When my daughter E. has a friend over for dinner for the first time, my first thought is often the same as what I imagine her friends’ parents think when E. comes to visit for the first time: “Oh no, what will I feed her!” Most kids come packing all sorts of food baggage: This one hates onions but likes broccoli, that one won’t eat anything green but likes beans, as long as they’re baked in barbeque sauce. When you’re used to feeding a child who has been vegetarian from birth, you lose touch with what “normal” kids eat: Lose the hummus–it looks “gross” to little Sally; Molly hasn’t ever had sushi, which, of course, means she won’t touch it.
So I tend to stick to very basic recipes when kids are visiting: spaghetti with marinara sauce, bean burritos, and stir-fries (for the kids who will eat vegetables). This can make it appear to their parents that we eat the same boring things week after week, but at least their children don’t starve while they’re here.
Last night, we had a young visitor for dinner, one who I knew liked Mexican food, so I decided to prepare a family favorite that we haven’t had in a long time (since before I started this blog, in fact). It’s based on a recipe for No-Roll Enchiladas that has become very popular over at Fatfree Vegan Recipes, but I’ve renamed it Mexican Lasagna because that’s what my daughter calls it. It’s a great dish for visiting food critics (a.k.a. kids) and for potluck dinners, and it was a big hit last night, even though our visitor did manage to pick out all the black beans and leave them on the side of her plate. Oh well. Everybody doesn’t like something!
Mexican Lasagna (or Enchilada Casserole)
Ingredients
- 1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- corn tortillas–at least 12
- 3 cups (28 ounces) fatfree refried beans
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 tsp. chili powder, divided
- 1/2 tsp. cumin, divided
- 3 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 can enchilada sauce (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)
- sliced black olives (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- In a non-stick pan with a little water (1 tbsp.), sauté the peppers, garlic, and onion for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Set aside.
- Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with a layer of tortillas (you may cut some of them to fit). Make sure you cover the entire bottom of the pan.
- Stir the refried beans and spread half of them evenly over the tortillas. Cover the refried beans with half of the pepper-onion mixture and half of the tomatoes; sprinkle with half of the seasonings and half of the black beans.
- Add another layer of tortillas and repeat the layers of the other ingredients. Spread the cup of salsa over the final layer of black beans. Cover with a final layer of tortillas, pour the enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with black olives (if desired). Cover and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot throughout. It will be easier to cut if you allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Fresh corn is a great addition to this. I use about 2 cups of uncooked (or frozen) corn and add it as one more layer. You may need a deeper pan, though.
Cooking time (duration): 40 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 8
Makes about 8 large servings. Each serving contains 319 Calories (kcal); 5g Total Fat; (13% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 56g Carbohydrate; 9mg Cholesterol; 601mg Sodium; 14g Fiber. Weight Watchers 6 Flex points.
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{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
I just made this for lunch and I enjoyed it so much I had to post a comment straight away! This was the best mexican meal I have ever had, really great. I added some pineapple pieces to mine too and it was reaaaaaaaly yummy!
I noticed many comments said it looked good and they couldn't wait to try it. I wonder if they ever did try it and then comment. I put this recipe in the "Never Ever Fix Again" file. Expensive ingrediants to throw away when no one will eat it.
Send it to me then… I will eat it. We love it! (and, wonderfully omni friendly too!)
What? How? Sheesh? I’ve yet to find a hater and my kids’ friends have all the same food fads too! (Am trying to imagine where she shops, maybe Harrods of London haha!)
I agree! I always think of this as a budget meal.
I did make this last night and my whole family loved it
The enchilada sauce was not hard at all to make. I'm not sure about expensive ingredients, not much more than a normal meal. Next time I make it I'm going to add cilantro to the tomatoes and salsa for more flavor 
This was incredibly good!! I would recommend making extra enchilada and pouring extra over each serving. It did take a lot of pans and bowls (and time) to put together but definitely worth it!
Allison
Great dish! Really tasty with plenty of leftovers for lunches!
I have also made this several times and I cannot imagine what Anonymous means when she said no one would eat it and she filed it in her never to make again file. We love it and it is sooo easy to improvise if one doesn’t like the refried beans, just add the black or pintos. I didn’t find this partcularly expensive and it goes a long way. No wonder Anonymous is remaining Anonymous. Diane from Roseville….
Tasted great, but my tortillas got really gummy. I put a bit of sauce on the bottom of the pan, is that what might have caused it?
