Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

groovyrooby's Note:

The ingredients are simple, but the result is so satisfying. An old friend, Nana, made this for my husband and me as a first and highly successful attempt to cook a vegan potluck dish. You can easily make the recipe as-is and it's wonderful. You can also add your own garnishes, such as avocado (my favorite), shredded lettuce, olives, etc. Some additions could also be made during the enchilada-rolling step, such as VeganRella (or regular cheese).

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 large onion, sliced into half-moons
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
• 1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian refried beans (Although I prefer to make my own)
• 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas (found in the dairy case!? usually in 10-packs)
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can chopped chilies
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• salt
• cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly oil an 8x8 square pan. A rectangular pan of similar dimensions will work just as well.
3. In a skillet with a lid (or large saucepan), heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute about one minute.
4. Add zucchini, stir, salt lightly, lower heat, and cover.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are transparent and zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a microwave (covered with a damp paper towel, about 1 minute) or oven (3-4 minutes @ 400 degrees) until soft & pliable.
7. Mix the tomato topping: Pour tomato ingredients and chilies in a bowl and mix well.
8. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the tomato topping in the bottom of the baking dish.
9. When the tortillas are ready, spread about 3 tablespoons beans along one side of a tortilla, roll it up, and place it open-end down in the baking dish. Additional ingredients can be added during this step, if desired. Repeat with the remaining beans and tortillas. Don't stress out if the tortillas rip, as they will be buried and saucy before you're done.
10. When the onion and zucchini are ready, spread them over the top of the enchiladas.
11. Spread half of the tomato topping over the casserole.
12. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, place the remaining tomato topping into a saucepan, seasoning with salt & pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer while the enchiladas bake.
14. Remove enchiladas with a spatula & serve with sauce to be poured over individual servings as desired.

Reviews

[Carl L]

I've made these Enchiladas more than once now, and more critically, for a vegan potluck - with resounding success. During the "enchilada rolling step" options, I added sliced roasted chiles, sliced pimentos, and sliced black olives. I also topped this with Vegan Cheese Sauce (Cheese Sauce (Vegan)), which worked really well. Delicious. Thank you.

[anme]

Another very good recipe of yours. I made a few small changes like scaling it down, putting the zucchini inside of the tortilla, and topping it with chedder cheese. Other than that I made as directed and it was quite tasty! I plan on making again. Made for PAC 07.

[WildLightning]

This was excellent! I did add a little cheese to the inside of the little rolls, and substituted enchilada sauce for the tomato paste and tomato sauce. So yummy!!!!