Easy Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

This vegetarian enchilada casserole is basically like a Mexican lasagna – layers of hearty corn tortillas filled with black beans, corn, peppers, green chiles, and plenty of shredded cheese! Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro for a family dinner your kids will love!

 

You Will Love This

• It’s got all your favorite flavors of enchiladas, but in casserole form! You don’t have to heat the tortillas and fumble around with rolling them up. Just layer everything in a 9×13 baking dish and pop it in the oven!
• This vegetarian enchilada casserole is made with mostly pantry ingredients! This is one of those recipes that I often use a blueprint, and then just clean out my cupboards and fridge and make substitutions as I go. Sometimes I’ll sub pinto beans for black beans, cheddar or mozzarella for the pepper jack, or even add Mexican rice if we have some left over. You can also add black olives or diced avocado to these enchiladas for a little extra flavor!
• If you loved these enchiladas be sure to check out my Street Corn Pasta Salad, Easy Southwest Salad Dressing, or my Vegetarian Taco Pasta Salad.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Olive Oil – I love to use cold-pressed organic olive oil for this recipe but any oil with a high smoke point will work well.
• Red Onion – Feel free to use white onion or yellow onion in place of the red onion in this recipe.
• Red Pepper – If you don’t have red peppers, any color will work, because the taste is very similar. If the store is out of bell peppers, try poblano peppers instead.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic adds so much flavor to your recipes but if you’re out of fresh, go ahead and use garlic powder in its place. 1/8 of a teaspoon of garlic powder equals 1 clove of fresh garlic. So start there and add more as needed in place of the fresh garlic.
• Cumin – Cumin adds a lot of deep, earthy flavor. If you’re out, try substituting with ground coriander or a little more chili powder instead.
• Chili Powder – Chili powder is a blend of chili peppers, garlic, onion, cayenne, and cumin. If this isn’t in your kitchen, use a little more cumin and paprika, and add a little cayenne or red pepper flakes to add a kick of spice. If you don’t have any of these spices on hand try a packet of taco seasoning in their place.
• Black Beans – This recipe calls for black beans, however, if you need to use something else, try canned pinto beans for a similar texture and a slightly different but still delicious taste.
• Corn – One of the reasons this recipe uses canned corn is because it’s ready to eat. There is no additional prep needed. However, if you have leftover corn from another meal or even corn on the cob, you can use that here!
• Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles – Fire roasted green chilies are convenient and flavorful but you can omit them if you don’t have any on hand.
• Enchilada Sauce – Canned enchilada sauce works well in this recipe!
• Corn Tortillas – Corn tortillas are really the best option for this casserole. Flour tortillas will not hold up well during baking and will likely get mushy and soggy.
• Pepper Jack Cheese – This cheese adds a hint of spice that pairs well with the mild jack cheese. Use Monterey Jack for a milder but still creamy cheesy casserole. Cheddar cheese works great too!

Instructions

Sauté onion, and red pepper in olive oil along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. 

Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Cook for another minute, stirring frequently. 

Add a splash of enchilada sauce to deglaze the large skillet or pot, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom. 

Add black beans, corn, and green chiles. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Stir to combine.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray or lightly grease with olive oil. Pour 2/3 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place 8 halves of tortilla in a single layer on top of the sauce. 

Add 1/2 of the veggie/bean mixture, and 2/3 cup of enchilada sauce in an even layer. 

Then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese. 

Next add 8 more tortilla halves in a single layer. 

Top that with the remaining veggie/bean mixture (reserve a 1/2 cup of the veggie/bean mixture for the top if you’d like). Pour another 2/3 cup of sauce over the veggies. 

Then add another 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Add remaining tortillas in a single layer.

Pour remaining sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle casserole with remaining cheese.

Add veggie/bean mixture if you reserved it. 

Cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes. 

Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then slice, garnish and serve!

Tips

• Don’t worry about the tortillas getting soggy in this vegetarian enchilada casserole! The corn tortillas hold up really well and still maintain their integrity even after being baked. I’ve also made this dish with extra thin corn tortillas and just doubled up the tortillas which worked out well!
• Flour tortillas, however, do NOT work well in this casserole. I won’t lie – I’m a soft, pillowy, fluffy, flour tortilla lover all the way. But flour tortillas do best in a classic taco or a fried flauta. They do not work well for this casserole. They get soggy and nobody wants a sad, soggy casserole.
• If you want to add more protein, add ground beef, ground turkey or chorizo to bulk up this dish. You could also add leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken and turn this into a chicken enchilada casserole! It’s quite filling with just the veggies and beans, but this casserole tastes great with the addition of meat as well! Just add cooked meat in with the bean and veggie mixture. I’d also recommend doubling or even tripling the cumin and chili powder in this recipe depending on how much meat you are adding.
• You could also bulk this Mexican lasagna up with cooked lentils or quinoa too! Again, double or triple the cumin and chili powder and mix them right in with the beans and veggies.

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