That would be my guess, though if they were all gummy–even the ones on other layers–that wouldn’t explain it.
I just made this for dinner and can’t stop eating it. Is half the casserole too much to eat? Nom nom nom!
This is a keeper! Great recipe and even better reheated the next day!
This is evil. I ate half of it already.
I made this last night and it was so good! My 13 month old demolished a full adult portion! There must be something magical about the mixture, because I gave my daughter a bean (made the recipe on the link so had a lot left over) and rice burrito today for lunch and a lot of it ended up on the floor. We aren’t vegetarian, but I’m trying to expand our food menu. I’m making a couple of other recipes from your site this week. I’ll try to leave comments for those too. Thanks!
Do you think this would freeze well? I am working on a list of meals to prep and freeze before our 5th babe arrives in December. I’m thinking of lining a pyrex pan with foil, adding layers, freezing with baking instructions, and wrapping really well. Then when we want to eat it, pulling it out that morning and baking it for dinner.
I think it will freeze just fine. Congratulations on your new family member!
I make a similar dish but perhaps not as kid friendly. This is my rescue recipe for when i over cook my beans or have lots of veggie dregs, bits and pieces in my crisper and freezer. Usual additions are: mushrooms, squash (chayote especially), spinach or broccoli, and jarred cactus. Also to spice it up I add a pinch of chipotle, ancho or some pasilla. And anything else that needs to get eaten. I usually end up with two medium pans, one for now and one for the freezer. And if there are pepitas in the house, I sprinkle them on top to pretty it up. And yes it freezes great.
Planning on making a variation of this on Sunday. Can’t wait to try it out for my cousin’s high school kids. Will let u know how it turns out.
The nutritional information mentions cholesterol. Where does the cholesterol come from?
That’s an error. Probably the recipe software used either enchilada sauce or refried beans that contained animal fat (which goes to show that you have to read ingredients carefully). I’ve just re-run the recipe using newer software and the figures for the brand of refried beans that I use, and the anaylsis comes out to:
Nutrition (per serving): 271 calories, 15 calories from fat, 1.8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1055.5mg sodium, 521mg potassium, 51.3g carbohydrates, 14.2g fiber, 7.2g sugar, 14.4g protein, 4.8 points.
Better on everything except sodium!
Thanks, Susan! Very yummy meal! Could you update the nutrition info at the bottom of the recipe to reflect this revision, please? Thanks!
OH MY GOD! this is soooo delicious. So far my fave from your website!
Made this last night– yum! I used a can of Trader Joe’s authentic-style vegetarian refried beans, which made it super simple. I halved the recipe and made it in a pie pan. We will definitely make this again! (Also, I’ll probably be blogging about it for MoFo today.)
Based on the photo of the Mexican Lasagna, the kids would not know the difference. Like you said everybody dislikes something, my daughter would be picking out those black olives
.
does it matter to use corn or flour tortillas?
Corn tortillas are traditional, as well as being lower in fat than flour tortillas. They hold up better, too. So my advice is to use corn tortillas.
I know this would just add fat to the Mexican Lasagna recipe… but I bet adding a little Daiya cheese or some of WayFare’s “We Can’t Say it’s Cheese” dip would be an incredible touch!!!
Thank you for a DELICIOUS meal tonight for dinner. I am delighted to tell everyone I know about the experience on my blog, because you truly know Sonoran style. Mexican enchilada casserole never saw it coming!
I made this last week and it was tasty. A great vegan alternative to mexican food! It kept well for lunch for a few days. Thanks Susan!
-Bert
I made this for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS!! Also, my husband (who is not always a fan of the vegan dishes I prepare) loved it and wanted seconds and for me to pack it for lunch the next day.
Definitely will make again and again!! Thanks so much for this recipe and for this website- it is much appreciated!
also- the ingredients are not expensive (in response to the comment above); this recipe is a bargain.
This is a staple in our family! We have been eating it for years. I think it is a very cheap meal to make and we eat the leftovers for at least a week. I’m sure we will enjoy this for years to come!
Thanks so much!
Thanks for this recipe. I’ve been 5 weeks now w/o meat – I’m testing the waters. I’m feeling great I might add. I was easily finding things to eat, but lately I’m really struggling. Its so easy to pick up a sandwich, piece of chicken, etc – but having to always think about how to make something without meat is becoming daunting. Come on, how many bean burritos can one eat? Thanks for this great recipe! I made it last night and loved it. My reluctant ‘waiting for another meat dish to come along’ family enjoyed it as well.
