Shredded Jackfruit Is Your Secret For The Ultimate Vegetarian Enchiladas

When it comes to the meat-substitute roster, jackfruit is a vegetarian's right-hand man. The large, firm-skinned fruit, native to India but widely cultivated throughout the world, opens to reveal an inside filled with soft, stringy flesh that often makes for a believable swap within many meat-based dishes. That includes the classic enchilada. 

Enchiladas are a staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex menus, consisting of a tortilla-wrapped filling or protein covered in a savory, chili-based sauce. The enchilada dates back hundreds of years, with different modifications emerging with the decades. Owing to its texture, jackfruit works well as a substitute for shredded or pulled pork and chicken, both common fillings for the enchilada. When slightly under-ripe, jackfruit has a fibrous quality to it that provides an uncanny, meat-like mouthfeel. Besides its textural compatibility, the flavor of green (also known as young) jackfruit is very neutral, allowing it to embrace the flavor profile you craft via cooking method and seasoning. Perhaps best of all? Jackfruit claims a laundry list of health benefits, as it's packed with fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.  

Are you sold on jackfruit yet? If you'd like to get a little more context before launching into the dish, read up on what jackfruit is and how to cook with it in this guide. The best kind of jackfruit to use for your enchiladas specifically will be green, or young, jackfruit. This is the kind that is slightly underripe and will provide the most comparable texture to proteins like pork and chicken. You can likely find a can of young or green jackfruit in a supermarket, local Trader Joe's,  or an Asian foods grocery store in your area. Canned jackfruit is largely the better option over its fresh counterpart, especially if this is your first foray into the tree fruit, because canned varieties come cut, de-bulbed, and de-seeded; all you need to do is rinse away the brine. They're ready to eat out of the can, so from there, you can begin the roasting or other cooking process.

Once you're ready to take the plunge, this recipe for vegetarian jackfruit enchiladas is the ultimate kickoff. It utilizes onion, garlic cloves, jalapeño, chili powder, cumin, and paprika to give the jackfruit a signature enchilada taste, and the jackfruit only requires about five minutes of sautéing before the enchiladas bake. To bolster the enchilada throughline, garnishes like Mexican blend cheese and sour cream are recommended. For a tangier take, try swapping out the chicken in this salsa verde enchilada recipe with jackfruit.