Welcome to Day 1 of the 12 Days of Healthy Dinner Recipes!
I’m excited to bring back the healthy meals over the holidays. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that the time I spend preparing dinner is redeemed with quick, effortless lunches in the days ahead. It all balances out in the end.
First up, is a delicious and versatile enchilada-inspired Mexican casserole that’s packed with vegetables, healthy proteins, grains, and a kick of heat. It’s pure comfort food, almost like wrapping yourself with a warm blanket by the fire. Or setting your blanket on fire, depending on how spicy you like it…
When we got back from our trip, Eric and I both found ourselves with a bit of a cold. You know the usual complaints this time of year- congestion, irritated throat, and dull headaches. It wasn’t a full blown cold, but could’ve potentially turned into one without the proper TLC. I knew I had to put away the sweets for a few days and get back to home-cooked nutritious meals. Green Monsters too! Eating out is fun and all, but there’s just something about a home cooked meal that feels amazing.
This dish was just what the doctor ordered. It’s vibrant, healthy, spicy, and comforting, while still feeling a bit naughty. We can’t be nice all the time.
Have you ever tried a canned enchilada sauce and loved it? This was the first enchilada sauce that I’ve ever purchased (it took me 2 grocery stores to find too) and I was so put off by the taste I almost gagged! I’m not one to gag over many foods, so I’m not really sure what it was that offended my taste buds so much.
Thankfully, enchilada sauce is really easy to make and ready in about 15 minutes. Of course, if you do have a canned enchilada sauce that you enjoy, feel free to use that instead. Just use something that tastes good as it will serve as the base of the entire casserole.
I made my sauce thick, but feel free to thin it out with water as necessary depending on what you want to use it for.
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Easy Enchilada Sauce
This enchilada sauce is very “tomato-y” with a nice kick of heat (which of course, is relative, so adjust to your own tastes). I made the sauce quite thick, but you can thin it out by adding more water if you like. To save a bit of time, make it the night before and then store in the fridge until ready to use.
Inspired by All Recipes.
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 (8-oz) cans tomato paste
- 1 cup + 1/4 cup water (or more as desired)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, flour, and chili powder until no clumps remain. Add this mixture into a pot over medium heat. Cook for a couple minutes.
2. In the same bowl you used previously, mix the cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder. Whisk this into the pot mixture until no clumps remain and then whisk in the tomato paste and water. Whisk until smooth. Whisk, whisk, whisk…because I haven’t said whisk enough apparently.
3. Simmer sauce on low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Checking it every 5 mins and whisking. Add salt to taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
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While the pasta is cooking, chop and sauté your vegetables and cook for about 5-10 mins.
Now add half of the enchilada sauce (about 1 cup), taco seasoning, and drained & rinsed beans. The spicier you like it, the more taco seasoning you can add. I used a couple tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning and it was quite spicy.
Stir it all up and taste test.
After cooking for 5 mins more, add in the chopped green onion and Daiya cheese.
Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the dish. Stir in the cooked pasta really well and place into a 2 quart casserole dish.
and for a little crunch…
In a baggie, crush 2 handfuls of your fav nacho chips (about 20 chips):
I recommend sprinkling on the crushed chips just before serving if you plan on having leftovers. The chips will get a bit soft while in the fridge so it’s best to put them on right before serving.
Bake for about 15-20 mins at 350F until heated through. Sprinkle on chips.
Top with avocado, salsa, sour cream….whatever tickles your fancy!
Serve with a big green salad and tortilla chips. Pretend you are on a beach in Mexico.
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Naughty & Nice Vegan Enchilada Casserole
Eric summed it up quite well when he said, “If a restaurant near my work served something like this, I would eat it everyday.” I love that man.
Inspired by: Better Home & Gardens
Yield: One (2-quart) casserole
Ingredients:
- 8-ounces dry fusilli pasta (3.5 cups dry noodles or half a 16-oz package)*
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped*
- 3 bell peppers (I used 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 yellow), chopped
- 1-3 tbsp taco seasoning mix (I used my homemade taco seasoning), to taste
- 1 can black beans (or 2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
- 1.5-2 cups homemade enchilada sauce (see above, or use store-bought)
- 1/3-1/2 cup Daiya cheese (or other non-dairy cheese)
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 20 tortilla chips (about 2 handfuls), crushed
- Avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc, to garnish
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grab a 2-quart casserole dish. Add dry pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook for 7-8 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the pasta or it will get mushy in the casserole. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. In a large skillet, sauté the chopped onion, jalapeno, and peppers in the olive oil over medium heat for about 7-8 mins.
3. Add the taco seasoning, drained and rinsed black beans, and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir well and cook for another 5 mins.
4. Stir in the cheese, pasta, and chopped green onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the casserole dish. Scoop on the skillet mixture and spread out evenly. Spoon on the rest of the sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake for 15-20 mins at 350F until heated through. Sprinkle with crushed nacho chips, chopped avocado, salsa, and sour cream if desired just before serving. Serve with a big green salad and nacho chips.
Note 1: Be sure not to handle the jalapeno seeds as they can make your fingers (and anything you touch) sting badly. You can also wear plastic gloves too.
Note: Want a burrito filling and not a casserole? Try subbing the pasta for brown rice.