I only had one can of refried beans, but had made pico de gallo just a couple of days earlier. I also had one can of vegetarian chili. I used these items in the layers too. Thanks again for a very tasty, FILLING recipe! Great job!!!
This is so good – my daughter begs me to keep making this. Last time I made an adjustment and put the salsa on after cooking and I cut down the amount of refried beans .
I always read your recipes and drool! I bought some corn tortillas and now I kn0w what to do with them.
I had to comment even though I’m not making the recipe till tomorrow. The ingredients were not expensive at all and easy to find at the local supermarket. I will comment after I make it but I’m so excited this will be my first fat free vegan recipe! I usually just salivate over Susan’s recipes but can get the courage to make them. I will change that tomorrow!
it was so good! I can’t wait to try different variations next time!
I just made this tonight and my family loved it! My non-vegan mother-in-law really liked it, and my husband kept giving me compliments on my cooking, even though he ordinarily doesn’t like casseroles. My three-year-old even asked for seconds! I made enchiladas the other night and actually had some of the leftover filling in the fridge, so I used that instead of the veggies listed in the recipe (they were pretty much all the same ingredients anyway, just with some seasonings added). I’m made an extra to put in the freezer for another night and I have a feeling it will reheat well. This is going to be a new family staple. Thank you!
I made this last night, adding a layer of lentil taco filling http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/tasty-lentil-tacos/Detail.aspx mixed with mushrooms and added some corn with the black beans. It was so delicious. Thank you for the recipe–my omnivorous family didn’t even miss the meat!
This recipe was fabulous!! My whole (non-vegan, except for me) family loved it! I did add some Daiya cheddar shreds to the top. I didn’t see the corn comment at the bottom in time to add it, but I definitely will next time!!
Great recipe! My family really enjoyed it. Have you ever tried it in the slow cooker?
No I haven’t, but that’s a great idea for these hot summer days. I may have to give it a try!
ABSOLUTELY loved this!! Susan – this would be a GREAT addition to your gluten free list of recipes.
I don’t have spray oil so I went without and it’s come out of pan fine so far (I used a glass lasagna dish). I was thinking about it as it was cooking and was thinking an easy non fat thing to do instead of spray oil (since that does have some fat) is to use a tiny bit of the salsa or enchilada sauce on bottom of pan to make it not stick. (I used to do this with lasangna – tiny bit of spag sauce and then noodles on top and always worked great).
As far as note to self since this is going in recipe box is that the only size can of refried beans is 16 oz… I didn’t notice the size of the can and next time I will need to make sure to buy two cans. Also I cut the onion into pieces that were too big so it was overpowering (even though I love onions)… next time I’ll make sure to make tiny pieces or maybe try scallions. Also I can’t handle jalapeno so I used a very mild other type of pepper that worked great. I mixed spices in with refried beans and this worked great so I didn’t have to sprinkle evenly. I also didn’t cover pan with foil and it cooked great in 30 mins. anyway. I think guacamole would be great side dish.
Yummy! Even the meat loving boyfriend liked it!
I have made this dish several times and love it so much. One thing I find curious is that I can never get it to cook in less than an hour in the oven. Does anyone else have this problem? I get so excited to eat it after 30 minutes of baking time, but always wind up having to put it back in for another half hour.
I’m eating this right now! It’s so delicious! Perhaps the key to a non-soggy casserole is corn tortillas instead of flour to respond to someone else’s post. I added in a couple big chilis (anaheim?) from the garden instead of a jalapeno and bell peppers and some pinto beans into the refried since I didn’t have enough refried. I also split the recipe into an 8×8 and a pie plate. One to freeze and one to eat since there are only 2 of us! I love hearty, messy vegan food
Thank you for the recipe!
Just want to say that this is AMAZING! I have made it a few times, it’s great as is, and I also like to add frozen corn to one layer and diced green chilis to the other. Either way, it’s GREAT. I’ve served it to all kinds of eaters, it always gets rave reviews from all, and everyone wants the recipe! YUM!!!
Can’t wait to make this! I have an enchilada casserole in my recipe box that I stole from my grandma, but this looks *gasp!* dare I say it? Better.
Just had this for supper…halved the recipe for a smaller pan…it was tasty. Husband and teens said yes you can make this again…success!!
I love this recipe, and yes, like you I frequently pull it out when having company that are afraid of vegetables or what those crazy plant-eaters might eat.
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