Mexican flavours stacked in a lasagna-type form = Mexican Lasagna! Fresh, light and healthy yet packed full of flavour thanks to the gorgeous Enchilada sauce. The key is whizzing it up in a blender to get the punchy fresh flavours into the sauce! Feel free to swap out the veggies with whatever you want to use.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Servings: 5-6
Calories: 342cal
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce
800 g / 28oz crushed canned tomato
1tbspolive oil
1clovegarlic, whole peeled
1/2red onion, chopped
1cupfresh coriander / cilantro, lightly packed
1tbspEACH cumin, oregano and paprika (any type)
1tspEACH salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (optional) and sugar (any)
2tspcoriander powder
Black pepper
Hot Filling
1tbspolive oil
1garlic clove, minced
1/2red onion, finely chopped
1large red capsicum / bell pepper, chopped (~1 1/2 cups)
2zucchinis, chopped (~1 1/2 cups)
Assembling
425 g / 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2cupsfrozen corn
6large flour tortillas(approx 22 cm / 9" wide) (2)
Fresh coriander / cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Place Enchilada Sauce ingredients in a blender and whizz until onion is whizzed in and no longer visible. (In my Vitamix, I started on 3 then cranked it to 8 and it took 15 seconds)
Heat oil in a large non stick skillet. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute. Add capsicum, cook for 1 minute. Add zucchini and cook for 3 minutes until charred. Remove skillet from heat.
Smear a bit of Enchilada Sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Place 1 tortilla in the middle, then tear on in half and place on either side (see step photos or video).
Top with half the Hot Filling. Scatter over half the black beans, half the corn. Drizzle over 1 cup Enchilada Sauce and 3/4 cup grated cheese.
Repeat with another layer so you have 2 layers of filling. Then for the last layer, top with tortillas then cover 2 cups of Enchilada Sauce (Note 3) and scatter over remaining cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and golden. Stand for 5 minutes, then garnish with fresh coriander and serve.
Notes
1. My casserole dish is 30 x 25 x 6 cm / 12 x 10 x 2.5 inches, 18 cup volume.2. You can use corn tortillas if you prefer, but I find flour is more similar to actual lasagna.3. This makes about 5 cups of Enchilada Sauce but I find the tortillas were a bit too soggy for my taste if I used it all. So I use 1 cup for each of the layers, then 2 cups for the topping. Make a quick soup with the leftovers or use it as a Sauce (see below for more ideas!)4. Difference between this fresh Blender Enchilada Sauce and a stovetop one (like in my Beef Enchiladas) - Flavour wise, this is much fresher and has stronger spices, coriander / cilantro and garlic flavours compared to a traditional stovetop version. This sauce has stronger flavour because it is the seasoning for the vegetables. In comparison, the beef in my Beef Enchiladas are seasoned when cooked. So the Enchilada Sauce seasoning isn't as strong.5. Other uses for this Blender Enchilada Sauce: Definitely traditional enchiladas! Toss a bit of chicken and veggies in this sauce, roll up then top with this Blender Enchilada Sauce, cheese then bake until bubbly. :-) It also makes a fantastic soup base. Saute some garlic, onion and veggies, add the Blender Enchilada Sauce plus some chicken stock / broth for more depth of flavour. I also use it as a salsa to serve on the side of tacos, fajitas, in burritos.6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings and that low fat cheese is used. If full fat cheese is used, it is 410 calories per serving.