Vegan Enchilada Casserole

⭐️ Why You Should Try It

• Savory, rich, and creamy. This enchilada casserole is super comforting and will warm you up from the inside! The spicy enchilada sauce, creamy cheese topping, and crunchy/meaty filling all blend together to create a symphony of flavors!
• A comforting family dish. This casserole is meaty, cheesy, and so creamy that both kids and grownups cannot resist! If you have picky kids, you can even opt for a mild enchilada sauce to tone down the spiciness.
• Simple. This family dish is easy to prepare: make the filling, blend cashews to create the cheese sauce, layer the ingredients in a baking dish, and bake until cooked. This casserole will be ready to serve in no time! It’s as simple as making lasagna!

📘 What is Enchilada

An enchilada is a Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla filled with various ingredients such as meat, vegetables, beans, or cheese, and then rolled. It is typically served with a sauce and different toppings such as avocado, sour cream, or fresh herbs.

Please note that this casserole is inspired by enchilada, it is not a traditional recipe. However, it’s packed with bold flavors and makes a wonderful family dish!

🫘 Ingredient Notes

Here is what you will need to make this casserole:

• Tortillas – You can use corn or flour tortillas. Corn tortillas are more authentic, but flour tortillas tend to be a bit easier to find, at least in our area.
• Soy curls – To replace the beef or chicken used in traditional enchilada casseroles, we will use soy curls. They bring meatiness and chewiness and boost the protein content of this casserole. If you don’t have soy curls, feel free to use vegan ground beef or crumbled firm tofu.
• Soy sauce – To season the soy curls.
• Worcestershire sauce – Optional but recommended. Vegan Worcestershire sauce brings a hint of tanginess and extra umami.
• Garlic and shallots – You can replace the shallots with half of an onion.
• Black beans – You can use cooked black beans from a can or cook them yourself. I usually pick a 14-oz can of black beans and use the leftovers in a salad.
• Corn – Use a can of cooked corn or frozen corn.
• Enchilada sauce – You can use store-bought or homemade enchilada sauce. The latter will obviously yield a better flavor.
• Yogurt – To add a hint of tanginess and make the filling creamier. Use your favorite unsweetened plant-based yogurt.

Then, for the cashew cheese sauce, you will need the following:

• Cashews – Raw cashews make the base of the cheese sauce topping, bringing richness and creaminess.
• Nutritional yeast – For a cheesy flavor.
• Tapioca starch – It helps thicken a little bit the sauce during baking.
• Miso – Sweet white miso adds saltiness and enhances the overall flavor of the sauce.
• White vinegar – For tanginess.
• Onion powder – For a pungent aroma.
• Salt

🥣 How to Make It

Prepare the soy curls

1. Rehydrate the soy curls. Add the soy curls to a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them rehydrate for about 15 minutes. The soy curls should be soft.
2. Drain them. Drain the rehydrated soy curls and rinse them a few times under cold water. Squeeze them between your hands to remove as much moisture as possible.
3. Slice into small chunks. Slice the soy chunks into 1/2-inch bites to make something that resembles ground meat. Transfer to a bowl.

4. Season. Add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and toss to coat.
5. Let marinate. Allow the soy curls to absorb the sauce for about 10 minutes.

Make the filling

1. Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Once hot, add the minced garlic and shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Add the soy curls. Next, add the marinated soy curls and sauté for 5 minutes or until slightly brown.

3. Add the remaining ingredients. Add the cooked black beans, corn, enchilada sauce, yogurt, and ground black pepper.
4. Stir to combine. Stir to combine all of the ingredients with the enchilada sauce. Cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat.
5. Taste and adjust the seasonings. At this point, taste the filling and adjust the saltiness to your liking.

Assemble

1. Make the cheese sauce. Drain the soaked cashews and transfer them to a high-speed blender. Add the water, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, miso, vinegar, onion powder, and salt. Blend for 15-20 seconds or until smooth. Note: The sauce will be very thin. This is normal, it will thicken as it cooks.
2. Assemble. It’s now time to assemble the casserole! Spread a very thin layer of the filling to the bottom of a 9×7-inch (23x18cm) baking dish. This layer will prevent the tortillas from sticking to the bottom.
3. Top with tortillas. Next, arrange two tortillas on top of the filling. It’s okay if they overlap a little bit.

4. Add another layer of the filling. Transfer half of the enchilada filling on top of the tortillas and spread it into an even layer.
5. Repeat. Top the filling with another layer of tortillas and finish with the remaining filling.
6. Pour the cheese sauce. Slowly pour the liquid cashew cheese sauce on top of the filling.
7. Bake. Finally, bake the casserole for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Allow the casserole to cool for a few minutes before serving.

🌿 Variations

Looking for ways to tweak this casserole? We have got you covered! Here are a few ideas on how to customize it:

• Add extra veggies: Feel free to sauté diced bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, or kale with the soy curls for more texture and some extra nutrients. Remember to adjust the enchilada sauce accordingly.
• Top with grated vegan cheese: For extra cheesiness, sprinkle the top of the casserole with shredded vegan cheese. You can even add a layer of vegan cheese on top of the first layer of the filling.
• Make it spicier: Add a pinch of chili powder or a teaspoon of sriracha to the filling to increase the spiciness level.

🥗 What to Serve It With

You can serve this casserole with a green salad on the side such as this kale and carrot salad, shaved Brussels sprout salad, or with guacamole.

💬 FAQ

This enchilada casserole is one of our favorites. We usually double the recipe to have leftovers to enjoy throughout the week. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

🍲 More Vegan Casseroles

Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole

Easy Vegan Moussaka

Buffalo Jackfruit Rice Casserole

Vegan Plantain Lasagna (Pastelón)

⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!