Not your Mama’s Enchilada Casserole

An easy and delicious twist on a Mexican classic.

My mom is a TERRIBLE cook.

Now before you go on saying “do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”, you should know my she flies the ‘incapable cook’ flag proudly. For example, when I was a child, if my dad wasn’t home to make dinner my mom would handwrite a menu for me and my brothers to order from as if we were three juvenile diner patrons. The menu consisted of:

1. Microwave bean and cheese burritos
2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch (with or without milk)
3. Toaster waffles
4. Ice cream sundaes

But, if we were lucky, she would make the one recipe that my grandmother passed down to her: Enchilada Casserole.

That’s where today’s recipe comes in. It is my mom’s one and only specialty, with some simple swaps to increase the nutrient content. I love this take on enchiladas because it makes for great meal prep and almost all the ingredients can be substituted for whatever is already in your kitchen.

For example, the vegetables used in the recipe can be substituted for whatever you have on hand, I often swap in sweet potatoes, broccoli, canned corn, or fresh spinach. The corn tortillas can also be substituted for flour, almond flour, or rice flour tortillas. See, the opportunities are endless…  No wonder even my mom could pull this off!

Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive or avocado oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1.5 cups chopped mushrooms
• 1 zucchini, sliced into coins
• 2 tsp low sodium taco seasoning
• 1 can drained and rinsed black beans
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 10 corn tortillas
• 1 20 oz can low sodium enchilada sauce (red or green)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add in oil and onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 5-8 minutes or until everything is softened.

3. Once the vegetables have reached your desired texture, add the taco seasoning and black beans and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cover the bottom of a baking dish or cast iron skillet with a layer of enchilada sauce. Top with a layer of the corn tortillas tearing and placing pieces to fit until the entire surface is covered. Cover the tortillas with another thin layer of sauce.

5. Add ½ the vegetable bean mixture and spread out over the tortillas. Top with ½ of the cheese. Repeat the tortilla, sauce, and vegetable layering process 1-2 more times depending on the size of your baking dish.

6. Place the layered casserole in the pre-heated oven and cook for 20 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

8. Garnish with avocado, salsa, cilantro, and greek yogurt to your liking!

*Recipe featured on Shaw’s Simple Swaps here and NBC here!