Nirvana Enchilada Casserole – VIDEO

Serves 8
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Active time: 30 minutes

Photo by Vanessa Rees

This vegan enchilada casserole is saucy, spicy, layered with homemade red sauce and creamy cashew crema that bakes into golden ribbons. One reader called it enchilada lasagna, which I think is accurate and also makes me want to lie down. It’s from Isa Does It, it’s been on the site since 2013, and it’s one of my favorite Sunday night suppers. Naturally gluten-free, made with pantry staples, and great for meal prep.

I didn’t grow up eating enchiladas (Brooklyn, blintzes, blah blah, you get the picture). But I came to love them in my own kitchen, and this version is what happened when I stopped trying to make them the right way and started stacking them instead. Traditional enchiladas are rolled; these are layered like lasagna in a casserole dish. Three homemade layers: a scratch-made red enchilada sauce with toasted cumin and coriander, a hearty filling of roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and pinto beans, and a ribbon of cashew crema on top. Layered in a casserole dish, baked until bubbly, topped with pepitas and cilantro.

It’s saucy. It’s stacked. It’s easier than rolling enchiladas. And the leftovers are even better the next day.

The Homemade Enchilada Sauce

The sauce is where so much of the flavor lives, so we’re making it from scratch. Whole cumin and coriander seeds get toasted until fragrant and darker by a few shades, then sautéed with onion, jalapeño, garlic, and Mexican oregano. Whole tomatoes go in along with a touch of agave to balance the acid. The whole pot simmers away deliciously. Puree it until smooth, add a splash of vegetable broth to thin if needed, and you’ve got a rich, savory red enchilada sauce with serious depth.

Double the batch if you can. It keeps beautifully in the fridge and it’s great on tacos, burritos, or eggy scrambles during the week.

The Filling

This filling is the heart of the casserole: roasted potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, and pinto beans. Yukon Gold chunks roast in the oven until tender and crispy. Cremini mushrooms get sautéed in a large skillet with onion and garlic until they’re golden. Some commenters have added diced red or green bell pepper to the mix, and I think it’s a great addition; sauté it right along with the onions. Everything gets folded together with pinto beans and a squeeze of fresh lime.

I love potatoes with Mexican-inspired food. See also: my breakfast nachos and tater tacos. The potatoes give the casserole real body and a creamy bite that holds up against the sauce. The pintos bring warmth and protein (though you can absolutely swap in black beans, both work beautifully). The mushrooms bring earhy meatiness. All three together make the casserole feel substantial and satisfying, the kind of dinner you look forward to all day.

The Cashew Crema

A luscious cashew cream sauce gets drizzled over the top before baking, where it sets into tangy, creamy ribbons. Cashews, water, salt, and a touch of cornstarch to help it set. Blend until smooth and ribbon it on.

This is what takes the casserole from delicious to unforgettable. It cools and balances the spiced sauce underneath, and every bite gets a little ribbon of creamy richness. If you’re running short on time or forgot to soak your cashews, a dollop of guac or shredded vegan cheese at the end works too.

Assembling and Baking

Once you’ve got the three components ready, assembly goes fast. Layers of corn tortillas get smothered in enchilada sauce, topped with the filling, more tortillas, more filling, and one final layer of tortillas smothered in sauce. Ribbon the cashew crema over the top, bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Finish with pepitas and fresh cilantro. Slice, serve, and brace for seconds.

Blast From The Past Alert!

I made a video for this recipe back in 2013 for Breville, wearing a HODOR t-shirt. The recipe still works. The shirt is still out there somewhere.

Vegan Enchilada Casserole FAQ

Can I use store-bought enchilada sauce? For sure, if you’re short on time. Use about 3 to 4 cups total. The homemade sauce is worth it when you have the time, but a good jarred sauce will still make a great casserole.

Is this vegan enchilada casserole gluten-free? Yep, naturally. Just make sure your corn tortillas and any store-bought enchilada sauce you use are gluten-free. Most corn tortillas are, but always check the label.

Can I add vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, or sweet potatoes? Absolutely. Sauté zucchini or yellow squash with the mushrooms. Stir in a few handfuls of spinach or kale at the end of the filling prep to wilt. Sweet potatoes can replace the Yukon Golds if you want a different vibe. Cauliflower or butternut squash also work — just roast them first like the potatoes.

Can I add vegan cheese? Yup yup yup. Sprinkle shredded vegan cheese over the cashew crema before baking, or between the layers for extra melty goodness. Either works.

