Short on Time? Make this Vegan Mexican Lasagna in Under an Hour

I found a wonderful new thrift store a couple days ago, called Frank & Betty’s, on Higuera. I’m not a big shopper, and rarely do I actually buy anything off the shelf. If I do, it’s one small item that costs less than five dollars.

However, I found thrift store heaven yesterday, and walked out with a whopping 14 items in my arms (including the dishes you see above), which all rattled and clanked the whole way home because I refused – in the name of saving trees – to let the nice employees wrap all the china.

My shopping spree cost me a total of $21.08. Big spender.

And then came dinnertime. Despite my weekly menu planning, I often screw it up and have to scramble in the middle of the week to find something to eat. Enter: Mexican Lasagna.

This is not really a lasagna in the traditional sense at all, but for lack of a better description, this is what I came up with. It’s really just an organized pile of Mexican-inspired ingredients that ends up rather tasty after you pull it out of the oven.

Vegan-Friendly Mexican Lasagna

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Raquel Smith
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

A nicely spiced vegan-friendly Mexican Lasagna dish that also happens to be gluten free. Made in under an hour, this tasty recipe is sure to please friends and guests alike.

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Ingredients

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For the Rice:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup short-grain white rice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/3 cup cooking sherry
• 2 cups vegetable broth

For the Veggies:

• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
• 3 small carrots, shaved into ribbons

To Assemble:

• 4–5 corn tortillas
• 1 can refried beans
• 1/2 cup enchilada sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• Cotija cheese (optional)
• Sour cream (optional)
• Guacamole
• Cilantro

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Instructions

For the Rice:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the rice just barely starts to brown. Add the minced garlic and spices and stir vigorously until evenly distributed.
2. Add the cooking sherry, mix, and let simmer 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook 20 minutes, until tender.

For the Veggies:

1. While the rice cooks, prep the veggies. Heat a bit more olive oil in a skillet. Add the veggies all at once and cook about 5 minutes, until they just lose their shape but are still a bit crunchy.

To Assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 1-quart casserole dish.
2. Arrange tortillas on the bottom of your pan so that they do not overlap too much (you may need to cut them in half). Spread half of the beans over the tortillas and top with 1/4 cup enchilada sauce. Place half of the veggies on top of this and cover with a layer of tomatoes. Cover the tomatoes with some rice
3. Repeat the previous step for another layer, finishing with tomatoes. Top cheese, if using, and bake for 15 minutes.
4. To serve, top with sour cream, guacamole, and cilantro, if using.

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan, Gluten Free

If you’re short on time, do nothing more than make the rice. It is incredible, and I could eat the whole batch with a spoon straight out of the pan. It’s a bit spicy, so decrease the amount of cayenne if you’re sensitive. If you add too much, you can try these tips for cooling down your meal.

About Raquel Smith

Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).

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