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What I love about this casserole is how versatile it is!
Here are a few different ways you can enjoy it:
- Leave out the pasta and use it as a burrito filler
- Spoon the warm casserole over a big salad as a sneaky way to get in more greens
- Make a quick, rushing-out-the-door, breakfast wrap
- Use brown or wild rice instead of pasta, or other grain of choice to change it up
- Add more Daiya cheese (maybe another 1/2 cup), leave out the pasta, and use the mixture as a hot dip for nacho chips!!! It could potentially make quite the party dip with a few changes.
Sinuses clear.
Belly content.
Cold be gone.
Lunch today…
Made this twice this week–one to try it out and once for a block party. Was a hit with my family and then my neighbors–as ALL your recipes are!!! Thanks!!!
This looks yummy. I need to lay off tomatos so I was wondering if you had any suggestions on a tomato paste substitute that is still vegan?
Anybody have an idea of the calories for this casserole?
I made this a couple of weeks ago, and it was FABULOUS. One of my favourite recipes and fool-proof for people who aren’t used to cooking a lot because it’s in one casserole :) But I like spice so I added about 10 times the amount of chili powder, makes my breath almost flammable.
I’m not a vegan, I’ll admit it. I do like to cook without meat though, which can be difficult considering my husband is as carnivorous as they come. But Angela, he LOVES this casserole (as do I). It is so delicious. I know this is an old blog post, but I felt the need to tell you this recipe is one of our favorites and I make it often. :)
Made this for the first time tonight with enchiladas verdes sauce (b/c I prefer it) and also a first trying daiya cheese and non-dairy sour cream. For chips, I used TJ’s sweet potato chips. It was delicious! And my husband loved it too! Was concerned it might be a bit spicy for the kiddos so I did a separate dish for them without the jalapeno and enchilada sauce but I wouldn’t do that again as it turned out not to be necessary – it wasn’t too spicy after all (perhaps because I only used 1 rounded tbsp of taco seasoning). Raved to my husband about finding your blog and now want to pre-order your cookbook!
I just made this today and it was delicious! Saving the leftovers for the football game tonight (and making your chocolate peanut butter balls) :)
Made this for dinner tonight – I used brown rice instead of pasta and added chicken. It was amazing AND a huge hit with the family! Thanks for the great recipe.
Don’t know how I hadn’t seen this recipe before now! Bookmarked this a few days ago and then found myself with a sneaky cold-like feeling yesterday. This was absolutely perfect. Helped clear out my sinuses and now I’ve got yummy lunch for days! This is a keeper!
Thanks for a great recipe! Loved everything about it and will definitely make it again. I think I might add a can of corn at the same time as the beans, just cause I love corn!
Trying this one but will probably have to use real cheese. I try to cut dairy as much as possible but the fake cheese has so many suspicious ingredients in it and GMOs that I prefer going w/grass fed.
I accidentally made a revision, but it was good. I left out the chilies in deference to my son. I opened my can of enchilada sauce, and it was GREEN! Made for a yummy casserole, though! My husband thanked me for leaving out the olives. (: It would probably be good with olives…
Took this to a pot luck. Everyone loved it!
Hello, I’m mexican and I’m pretty open minded in regards to the variations of mexican dishes made by people in other parts of the world, but this recipe is nothing like an enchilada, no mexican would call it that.
This is a pasta dish with vegetables and salsa, oh! and tortilla chips. The fact that you used a can of salsa, avocado and tortillas donesn’t make it an enchilada. I’m not sure if this dish is your creation, if it is, be carefull, you can confuse people.
Did you know that the UNESCO declared Mexican Cuisine Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity??
Other than that, I love your blog.
Best regards
Unless you use egg-free pasta, this dish doesn’t quite cut the ‘vegan’ moniker. Consider TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein.)
Angela,
I made this recipe for my family last night and they loved it! I can’t have gluten (made some substitutions) and I’m a vegan, so my family and I struggle to find food that we can all agree on.
As a side note I wanted to really send a heart felt thank you for your website. I’m currently living with my twin brother and my father in a completely different city than my husband, because my mom is very ill, and just recently suffered a stroke. Although this may sound silly, to be able to find a recipe that – in the midst of this chaos, was able to bring us all together, if only for a moment, is something I am so grateful for.
Thank you, thank you, thank you,
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie, Thank you for your kind words. My heart and thoughts go out to you and your family!
HI there,
I want to make the Vegan Enchilada Casserole but I want to freeze it afterwards for a party in two weeks. Do you think it will freeze ok?
Thanks
Hi Peggy, I’m sorry I haven’t tried freezing it yet. I would do a test run to see. Generally, casseroles freeze pretty good, but I cant comment specifically on this one. Let me know if you try it out! :)
Hi,
Did you have luck freezing? Thanks!
I made this to bring as my lunch this week and it is absolutely delicious! Great job and thank you for sharing. I look forward to trying more of your creations in the future.
This was delicious! I used gluten-free brown rice pasta instead of what the recipe said. I also used the enchilada sauce recipe and the taco mix recipe. The entire thing was a big hit! Thank you!
Just made this last night and it’s soooo good! the flavors are so wonderful and making the enchilada sauce and taco seasoning I think really aided in that. Awesome recipe that I’ll definitely make again!