I created this recipe for a TV segment that I did this morning, but I’m seriously in love with how easy it is to make (and delicious!!). Normally when I make enchiladas, it’s a bit more of a chore because I have to roll up all of the tortillas with the filling, make an enchilada sauce (because it felt like none of them were gluten-free for quite a while), and then bake it in the oven. It was just fairly time consuming.But, now I have a much easier way to make them. Hello Crock Pot! Seriously, I wish that I had known about the Casserole Crock Pot ages ago. It makes making casseroles that much easier! And, by layering the ingredients instead of rolling them in the tortillas, it’s super quick to make too.
For this particular recipe, you make an easy nacho sauce in the blender (which you don’t have to cook because of the Cornaby’s E-Z Gel). Then you layer corn tortillas, homemade nacho sauce, your favorite canned enchilada sauce, beans, roasted chilies, corn, and Beyond Meat crumbles or Strips (I love them in this, and hello, they’re gluten-free + vegan!). It seriously couldn’t be simpler and it tastes so good!! You could also layer in some vegan cheese if you want too. Then you cover the Crock Pot and cook for 2 to 4 hours, depending on if you cook it on high or low. Alternately you can bake this up in a 9 x 13-inch casserole in the oven.
Also, if you use the Beyond Meat crumbles or strips in the recipe (which I highly recommend doing), because the casserole is cooking for 45 minutes to 6 hours, you don’t need to cook it first. Normally you need to give it a quick sauce first, but no need in this recipe.
If you want to take this another step further, you can sprinkle the top with your favorite vegan cheese before cooking (or make your own from this Julie & Kittee recipe or this one).
Here’s the TV segment from this morning:
xo Julie
Vegan Loaded Enchilada Casserole
Yield 1 9 x 13-inch casserole
This is a super-delicious casserole, perfect for game day or a weeknight dinner. If you have a high-powdered blender, you won’t need to soak the cashews. This casserole is also vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews, soaked for several hours
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 canned chipotle in adobo (look for gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 cup E-Z Gel*
- 10 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- 1 28-ounce can enchilada sauce (gluten-free if necessary)
- 3 cups cooked pinto beans (or 2 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
- 1 27-ounce can whole green roasted chilies, drained and chilies sliced open
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 10-ounce bag Beyond Beef crumbles or Beyond Chicken strips, optional
- Sliced scallions, for garnish
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Sliced black olives, optional for garnish
- Pickled jalapeno slices, optional
Instructions
1. Nacho Sauce: In blender jar, combine water, cashews, nutritional yeast flakes, salt, smoked paprika, granulated onion, cumin, and chipotle pepper (if using). Blend until the sauce is super smooth. Through the top of the blender jar with the motor on low, add the E-Z Gel through the top and blend for about 10 seconds until smooth. Let sit 5 minutes and blend again for another 5 to 10 seconds.
2. Casserole: Grease the inside of the Crock Pot (or a 9 x 13-inch baking dish if using the oven). Cover the bottom with a thin layer of the enchilada sauce. Layer half of the tortillas, beans, chilies, corn, crumbles or strips, nacho sauce, and enchilada sauce into the dish. Repeat the layers with remaining ingredients, ending with the enchilada and nacho sauces.
3. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours, or until hot and bubbly and the tortillas are tender when pierced. If not using a Crock Pot, cover the dish with foil and bake the casserole in a preheated 400°F oven for 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and the tortillas are tender when pierced.
4. Serve the enchilada casserole hot with any or all of the toppings: scallions, cilantro, black olives, and jalapenos.
*E-Z Gel is an instant thickener, basically an instant cornstarch, which thickens the sauce in the blender jar.
Notes
You can sprinkle vegan cheese on the top before cooking, if desired.
Courses Main Dish
I’m excited to try this. I purchased the casserole crock pot a few years ago and about the same time purchased your casserole cook book, and I love both of them. Several months ago, I tried Cornaby’s Ultra Gel (apparently recently re-named to EZ Gel) and am very happy with it.
So, to find a recipe from you using these products for a dish that I love? Score! I hope you will be posting more of them.
That’s so awesome Vee! I will definitely be posting lots of recipes using all 3! This sounds like perfect timing: ) xoxo Julie
This looks so delish, Julie! Definitely making it into the meal rotation this month!