Lemon Piccata Enchilada

Lemon piccata enchilada pairs bright lemon and tangy capers for an incredibly tasty twist on a classic – a light, bright comfort food!

recipe originally published March 9, 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS - Jump to any section:

1. 1. Why you will love this recipe
   2. More enchilada recipes
   3. What should I serve with this?
   4. Storage suggestion
   5. Reheating methods
   6. Jump to recipe: Lemon Piccata Enchilada

Why you'll love this recipe

I cannot tell you enough how incredible the flavors are here. These lemon piccata enchiladas have bright flavors and are packed with protein. Everyone who has tried these lemon enchiladas only looked at me weird until they try them. Then they get it. 

Yes, this is not your typical enchilada recipe, and I'm good with that. This piccata enchilada is a perfect example of why I love creating recipes, and I am nothing if not original.

This is why we love them, and you will too:

• Flavor: If you like the bright flavor of briny capers and tart lemon, this rule breaking enchilada is for you. Packed with spinach and covered in a lemony piccata sauce, you will only give it a side eye until you try it!
• Texture: This tasty casserole is layers of texture rolled up in soft tortillas. The soy curls or shredded jackfruit have the texture of chicken, and the smooth lemon caper sauce brings it all together.
• Method: You make the "chicken" and the piccata sauce in the same skillet, to minimize dishes and to maximize the flavor of the sauce by deglazing the pan. Then you assemble the enchiladas, bake and enjoy!

If you love the flavors of lemon piccata, you will enjoy these enchiladas. If you like the idea of adding lemon and capers to recipes that don't generally have them, you will love this lemon piccata potato salad.

More enchilada recipes

If you prefer a more traditional approach to enchiladas, bean and cauliflower rice enchiladas are a reader favorite. Crispy sweet potato enchiladas have that perfect balance of sweet and savory and are packed with veggies.

Tortilla soup enchiladas are exceptionally tasty, and buffalo jackfruit enchiladas are straight up comfort food, filled with rice and buffalo jackfruit and topped with cashew cream. Mmm.

How to serve this recipe

My favorite side dish to accompany a lemon piccata enchilada is a simple crisp green salad. Any salad with complimentary flavors to bring freshness, like lemon Brussels and kale chiffonade.

Roasted broccoli or asparagus is another simple side that works well with piccata flavors. 

If you want to skip the enchilada altogether, follow the recipe up until the tortillas, and serve this filling over noodles or rice. That makes this a vegan chicken piccata recipe, more like the traditional dish.

How long does this recipe last?

My rule for maximum flavor and freshness is to enjoy this recipe within three days.
Refrigerate any leftovers. Wait until enchiladas are cooled completely, and refrigerate in a glass container with a tightly fitting lid. 

Reheating methods

• Oven: Do not place a cold baking dish into a hot oven, it might crack. Instead, cover the baking dish with foil and add it to a cold oven. Set oven temperature to 350° F and cook enchiladas for 20-25 minutes. Alternatively, transfer pieces of enchilada from the fridge to a new baking dish and bake at 350° F until warmed through. This usually takes 30 minutes if enchiladas are cold.
• Air Fryer: Place enchiladas in a dish that fits inside the air fryer basket. Air fry at 370 °F. After 10 minutes, check if the enchiladas are heated through, and continue heating for another couple minutes as needed. 

Did you make these lemon piccata enchiladas? 

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Yield: 6 enchiladas

Lemon Piccata Enchilada

Print

Tangy capers and bright lemon bring new flavors to a classic dish. A totally new comfort food!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Piccata Filling

• 3 cups soy curls (see notes for other options)
• 2 tablespoons super fine almond flour
• ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Lemon piccata sauce

• 2 tablespoons dairy free butter
• 2 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ½ cup dairy free, unsweetened milk
• 2 fresh lemons, scrubbed, zested, and juiced
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• ¼ cup capers

Enchilada wraps

• 6 gluten free tortillas

Instructions

Sauté soy curls

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Use a skillet that is large enough to make sauce.
3. Before rehydrating the soy curls, break them into smaller pieces (see video). Soak them in warm water to rehydrate, about 10 minutes. Once rehydrated, drain soy curls. Squeeze soy curls to remove excess water.
4. Return squeezed soy curls to bowl. Sprinkle almond flour and black pepper over soy curls, and toss to coat completely.
5. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is soft and translucent.
6. Add floured soy curls to sautéed onion mixture. Continue to sauté for several minutes, until soy curls are golden brown and slightly crisp on edges.
7. Transfer cooked soy curls to a plate and set aside.
8. Do not wash skillet. You will make the sauce in this skillet; deglazing the soy curl bits adds another layer of flavor.

Make Lemon Piccata Sauce

1. Add butter to skillet over medium low heat.
2. Once butter is melted, add flour and stir to combine. Cook over medium low heat until mixture begins to deepen to a golden tan color.
3. Add the vegetable broth and whisk to deglaze and make a sauce with the roux / butter flour mixture.
4. To this sauce, add the milk, lemon zest and juice. Whisk to combine.
5. Remove sauce from heat. Remove ½ the sauce into a bowl and set aside.
6. To the remaining sauce in the skillet, fold in spinach, capers and cooked soy curls and stir to combine.

Assemble enchiladas

1. Spoon enough sauce into the baking dish, spreading in an even layer to cover the entire surface.
2. Using tongs, add the soy curl spinach mixture to one side of a tortilla. Roll up and add to sauce covered baking dish.
3. Continue filling and rolling tortillas to fill the baking dish.
4. Cover baking dish with foil and transfer to preheated oven. Bake at 350 °F for 25-30 minutes, until enchiladas are hot throughout.

Notes

Ingredient substitutions 

In place of soy curls, use shredded jackfruit or cannellini beans.

If using jackfruit

1. Drain jackfruit, place in large bowl. Using two forks, shred jack fruit into smaller pieces (or chop with knife). 
2. Sprinkle almond flour and black pepper over shredded jackfruit and toss to coat completely.
3. Add to skillet with sautéed onion and continue with recipe instructions.

If using beans

1. Drain beans but do not rinse.
2. Add to skillet with sautéed onion and continue with recipe instructions.

How long does this recipe last?

My rule for maximum flavor and freshness is to enjoy this recipe within three days.

Refrigerate any leftovers. Wait until enchiladas are cooled completely, and refrigerate in a glass container with a tightly fitting lid. 

Reheating methods

• Oven: Do not place a cold baking dish into a hot oven, it might crack. Instead, cover the baking dish with foil and add it to a cold oven. Set oven temperature to 350° F and cook enchiladas for 20-25 minutes. Alternatively, transfer pieces of enchilada from the fridge to a new baking dish and bake at 350° F until warmed through, checking after 20-25 minutes.
• Air Fryer: Place enchiladas in a dish that fits inside the air fryer basket. Air fry at 370 °F. After 7-8 minutes, check if the enchiladas are heated through, and continue heating for another couple minutes as needed. 

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  GF Almond Flour Tortillas
• 
  Organic Capers
• 
  Bouillon Organic Base
• 
  Dairy Free Milk
• 
  Organic Vegan Butter
• 
  Soy Curls
• 
  Fine Almond Flour
• 
  Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Serving Size:

2 enchiladas
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 219Total Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 203mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 18g

nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.

about Kristina:

Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food!  Read more...

spabettie / Kristina Sloggett is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.