That’s my kind of bowl. Filling, full of different textures, spicy, loaded with plant protein and more importantly packed with flavor.
I called this recipe enchilada bowls because that’s what it’s all about: black beans, green lentils and rice in a luxurious chili-cheese sauce. Think of it like deconstructed enchiladas in a bowl.
And if you are worried about protein, each serving contains over 20g of protein!
I have been a little late on my posting schedule lately. I try to release recipes twice a week, Tuesday and Friday. The thing is sometimes I am not happy with the photos I take or just think of another background that would look better, or another bowl, etc… That’s what happened with this recipe, I struggled to take photos and I had to re-take them three times. And still, I’m not completely satisfied, I guess it’s part of the process of creating and releasing recipes. #foodbloggerproblems Anyway, back to these delicious bowls.
The tofu is marinated in soy sauce, maple syrup, almond butter and chili powder for at least 20 minutes to let it soak up all the flavors. Then it’s cooked for 7-8 minutes in a skillet. You can also bake the tofu at 300°F for 20 minutes if you prefer.
While the tofu marinates, you cook the rice and lentils, and then add the black beans. I used canned beans for convenience but if you have time you can make them from scratch, it can only be tastier. I love to combine multiple legumes and grains. First, because it makes the texture more interesting and secondly because you get complete proteins.
The enchilada sauce is a mix of browned onions, tomato sauce, chili, oregano and nutritional yeast to add a nice cheesy flavor.
Divide the beans into bowls and top with sliced avocado, chewy/crispy tofu and fresh parsley.
If you are looking for a healthy and satisfying meal, look no further. This recipe comes together in just 30 minutes and makes 4 generous servings. It’s a great and flavorful meal for a weeknight dinner. Plus leftovers reheat really well!
For more easy and healthy bowls, check out these Szechuan Noodles with King Oyster Scallops, Sesame Crusted Hoisin Tofu Bowls, or this 15-Minute Peanut Jackfruit Noodles!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Enchilada Power Bowls with Spicy Tofu
Enchiladas in a bowl! Flavorful, spicy, cheesy and very satisfying! The perfect meal for a weeknight dinner, ready in 30 minutes!
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Lentils, rice and beans
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/2 cup green lentils
- 2 and 1/2 cup water
- 1 15-oz can black beans
Tofu Marinade
- 7-ounces firm tofu
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, or tamari
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp almond butter
Enchilada Sauce
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 and 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tsp chili powder (2 if you like it more spicy)
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 avocados (optional but recommended)
Instructions
Lentils, rice, and beans
- Add the lentils, brown rice and water to a medium size saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the black beans and add them to the rice and lentils. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
Enchilada sauce!
- Heat two teaspoons of oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft and golden brown. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, spices, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, and salt to the saucepan and whisk until combined. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the rice, lentils and black beans to the enchilada sauce and mix until everything is well coated with the sauce.
Tofu
- Whisk together all the marinade ingredients together until combined.
- Drain the tofu very well. Line a plate with a paper towel, place the tofu on top, add another layer of paper towel and place something heavy on top. Press the tofu for 5-10 minutes. Cut it into cubes and add it to the sauce. Stir to coat and let marinate for at least 20 minutes.
- Heat some oil a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently until the tofu is light brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
Bowls
- Divide the enchilada mixture into 4 bowls, top with half an avocado (sliced or cubed) and tofu. Top with fresh parsley and serve.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 381
- Sugar: 10g
- Fat: 6.3g
- Carbohydrates: 62.8g
- Fiber: 18g
- Protein: 21.9g
How can you not be satisfied with these photos!? The colors are gorgeous!
I made this last night, and it was very delicious! It just took me longer than 30 minutes…
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback! I eyeballed the time required so it may not be completely accurate. Your challenge next time is to do it under 30 minutes 😉
Where (and what part of the grocery store) can you buy nutritional yeast? I’ve never used it before, thank you
You should find it in the seasonings section of the grocery store.
Do you have a Whole Foods or a Clarks Nutritional Store near you. They both carry it. If you have a Mothers or other health food store where you live, they probably carry it. If none of those are available, try Amazon.com!
★★★★★
I really loved this recipe and so easy to make. I would recommend you start with the sauce and marinating of the tofu while everything else is getting ready…Delish! Thanks so much
★★★★★
Great! Thanks for your rating Natalie!
I’ve seen it at Winn Dixie and maybe Walmart in the salad dressing isle.
I tried this recipe last week and LOVED IT! It’s a hearty, stick your ribs kinda bowl!! It was the perfect mid-day meal. I squeezed a bit a lemon over it for a hit of acid and …..Perfection. 🙂 It kept me going through my end of day run/workout and clear on through to dinner.
WINNER!
Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear you liked these bowls Cathleen!
