Chilaquiles casserole

I’ve got a recipe for you today, and it’s one of my top 3 favorite things I’ve ever made. I make it at least every month or two, because after a few weeks, I begin to crave it.

It's a chilaquiles casserole. Chilaquiles is a Mexican dish consisting of tortilla strips simmered with meat, eggs, or vegetables. This casserole version is a vegetarian play on that, creating a sort of Mexican lasagna-type dish. I adapted the recipe to my taste from a wonderful magazine called Eating Well. You can view the original here.

First, you’ll need ingredients.

1T canola oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium green pepper, finely diced
2+ cloves garlic, minced
19-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
14-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained (I use petite diced)
1 1/2 cups corn, frozen (thawed) or fresh
1-2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
19-oz. can red enchilada sauce
1 cup vegan cheese of choice (or no cheese at all!)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes more. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

Add the black beans, drained diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, and salt to the skillet. (I often add up to a full tablespoon of cumin, and I like to add a dash of cayenne too.) Cook, stirring regularly, for about 3 minutes, till it’s heated through.



This would be a delicious dish in and of itself! Spoon it into tortillas, mix it with cooked quinoa or brown rice, or eat it as is. It’s a delicious, confetti-colorful smorgasbord of nutrition.

The rest of comes together very quickly. Arrange half the tortilla pieces in the dish, top with half the veggies, pour over half the enchilada sauce, and scatter on half the cheese. Got that? Then you repeat it. Like so:

A layer of tortillas...



Then veggies, then enchilada sauce...



Then cheese, if you want it.



Cover it with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 10 minutes more. You will then pull this masterpiece out of your oven:



And ohhh, it is as good as it looks. Better, in fact. The enchilada sauce soaks through and softens the tortillas, and I’m telling you, it is just plain heavenly.

After it cooks, let it rest for at least 20 minutes. Then slice, eat, and swoon.



Yield: 4-6 servings. Per serving (4; without cheese): 435 calories, 9g fat (.6g sat), 79.9g carbs, 13.7g fiber, 15.3g protein.
Per serving (6; without cheese): 290 calories, 6g fat (.4g sat), 53.2g carbs, 9.2g fiber, 10.2g protein.