I want more vegetarian Mexican lasagna

The winter holidays can present a unique challenge for vegetarians and pescetarians. Thanksgiving and Christmas inevitably revolve around a grand feast. Yet the traditional foods, like turkey and ham, just don’t work for us. I don’t know about you, but I just cannot stomach those “artificial” foods like tofurkey. I didn’t stop eating meat to then replace it with some substitute meat. What’s the point? Just have the “real thing” if you want it so badly. Instead I prefer non-traditional dishes like this vegetarian Mexican lasagna.

I’ve adapted this recipe from an Alton Brown version using chicken. Really its enchiladas laid out flat in a baking dish like lasagna noodles. It looks a lot like lasagna when it’s done but has a spicy, savory flavor more akin to Mexican cuisine. I really enjoyed it for Thanksgiving and didn’t miss the tofurkey, or turkey, at all.

Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna

sauce ingredients

2 dried chipotle chiles, stems and seeds removed and chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp pasilla powder
1 ½ tsp toasted cumin seeds, freshly ground
2 cups vegetable broth
28oz canned crushed tomato
½ tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper

red sauce for vegetarian Mexican lasagna

filling ingredients

2 boxed frozen chopped spinach, thawed with liquid removed
4 cobs sweet corn, kernels removed
28 oz black beans, drained
3 fresh poblano peppers; oven roasted; skin, stems, seeds and ribs removed; sliced in wide strips
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil with some extra for greasing baking dish
Kosher salt to taste
3 cups Monterey Jack and/or cheddar, shredded
24 6 inch corn tortillas
1 small can pickled jalapenos (optional)

Directions

Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Blend sauce in batches in blender until smooth. Be careful as it is very hot. Adjust salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. Sauté onions with a pinch of salt on medium heat for about five minutes until they become translucent. Add garlic and oregano. Sauté for about a minute more then add black beans, corn and spinach. