• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Simply delicious oil-free vegan recipes

  • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Category
    • Recipes by Tag
    • Recipe Box
  • About Me
    • Press
  • NewsBites
  • Shop!
  • Website

Ridiculously Easy Lunchbox Enchilada Casserole

February 24, 2008 By Susan Voisin 27 Comments
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy.

All cooked out, all blogged out: That’s how I’ve been feeling lately, which explains my unprecedented 6 day absence from blogging–even longer since posting one of my own recipes. Though I’ve been spending lots of time reading cookbooks and finding recipes that give me plenty of inspiration, when it comes time to actually go into the kitchen and cook something, I seize up and become completely incapable of deciding what to cook. Then I wind up throwing together my dirty secret soup or an old favorite like arrabbiata or just give up and call the nearest sushi place for takeout. I call it food blogging burnout but it’s probably some kind of low-level depression caused by too many rainy days and too little sunlight.

Now, I’m telling you all this for a very simple reason: I’m hoping you’ll take it easy on me when you see the following recipe, one that’s guaranteed to offend everyone from lunchbox gourmands to raw foodists. If you loathe food out of cans, object to microwave ovens, or fear cooking in plastic, get away, quick, and don’t look back! Because what you’re about to see might shake you to your very core.

This is what I made for my daughter’s lunch on Friday:

Ridiculously Easy Lunchbox Enchilada Casserole

Just about everything in it came out of a can or a jar, and I heated it in plastic in the microwave. All together, it took me just 6 minutes, about the same time it would have taken to make the peanut butter sandwich she begged me not to make. And you know what–she loved it.

While I was at it, I put together two more servings of this ridiculously easy enchilada casserole, one for my husband to take with him to work and one for myself. I figured I needed something stronger than salad to pull me out of my blahs, and a hot lunch just might do the trick. You know, it may have worked: it was a tasty and warm treat on yet another cold, rainy day. And, more importantly, it gave me something to blog about!

Ridiculously Easy Lunchbox Enchilada Casserole

Ridiculously Easy Lunchbox Enchilada Casserole

The amount of ingredients you need for this will depend on the size of the container you’re making it in. My daughter’s 12-ounce microwaveable thermos held less than the CorningWare dishes that I used for my and my husband’s lunches, so the ingredients listed below are just approximations based on one serving–you may find you need more or less.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 2-3 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
  • 2/3 cup fat-free refried beans or chili beans (or a combination of the 2)
  • 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
  • a handful washed baby spinach
  • 2-3 jumbo black olives, sliced

Instructions

  1. Choose a 1-serving dish that can be safely microwaved. (The thermos shown above is designed to be put into the microwave; most are not and should not be used for this. If you cannot find a BPA-free thermos, I recommend using a glass or ceramic dish.) Spread a couple of tablespoons of salsa in the bottom of the dish. Next place a layer of tortillas over the salsa, trying to cover most of the dish’s bottom–a little overlapping is okay. Spread the tortilla with half of the beans and top with the spinach. Add another layer of tortillas. Spread with the rest of the beans, sprinkle with the corn, and spoon a little salsa over the corn. Top with a final layer of tortillas. Spread the tortillas with a good layer of salsa, and put the olives on the top. (Or, hold the olives and add them after cooking.)
  2. Cover the top loosely with waxed paper (do not use the thermos top), and put the dish into the microwave. Cook on high power until heated all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Microwaves vary, so check to make sure that the inside is warm by inserting a knife into the middle and checking a sample. If you’re making this in a thermos, it will continue to cook after you’ve sealed the container, so getting it hot in the middle is not so important. If serving right away, heat it until it’s very hot and then let it sit for a few minutes to cool.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 5 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 1

Makes one serving. With 2 tortillas and 2 olives: 306 Calories (kcal); 3g Total Fat; (7% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 62g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 1287mg Sodium; 9g Fiber. (Exact values–particularly of sodium–will change depending on the brands of salsa and refried beans used.)

Filed Under: Lunches, Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: Casseroles, Ridiculously Easy

Get NewsBites!

Sign up for our newsletter to receive new recipes & tips by email!

Privacy Policy
Previous Post: « Red Lentil Sambar from Vegan Fire and Spice
Next Post: Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic and Seasonal Herbs »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ang

    September 13, 2009 at 4:32 am

    My daughter will devour this! BTW- where did you get the microwaveable thermos/container in the photo?

    Reply
    • Cena

      August 5, 2011 at 1:09 pm

      I just saw this thermos in the coffee aisle by the mugs…in my regular grocery store (SaveMart in California)

      Reply
  2. priscilla

    December 30, 2010 at 11:19 am

    Could I also heat this in the oven if I’m preparing it in a glass casserole dish?

    Reply
    • SusanV

      December 30, 2010 at 11:31 am

      Yes, that will work fine.

      Reply
  3. Cena

    August 5, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    Oh my, this is good. I whipped this up for lunch and put it in the oven for 30 minutes @350. I am fighting my meat eater kids for this.

    Reply
  4. KC

    August 11, 2011 at 5:50 pm

    Yes! This is my kind of recipe. Easy, microwave-able, delicious. I live alone and after a loooong work day I’m hard-pressed to have any desire to cook a meal for one. Recipes like this will keep me away from taco bell. More please! And thank you!

    Reply
  5. Erin

    August 20, 2011 at 7:42 pm

    I’m noticing that is an UNGODLY amount of salt for one serving. Is it a typo, or do you have any suggestions to reduce that?

    Reply
    • SusanV

      August 20, 2011 at 10:06 pm

      The sodium’s mostly from the canned beans and salsa, so if you make your own or buy low-sodium versions, you can reduce it greatly.

      Reply
  6. Con Conz

    August 24, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    Someone gave me a link to this years ago before went fat-free, but i think some other website had stolen this!

    Reply
  7. Pixie

    February 26, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    Thanks for all the work you do putting things on the site for us to drool over! (I never realized how time-consuming it could be until I started a blog of my own today!) I hope you gain back some of your energy. Sometimes we just need comfort food to do that. 🙂

    Reply
  8. S Price

    February 26, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    Now, that looks good!!! Definitely will be trying this!

    Reply
  9. K

    April 16, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    how would you make this a regular baking dish, maybe kind of large, in the oven

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      April 16, 2012 at 10:24 pm

      Here’s a link to my full-pan version: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/07/mexican-lasagna-or-enchilada-casserole.html

      Reply
  10. Jeremy

    January 6, 2013 at 7:45 am

    Just a FYI; microwaved water, even pure water, kills plants. http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-dangers-of-microwave-radiation-cannot-be-ignored/24342

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      January 6, 2013 at 10:20 am

      Hi Jeremy, the idea that microwaved water kills plants is a myth. That “experiment” was performed by a student using just two plants. Any number of things could have caused one plant to thrive and the other to fail. True scientific experiments use multiple samples–and the experimenters don’t know which sample is which–so that the data is more reliable. For a discussion of this, as well as a more balanced attempt at this experiment, see http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp

      Reply
  11. Jeremy

    January 6, 2013 at 7:45 am

    The recipe itself sounds wonderful though, thank you.

    Reply
  12. Constance

    March 5, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    Susan,

    If I wanted to do this on a larger scale, say for my 5 year old’s pre-k class of 12 kids, and do it in the oven so as to accomodate the size baking dish I’d need, can you tell me a good temperature and lenght of time to bake it? Thanks!

    Love your recipes!

    Constance

    Reply
  13. Jill

    September 3, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    I’m eating this for lunch. 🙂 I’ve made your enchilada casserole several times in the past but this is a really quick way to have it when I haven’t made the big one. Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  14. Carla Hudson

    September 28, 2016 at 3:51 pm

    Is this like flat tortillas you’d use for wraps or like tortilla chips?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      September 28, 2016 at 5:36 pm

      This recipe uses the small, soft, flat corn tortillas.

      Reply
  15. Leonard H

    October 7, 2016 at 8:06 pm

    No comment, other than the recipe I read sounded both edible and simple. I am vegetarian for many years, now wanting to become become. I would like to be on your ‘list’ and receive regular downloads, if you send them.

    Thank you.

    Reply
  16. Victoria

    November 12, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    What makes the sodium so high?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      November 12, 2017 at 8:12 pm

      Any time you use canned beans and salsa, the sodium will be high. This does seem excessive, so I may recalculate it.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to My Kitchen!

Susan VoisinI'm Susan Voisin, and I love creating delicious whole foods plant-based dishes with no added oil. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Find It Fast

  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Ridiculously Easy Recipes
  • Weight Watchers Recipes
  • Recipes by Tag (ingredient, gluten-free, etc.)
  • Complete Recipe Index

Find a Recipe

Allergens

All of my recipes are vegan, dairy-free, and fish free. To find recipes free of other allergens, click on an icon below.

Gluten FreeNut FreeSugar FreeSoy Free

Footer

Fall Favorites

Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale

Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale

Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin

See More Fall Favorites

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Photos, original recipes, and text © Susan Voisin. All rights reserved. Do not republish content without permission.

Nutritional information is approximate and is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. This site has no affiliation with Weight Watchers™️ and cannot guarantee accuracy of Points™️.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 · Susan Voisin · Privacy Policy· Log in