips and cilantro). Simply let it thaw overnight in the fridge then re-heat it in a pot and add the crispy baked tortilla slices and some fresh cilantro or avocado on top.
Got leftovers? Use them in these recipes
Tortillas and cilantro: Make-ahead vegan breakfast tacos
Cilantro and green chili: Tofu banh mi vegan sliders
Wanna see how easy it is to make this vegetarian enchilada soup? Watch the video!:
Vegetarian Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion ¼ roughly chopped and the rest minced - $0.30
- 3 cloves of garlic one roughly chopped and two minced - $0.09
- 1 cup (240 ml) tomato sauce - $0.40
- 1 long green chili pepper about ¾ of it roughly chopped and the rest finely sliced - $0.48
- ½ teaspoon chili powder - $0.05
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin - $0.05
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano - $0.05
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme - $0.01
- 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable stock - $1.80
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and small diced - $1.28
- 1 can (340 grams / 12 oz) corn - $0.65
- 3 cups cooked black beans canned or cooked from 1 cup / 200 grams dried - $0.52
- ½ a red pepper diced - $0.90
- 2 small tortillas flour or corn for gf option, cut into strips - $0.25
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste $0.03
- A small bunch of cilantro - $0.05
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat and add a splash of water. Add the minced onion and minced garlic and sautee until soft and transparent.
- Meanwhile, prepare the enchilada sauce by blending the tomato sauce, ¼ roughly chopped onion, 1 roughly chopped clove of garlic, ¾ roughly chopped chili pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and thyme in a food processor or blender.
- When the onions are ready, add the sweet potato, vegetable stock and enchilada sauce to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Meanwhile, place the tortilla strips on a baking pan and bake until crispy, just a minute or two. Watch them carefully so that they don’t burn.
- When the sweet potatoes are ready, add the black beans, corn and red pepper and simmer for a couple more minutes to heat through. Add salt to taste.
- Serve the soup with the crispy tortilla chips, a sprinkling of cilantro and the reserved ¼ thinly sliced chili pepper on top.
Notes
Nutrition
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Suki Zhu says
This recipe is a winner!! Low in cost, abundant in flavor!! I added sliced avocado to mine...mind blown and tastebuds explosions!! Big kudos to the enchilada sauce recipe, you're right! I will never buy enchilada sauce in a can ever again.
Savannag says
I just made this and OMG was it delicious. I didn't know if I should drain my can of beans, so I went ahead and drained off most of the liquid. I'm glad I did, otherwise it would have been too runny. Without the extra bean liquid, the soup had the perfect consistency. I tipped mine with half an avocado, some cilantro, a little bit of nutritional yeast and some extra salt. I think this is going to be a great soup for camping too!
Kathleen says
Looks great, I'm going to try it. Please encourage your readers to cook their own beans. Make an investment in a decent pressure cooker and make a large batch to eat and freeze. Cans generate garbage and have chemicals sprayed into them that leach into the food. Dry beans are cheaper, too.
ShilpaR says
Has anyone tried to add mexican seasoned pinto beans to the recipe? I am planning to make it this weekend and usually have my vegetarian enchilados with pinto beans.