Take Taco Tuesday to the next level with vegan Mexican lasagna! Peppers, onions, and beans are sandwiched between layers of tortillas and then topped with creamy cashew cheese sauce in this Tex-Mex lasagna recipe. (Or taco lasagna, as I like to call it!)
My 10 year Blogging Anniversary
This is a very special blog post today, because it was 10 years ago today, on December 18, 2009, I published my very first blog post! Waaaay back when, I had some digestive issues, which I thought were food allergies but turned out to be a giant ovarian cyst stuck to my intestines. (Ouch!) My friend Jessica suggested that I start a blog to document my elimination diet.
A lot has changed in 10 years. Back then, blogging was a fun pastime, now it's become a business. When I started, I didn't need to worry about anything other than publishing a post. These days, we have to please Google, deal with SEO, juggle social media, and handle all kinds of behind the scenes things. When I started, my website was known as VeggieGirl, but about 5 years ago I changed it to Dianne's Vegan Kitchen to give it a more person touch. (And because I was getting tired of being called VeggieGirl everywhere I went!)
I've deleted a lot of the post from my blog's first year. Most of them are no longer relevant, and the photos were horrible. The oldest surviving post from the early days is my Mexican Lasagna recipe. Back then, I called it "Taco Pie," but I've come to realize that most people know this type of dish as "Mexican Lasagna." I've changed the name for SEO and to make the Google gods happy. I've rephotographed it and am sharing it again today to celebrate my 10 year blogaversary.
Mexican Lasagna
It's no secret that I love tacos. I also love lasagna. So why not combine them? This recipe is sort of a taco lasagna. I've used some of my favorite taco fillings and layered them between soft tortillas. It's become a Taco Tuesday favorite in my house, and I love having leftovers for the next day. When I know that I'm going to have a busy week, I like to make this dish in advance, and then heat it up when I'm ready to eat.
How to Make Vegan Mexican Lasagna
Don't let the long ingredient list fool you! This Mexican lasagna recipe is easy to make, and it can easily be adapted to suit whatever ingredients you have on hand. If you'd like to use black beans and different veggies, the dish will be just as delicious.
- First you cook the vegetables.
- Then you mix in the beans, corn, tomatoes, and spices.
- Next, you layer the tortillas, vegetables, and salsa together in your casserole dish.
- Then you bake the lasagna.
- Finally, you top the dish with cashew cheese, olives, and cilantro. Slice, and enjoy!
I like to top my lasagna with dairy-free cashew cheese sauce. You can use your favorite store-bought vegan cheese, if you prefer. If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure the corn tortillas you use don't contain gluten.
If you're crunched for time, you can use frozen mixed peppers and onions instead of fresh. Be sure to heat them up before mixing them in with the beans and corn though.
Vegan Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 teaspoon neutral-flavored oil
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 ½ cups corn one 15-ounce can
- 2 cups tomatoes diced (2 medium tomatoes)
- 1 ½ cups kidney beans one 15-ounce can
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups vegetarian refried beans one 15 ounce-can
- 12 6 or 8 inch corn tortillas (gluten-free if necessary)
- 16 ounce jar of salsa
- ½ cup cashew cheese sauce
- ⅓ cup black olives sliced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° and lightly oil a casserole dish.
- In a large skillet or nonstick pan, sauté the garlic and onion in the oil for about three minutes, until the onions become translucent. Add the peppers and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes, until they soften. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.
- Mix in the corn, kidney beans, tomatoes, and spices.
- Spread ¼ of the salsa over the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with 4 of the tortillas. You can cut them to make them fit the dish, if needed Spread half of the refried beans over the tortillas and top with half of the vegetable bean mixture. Spread another ¼ of the salsa over the vegetables. Place 4 more tortillas over the top and repeat the layering. top with the remaining tortillas and salsa. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and cooked throughout.
- Drizzle the top with the cashew cheese sauce and sprinkle with the olives and cilantro. Slice and enjoy!
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Susan
This looks so tasty! I might try it for Christmas Congratulations on blogging 10 years!
Dianne
Thank you, Susan!