Can I make this ahead? Yes, a few ways. Make the enchilada sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Make the cashew crema up to 2 days ahead. Fully assemble the casserole the day before, cover with foil, refrigerate in an airtight container or tightly wrapped dish, then bake the next day, adding about 10 extra minutes since it’s going in cold.

Can I freeze it? Yes, either before or after baking. For before: assemble fully, cover tightly, freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. For after: cool completely, cover, and freeze up to 2 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.

How do I store leftovers? Covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheats beautifully in the microwave or a 350°F oven.

More Vegan Mexican-Inspired Recipes To Try

Tater Tacos with Corn, Black Beans, and Guac

Easy vegan potato tacos with roasted potatoes, seared corn, smoky black beans, and fresh guacamole.

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Tamale Shepherd’s Pie

Saucy black bean casserole with poblanos, corn, and crushed tortilla chips topped with lime-kissed mashed potatoes.

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Roommate Nachos with Coconut Queso

A full nacho spread with bubbly coconut queso (cashew-free!), quick pico de gallo, black beans, olives, and pickled jalapeños.

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Nirvana Enchilada Casserole – VIDEO

Isa Chandra

Saucy, spicy vegan enchilada casserole with scratch-made red enchilada sauce, a hearty filling of roasted potatoes, cremini mushrooms, and pinto beans, all topped with creamy cashew crema that bakes into golden ribbons. It's gluten-free, too.

5 from 3 votes

Notes

If you have a high-speed blender like a VitaMix, you can skip the soaking step. And if you forgot to soak and don’t have a high-speed blender, you can boil the cashews for 20 minutes, drain, cool and proceed. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Casserole, Main Course

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the potatoes:

• 1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Fresh black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Enchilada sauce:

• 4 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion diced medium
• 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped (use 2 if you like more heat)
• 6 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican, preferably)
• 2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar

White sauce:

• 1 cup cashews soaked for at least 2 hours
• 3/4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups cooked pinto beans, 2 (15 oz) cans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

For assembly:

• 18 8 inch corn tortillas

Optional toppings:

• Pepitas
• Fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions

 

Make the potatoes and enchilada sauce:

• Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the potatoes with the oil right on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with fresh black pepper and salt, and toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 F, flip potatoes and bake for 10 more minutes. Leave oven at 350 F because that is the temp that the enchiladas need to bake at.
• Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Dry toast the cumin and coriander seeds in the pan for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until they’re fragrant and a few shades darker, just be careful not to burn. Add the oil and saute the onion, jalapeno and garlic with oregano and a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt and agave, cover pot turn the heat up to bring to a slow boil. Let cook for about 20 minutes.
• Once cooked, puree until smooth with with either a submersion blender or by transferring to a blender of food processor. If using a blender, intermittently lift the lid to let steam escape so that it doesn’t build up and explode and kill you. Also, note that if you use a submersion blender you really have to blend a lot to get the seeds to smooth out. Taste for salt and set aside to cool.

Make the filling:

• Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute the onion in oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and saute just until fragrant, 15 seconds or so. Add the mushrooms and salt, and cook until they’ve released a lot of their moisture, about 5 minutes. Add the pinto beans and lime juice and cook just until heated through, 2 minutes or so.
• When the roasted potatoes are ready, toss them into the filling mix. Taste for salt and set aside.

Make the white sauce:

• Drain the cashews. Add everything to the blender and puree until completely smooth. It’s rather thick, so definitely scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula often or so to make sure you get everything. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Time to assemble:

• So we’re just going to be adding layers of sauce, tortillas and filling, then topping it all off. Let’s begin.
• Lightly grease a 9×13 casserole pan. Ladle in a thin layer of enchilada sauce, then layer 6 tortillas into the pan. Now things are going to get a bit messy! Ladle in another layer of enchilada sauce (about a cup’s worth), and flip each tortilla to smother in the sauce. Each one should be coated, but you should still be able to see the tortilla, that is to say, it shouldn’t be drowning in the sauce. Next, layer the tortillas so that they’re slightly overlapping and covering the bottom of the pan.
• Now add half of the filling, and pour on 1/2 cup of sauce or so. Layer in 6 more tortillas and repeat the process of smother each of them in a cup of sauce. Cover with the remaining filling. Once again pour 1/2 cup of sauce over the filling, and add the final layer of tortillas. Smother those in a cup of sauce. Reserve the rest of the sauce (if any) for serving.
• Finally, top with the cashew sauce. I pour it directly out of the blender and try to ribbon it in thick globs over the top. It doesn’t have to be neat, it will look cute pretty much no matter what. Place in the 350 degree oven, and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. The topping should be lightly golden.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with a handful of pepitas and chopped fresh cilantro if you like. Now it’s ready to serve!

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