Lots of carbs to fuel your workout! 🙂
You must be one of those crazy people who doesn’t like cilantro. I’m going to make this tonight but with that very important substitution 🙂
You’re right! I definitely don’t like cilantro 🙂
I just made this today and it was fantastic! Added cilantro instead of parsley and used a pre-made vegan friendly enchilada sauce for the ‘tomato sauce’. SO good! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★
I made these enchilada bowls with the enchilada sauce which was the absolute bomb! I am eating whole-grain plant based with no oil so I cooked the onion and garlic in a stainless steel pot without oil by cooking it on low, then added all the other ingredients and of course a sauce results. I used a red sauce from Costco for the tomato sauce. Truly, the enchilada sauce is the bomb! Then when I made the marinade for the tofu I used aquafaba instead of almond butter. And instead of sauteing the tofu, in oil, I baked it. The tofu was very tasty, although mine did not look nearly as pretty as yours does.
In addition, instead of brown rice, I used this brown, red, black rice combination that I buy at Winco, and is my favorite rice these days. That said, the bowls were a huge success and I loved the combination of the lentils with the brown rice with the black beans. I loved the enchilada sauce and brown rice lentil black bean combination so much that I made stuffed peppers with it and enchiladas with it……I could make everthing Mexican I can think of with these ingredients!!!! Thank you so much Thomas! You did great!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for your great feedback Rebecca!
I’m glad to hear everything turned out well with your changes. I also like to use grain combinations like red/black/white quinoa for example.
Nice idea to make stuffed red peppers 😉 I should try it next time!
Thomas, your enchilada sauce is so incredibly tasty that if we made a restaurant, that would be our enchilada sauce. You make vegan taste so good, non-vegans will love it. With recipes like yours, being whole-grain plant-based eating is not only easy, but extremely tasty. I too started out eating meat and dairy, but since my Dad and my uncles had heart disease and my Dad also had type two diabetes, I read Dr. Esselstyn’s “How to Reverse and Prevent Heart Disease” and Dr. Barnard”s “How to Reverse and Prevent Diabetes”. The most interesting thing was that both books epoused the exact same diet: Whole-grain and plant-based. Eating this way will start to heal the lining of the arteries, and allow your insulin to be more receptive to triggers. I was blown away! I lost my Dad 6 years ago and I’m so mad that the doctor never told my Dad about how eating this way could reverse both his diabetes and heart disease! So that’s why I started eating whole-grain plant-based about 1 1/2 years ago. I eat so well and feed my family with such tasty meals, we will never go back to eating meat or diary. We also saw “Cowspiracy” and “Forks over Knives” and “Earthlings” DVDs. I also read “The China Study”. I’m glad that eating this way got rid of your acne, and you are doing your body, and the world a great favor.
Thank you so much for your kind words Rebecca! 🙂
I’m sorry to hear about your dad and uncles, unfortunately from what I read Doctors (not all of them hopefully) have no real knowledge in food effects on the body, they prefer to give drugs rather than useful diet advices.
I watched Cowspiray and Forks over Knifes too, Earthlings was a bit too much for me and saw no reason to watch it (and feel the pain) since I was already vegan.
Glad to hear your whole family is loving vegan meals!
Very good, made it last night and am enjoying leftover for lunch today. The tofu is great! Thanks for the recipe
Glad to hear you liked it Jan!
I made this for dinner tonight, it’s a keeper. I made the recipe exact (ingredient wise) but I did put the lentils & rice in my instant pot so that was 10 min instead of 20-30 for that step. My only negative and it isn’t really negative that the name says spicy and this wasn’t with just chili powder, next time I’ll add the heat that my husband loves but this recipe is really good.
★★★★★
Thanks for the rating Jody, so glad to hear you liked the recipe!
Thus was really yummy. I didn’t have almond butter so I used peanut butter and added a little sirachi to the tofu mixture. We really enjoyed it and will definitely make again. Great recipe
Any nut butter works great here! Thanks for the feedback Karen 😉
Delicious! No need to tweak anything, it’s that good!
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear you liked it Rebecca!
I found this recipe to be very bland. It was not spicy at all.
★
Did you follow the exact recipe and used all the spices? I make this regularly and no one finds it bland, maybe try adjusting the salt and/or chili?
Loved this recipe! I am a non-vegan trying to incorporate more plant-based foods into my diet and this was the perfect use for the tofu I had in the fridge and hadn’t yet been bold enough to open! (Thanks for the in-depth directions on preparing the tofu, by the way–they helped a rookie immensely!) I didn’t have the nutritional yeast so I threw in a little extra soy, and it was still a really nice, complex sauce, even without the cheese flavor.
Delicious, filling, and plenty of leftovers for a few more meals. Thank you, Thomas!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the feedback Rachel! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
this looks and sounds really tasty – I must give it a try at the weekend – but minus the chilli for me 🙂
★★★★
Thanks Christine!
