This is hands down my favorite enchilada recipe. When I make enchiladas, I don’t bother with other recipes because this mushroom lentil enchiladas recipe is the best! The caramalized swiss cheese is enough to make me swoon!
I have posted a similar recipe before (find it here), but I have improved upon it by adding some subtle spices that round out the earthiness of the mushrooms and lentils. Seriously guys. Best. Enchiladas. EVER!
In this recipe I use green salsa, which is very salty. It makes this recipe absolutely delicious, and a little (or a lot) high in sodium. Therefore, I don’t use any additional salt (which is usually a standard ingredient).
I always keep frozen spinach on hand to add nutrition to any meal. I also use cauliflower as a low carb filler in these enchiladas. Feel free to swap these out for other vegetables. Check out the variations below for examples.
Variations to the Mushroom Lentil Enchiladas recipe:
- Reduce sodum: Try enchilada sauce in place of the green salsa, or compare sodium in different brands of green salsa. Some are high, so watching nutrition labels here can really help to reduce sodium.
- Veggies Swap: The main ingredients for this recipe are the mushrooms and lentils. I add cauliflower and spinach to fill the recipe out, without adding too many carbs. You can really use any vegetable you have, even high carb ones if that is your preference. I have tried potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and zucchini when I don’t have the other options, all with success.
- Extra filling: If you have extra filling, freeze it and use to make stuffed peppers or on-the-fly quesadillas! Sometimes I have only a little extra, and I’ll keep adding it to a box in the freezer until I have enough for an easy lunch.
- ½ cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
- 1 large onion chopped, about 2 cups
- Splash olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup diced cauliflower (or use cauliflower "rice")
- ½ cup cooked or frozen spinach (2-3 handfuls fresh)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp each: cumin and chili powder
- ¼ tsp each: black pepper and red pepper flake
- 1 cup green salsa, divided
- 1 ¼ cups shredded swiss cheese, divided
- 8 small (6-in) tortillas, whole wheat if available
- Hot sauce and sour cream, for serving (if desired)
- Combine rinsed lentils with enough water to cover by an inch. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, combine onion with a splash of olive oil in a large skillet. Saute until the onion starts to go translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and cauliflower to the pan. Saute covered until the mushrooms release their liquid. Uncover and mix in spinach, garlic, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and red pepper flake. Saute until the liquid has evaporate (and the spinach is thawed if you used frozen).
- Mix ⅓ cup green salsa and ¼ cup shredded swiss, and the cooked lentils into the filling. Taste test and adjust spices to your taste (salt will seem lacking at this point, so check how much sodium is in your salsa before adding more salt).
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Pour ⅓ cup green salsa down the center of a 9x13 inch pan.
- Divide the filling into 8 portions. Spoon each into a tortilla, rolling it up and placing it seem side down in the salsa in the baking pan.
- Top the enchiladas with the remaining salsa and then remaining cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
Alison, this makes a wonderful meal! The filling is creamy and robust, the top has good texture. We backed off a little on the heat. No extra salt was needed. This will definitely be on our menu rotation!
Thanks for a great dinner tonight. Ellen
Ellen, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!