Fluffy quinoa is tossed with green chili enchilada sauce to create the base for these delicious, vegetarian enchilada bowls! Enjoy all of the tasty enchilada flavors you know and love in a healthy, gluten free bowl!
It's easy to mix up this recipe to make it vegan, low carb or add a protein, like chicken or shrimp!
Turn all of your favorite Mexican foods into healthy bowls! Add this Enchilada Bowl to your menu, along with these recipes for Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls and Chipotle Cauliflower Taco Bowls!
How to make Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
The star of the show in these enchilada bowls is definitely the quinoa simmered in THE BEST Green Chili Enchilada Sauce. Luckily, all it takes to make this homemade green enchilada sauce recipe is two super simple steps!!
- Add vegetable broth, sour cream, avocado, green chilies and sriracha to a blender or food processor. Add lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper and cilantro.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
Seriously, it's THAT EASY to make an amazing green chili enchilada sauce and it's SO MUCH BETTER than the store bought stuff in a jar! Want to leave out the sour cream and make it vegan? Check out the notes below for how to do it!
How to make enchilada bowls
Enchilada bowls are basically deconstructed enchiladas. Simply take all of the ingredients from your favorite enchilada recipes, ditch the tortillas and add them to a bowl. It's as simple as that!
In this recipe, I added beans and veggies to create a vegetarian enchilada bowl, but you could easily add beef, chicken or your favorite enchilada filling.
Just follow these 4 easy steps to create an amazing enchilada bowl at home!
- Make the enchilada sauce. Add ingredients to a blender and puree!
- Create the base for the bowl. Simmer cooked quinoa in the green chili enchilada sauce on the stove over medium heat.
- Note: If you don't already have cooked quinoa on hand, check out this post for 3 Easy Ways to Make Quinoa, in a rice cooker, Instant Pot or on the stove!
- Add the protein or veggies. For this bowl, we're adding black beans and corn as our main ingredients. The black beans are seasoned with chili powder, cumin and salt and quickly heated in a sauce pan on the stove over medium heat. The corn kernels are cooked with sliced jalapenos in a skillet on the stove over high heat to give them a slight char.
- Add the toppings. This is where you can get really creative. There are so many topping options to keep your enchilada bowls fresh! Here are a few of my favorites.
- Queso Fresco
- Fresh Cilantro
- Sliced Avocado
- Diced Tomato
- Hot Sauce
- Sliced Black Olives
- Diced Bell Peppers
- Sliced Red Onions
- Sliced Jalapenos
Make It Vegan
- Use vegan sour cream to make the enchilada sauce. Vegan sour cream can be found in the refrigerated vegan section at your local grocery store, usually near the produce section.
- Omit the optional queso fresco on top of the bowls.
Make It Low Carb
- Replace the quinoa with cauliflower rice. This will save you 36 carbs per bowl, for a total of 45 carbs per bowl.
- To cut even more carbs, replace the corn with two cups of diced green bell peppers. Combining the cauliflower rice substitution with the bell pepper substitution will save you 56 carbs per bowl! With both of these substitutions each bowl is only 25 carbs.
Meal Prep It
- For storage: prepare the enchilada sauce and quinoa simmered in the enchilada sauce. Prepare the black beans and corn. Divide the quinoa between four plastic storage containers and top with the beans and corn. Place the diced tomatoes in a small container, then add them to the larger container. Wrap slices of avocado tightly in plastic wrap, then add them to the larger containers with the quinoa, beans and corn. Store any other optional toppings in small containers or plastic bags and add them to the larger containers.
- To reheat and eat: Remove all of the toppings from the larger containers. Heat the quinoa, beans and corn in the microwave for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and add the toppings, like diced tomatoes and sliced avocado.
Add A Protein
- For a plant based protein addition to this bowl, add an extra 15 oz can of black beans, which will add ½ cup of additional beans to each bowl. This will add 7 grams of protein to each bowl for a total of 25 grams of protein per bowl. You can also add vegan taco meat. Adding ½ cup of this delicious plant-based meat substitute will add 6 grams of protein to each bowl.
- For a meat based protein option, add shredded rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken to make a chicken enchilada bowl. If adding grilled chicken, I recommend seasoning one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with ½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin and ¼ tsp salt. Cook chicken on the grill for 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Dice the chicken and add it to the bowls. Dividing 1 pound of chicken between four bowls, means adding 4 oz of chicken to each bowl. This equals 25 grams of additional protein per bowl for a total of 43 grams of protein per bowl.
- For other meat based protein options, try adding this Chili Lime Grilled Shrimp or this Slow Cooker Shredded Beef to these enchilada bowls.
More quinoa bowls
Looking for more delicious quinoa bowls? Check out these easy recipes!
- Elote Bowls
- Indian Cauliflower Bowl with Roasted Chickpeas
- Greek Chicken Quinoa Bowls
- Italian Roasted Butternut Squash Bowl
- Chipotle Cauliflower Vegan Taco Bowl
Vegetarian Enchilada Bowls with Green Chili Enchilada Sauce
Fluffy quinoa is tossed with green chili enchilada sauce to create the base for these delicious, gluten free, vegetarian enchilada bowls!
Servings 4 bowls
Calories 507kcal
Ingredients
Creamy Green Enchilada Sauce
- ⅓ cup vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- ½ avocado peeled & de-seeded
- 2 oz diced green chilies
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp lime juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
Bowls
- 4 cups cooked quinoa
- 15 oz can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 16 oz corn kernels frozen, canned or fresh
- 2 jalapeno peppers sliced
Optional Toppings
- ¼ cup queso fresco crumbled
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 tomato diced
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the creamy green enchilada sauce to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- In a medium sauce pan on the stove over medium heat, combine the cooked quinoa and enchilada sauce, let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the black beans to a separate sauce pan on the stove over medium heat.
- Season the black beans with the chili powder, cumin and salt, cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut oil to a large skillet on the stove over high heat.
- Add the corn kernels and sliced jalapenos, cook for 4-6 minutes or until the corn becomes slightly charred.
- Remove the quinoa, black beans and corn from the stove.
- Divide the quinoa between four bowls, top with the black beans and corn.
- Add the optional toppings of your choice.
Notes
- The nutritional information provided does not include the optional toppings.
- To make these bowls vegan, use a vegan sour cream to make the enchilada sauce and omit the optional queso fresco on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 1238mg | Potassium: 964mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 409mg | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 6mg
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