Creamy Eggplant Lentil Enchiladas (Vegan!)

These vegan eggplant and lentil enchiladas feature lentils and eggplant tossed in creamy, cheesy cashew sauce and a spicy red enchilada sauce on top. 

I have a cookbook addiction! (Shocking, I know.) Whenever I have a spare moment, I find myself flipping through some recipe collection or other, finding inspiration for the blog. The Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks are perennial favourites. When I moved out for the first time in 2016, I purchased the original Moosewood cookbook by Mollie Katzen, and I have found immense pleasure and comfort in reading and cooking from it over the years. 

One of the recipes in that original Moosewood cookbook is eggplant almond enchiladas. I had always been intrigued by using eggplant as an enchilada filling, since I had only ever made enchiladas with the typical black or pinto bean and vegetable combination. So, when we ended up with eggplant in our community supported agriculture box a couple of weeks ago, I had the perfect opportunity to try my hand at an eggplant enchilada recipe of my own! My family and I were very pleased with how they turned out. They are healthy comfort food at its finest and perfect for this transition between summer and fall. 

ingredients you’ll need 

• For the lentil and vegetable mixture: Extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, eggplant, salt, pepper, chili flakes, cooked lentils, basil, cilantro, and green olives.
• For the cheesy cashew cream: Soaked raw cashews, lemon juice, water, sea salt, garlic, and nutritional yeast. 
• For the enchilada sauce: Olive oil, onion, garlic, sea salt, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and crushed tomatoes. 
• Plus 12 small corn or wheat tortillas. 
• For the magic green sauce: Lime juice, avocado, tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, cilantro, basil, and water. 
• For topping: Quick Pickled Jalapeños, if desired. 

Step By Step Instructions

1. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the remaining salt, freshly ground black pepper, chili flakes, and eggplant. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and cook for five more minutes. Stir in the lentils, basil, cilantro, and olives and remove from the heat.
2. Make the cheesy cashew cream: Add the cashews, lemon juice, water, salt garlic, and nutritional yeast to a blender. Blend until smooth and transfer to a container or jar. 
3. Make the enchilada sauce: In a skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until nicely browned. Add salt, pepper, cumin chili powder, and oregano. Cook a couple more minutes to brown the spices before adding the crushed tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook until it thickens slightly. Remove from the heat. 
4. Pour the cheesy cashew cream over the lentil vegetable mixture and stir to incorporate. 
5. Assemble the enchiladas: Place a heaping ⅓ cup of the filling down the middle of a tortilla, roll up, and place in a lightly greased baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. (You will need 2 9×13-inch baking dishes to fit all of the enchiladas.)
6. Pour the enchilada sauce over top. 
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. 
8. Make the magic green sauce: Place the lime juice, avocado, tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, cilantro, basil, and water in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Note that the magic green sauce is one of those multi-purpose sauces that goes well on just about everything!
9. Serve the magic green sauce alongside the enchiladas. 

Ingredient Substitutions

• You can use 3 cups of cooked black or pinto beans in place of the lentils, if desired. 
• For nut-free enchiladas, use 1 cup of soaked and drained sunflower seeds instead of cashews in the cheesy cream sauce. 

More Mexican-Inspired Vegan Recipes

• Cilantro Jalapeño Avocado Pesto Pasta with Corn and Beans 
• Chipotle Pinto Bean Enchiladas
• Cauliflower Walnut Taco Meat

I hope that you have all had a great weekend, by the way! And, of course, I hope that you love these creamy eggplant and lentil enchiladas. If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post, and, if you share a photo to Instagram, tag me @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen! 

Enjoy! 

Creamy Eggplant Lentil Enchiladas (Vegan!)

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• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 12 enchiladas, 6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

These vegan eggplant and lentil enchiladas feature lentils and eggplant tossed in creamy, cheesy cashew sauce and a spicy red enchilada sauce on top.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Vegetables and Lentils

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ tsp chili flakes
• 6 cups diced eggplant (from 1 medium eggplant, ½-inch dice)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 cups cooked black (beluga) lentils (from 1 cup dry lentils)
• 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• ⅓ cup pitted green olives, finely chopped (optional)

Cheesy Cashew Cream Sauce

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked and drained
• ½ cup water
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ tsp fine sea salt

Enchilada Sauce

• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 ½ tsp chili powder (the mild kind)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes (see note)

For Assembling

• 12 small (4-6-inch) corn or flour tortillas

Magic Green Sauce (for serving)

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ripe avocado
• Big spoonful of tahini
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Big handful each fresh cilantro and fresh basil
• ½ cup water

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Instructions

1. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the remaining salt, freshly ground black pepper, chili flakes, and eggplant. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and cook for five more minutes. Stir in the lentils, basil, cilantro, and olives and remove from the heat.
2. Make the cheesy cashew cream: Add the cashews, lemon juice, water, salt garlic, and nutritional yeast to a blender. Blend until smooth and transfer to a container or jar. If need be, add up to 3 tablespoon more water to help it along. The cream should be thick but still pourable.
3. Make the enchilada sauce: In a skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a tiny pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until nicely browned. Add salt, pepper, cumin chili powder, and oregano. Cook a couple more minutes to brown the spices before adding the crushed tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook until it thickens slightly. Remove from the heat.
4. Pour the cheesy cashew cream over the lentil vegetable mixture and stir to incorporate.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil two 9×13-inch baking dishes.
6. Assemble the enchiladas: Place a heaping ⅓ cup of the filling down the middle of a tortilla, roll up, and place in a lightly greased baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. (You will need 2 9×13-inch baking dishes to fit all of the enchiladas.)
7. Pour the enchilada sauce over top.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
9. Make the magic green sauce: Place the lime juice, avocado, tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, cilantro, basil, and water in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
10. Serve the magic green sauce alongside the enchiladas, and top the enchiladas with quick pickled jalapeños, if desired.

Notes

Cashews need to be soaked in boiling water for at least 45 minutes before making the cashew cream. This softens them, making them easier to blend, and also enhances their digestibility!

If you are unable to find black lentils, you may use brown, green, or French green lentils instead.

The brand of crushed tomatoes that I use is Eden Organic, which comes in a glass jar. If you are unable to find crushed tomatoes, you can probably use tomato sauce instead.

If you happen to have any leftover lentil eggplant filling, store it in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy at lunch the next day.

You will need 2 9×13-inch baking pans for this recipe. However, I only have one, so I used one 9×13-inch pan and 2 8×8-inch pans, which you can do in a pinch, too!

The inspiration for this recipe came from the Eggplant Almond Enchiladas in the Moosewood Cookbook: 40th Anniversary Edition by Mollie Katzen, and the enchilada sauce is lightly adapted from that recipe.

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Supper, Lunch
• Cuisine: Mexican