This was absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Jennifer!
My brown rice always takes 45-50 mins to cook. Your directions are for only 20 mins. Doesn’t that result in hard rice?
Well if your rice takes 45 mins to cook then yes it will result in hard rice. I would recommend cooking it on the side, not with the lentils.
I learned that not all brands of brown rice have the same cooking time. If you use basmati brown rice, or Thai brown rice, it usually only requires 20 mins.
This was so good! My meat loving boyfriend even was going for seconds!
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback Cassandra!
Delicious! Substituted quinoa for brown rice and added lots of cayenne & Cholula for heat. Cilantro too – otherwise it was a perfect, hearty bowl. Thanks for the recipe, cheers!
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback Meghan 😉
This recipe is amazing, so tasty and clean eating. Avocado is a must, it really does enhance the meal.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, thanks for your feedback!
Is the nutrition info with or without the avocado please!
Without the avocado.
Wonderful recipe! I used the leftover enchilada mixture to stuff some zucchini the next day. The taste of the tofu was incredible. My daughter who isn’t a big tofu fan, loved it.
★★★★★
Awesome! 🙂
i loved it i need to find more like this
★★★★★
Thanks 🙂
This makes for a very delicious post-workout lunch! I made one batch of this but made a few tweaks. I added 2 cans of black beans instead of one to make it a little more hearty. I also used a whole 16 oz block of tofu, and tripled the marinade ingredients. If I were to do this again, I would have just doubled the extra, as triple was a bit too much. And I baked the tofu at 375 until crispy instead of pan-frying it. I always struggle pan-frying tofu as it tends to break apart on me. When eating, I top with a hearty amount of avocado and lime juice. The one flavor that throws me off is the almond butter – to me, the tofu tastes Asian and sweet, not exactly what pairs well with an otherwise Mexican lending flavor. If I were to make this again, I would probably make it a little more of a Chipotle flavor, but that’s just me! This recipe is a great base for adding your own spin on it, and I appreciate greatly this idea to add a variety of plant power to your day!
Thanks for your feedback and sharing your tweaks Nicola!
Great idea – the sauce, for me, turned out horribly, so I used a medium-spice salsa instead and that was great. I also did the quick and easy marinate the tofu in oil and taco seasoning 🙂
Sorry to hear that Kelly!
Hi, due to health reasons (thyroid insufficiency) I try to avoid soja. Is there a substitute you would recommend for this recipe?
Hi Andrea, you may want to use seitan.
Fantastic and very easy my family loved it. Great recipe for family’s to do together. Looks like a lot of things but very simple. Loved doing it with my son ,also I did chicken cubed and marinaded in sauce also for those that don’t like tofu, but the ate both and liked them.
★★★★
Thanks for your feedback Scherril! 🙂
I absolutely love the texture of this recipe but just want to check is the chili powder a premade mixture of spices or powdered chillies? I’m from the UK
★★★★★
The one I used here is a chili mix that contains cumin and other spices.
This is so delicious! I did use more nutritional yeast – increased by 1tbsp and then sprinkled on top with a squeeze of lime when plated. Great recipe! Will definitely make this again.
★★★★★
Great! Happy to hear you liked it!
Do you put the rice and lentils in already cooked?
Rice and lentils are dried, then cooked for about 20 minutes.
Family loves this recipe! I’m the plant-based diet eater in the house but EVERYONE loves the flavors of this dish. Great recipe and it comes together quickly.
★★★★★
Thanks for your rating Patricia!
This was really yummy! The star of the show is absolutely that sauce! I will be making it again for other dishes. I used left over white rice, cilantro instead of parsley, and I added a squeeze of lime on top at the end. My hubby added a dollop of sour cream to his second bowl since we’d already eaten all of the avocado and he said that was a nice and tangy addition as well. Will definitely make this again!
So glad to hear you liked it Melanie 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!
Your print button has ads all over the recipe print page if I wanted to print ads I’d become an advertiser
★★★
Just writing a second comment apologising as I don’t want to come off as being rude, your work is good stuff keep it up! The ads I can easily ignore 😛
★★★★★
Hey Karen,
It’s all good, don’t worry. Thanks for the heads up though, I will check what I can do to remove ads from the recipe print page.
Absolutely delicious meal! Easy to make but it did take me longer than 30 mins! Going on the repeat list!!
★★★★★
Thanks Ivana! 🙂
I wouldn’t call this recipe “spicy “ it only have a teaspoon on chili powder in it.
★★
Have you tried the recipe? I found that spiciness really depends on your taste and how much you are used to it. Personally, after eating a lot of spicy foods, I found out I got used to it and now I have to add more chili to really taste it, so spiciness is definitely subjective.
I find your two stars a bit harsh for a “spiciness” issue though.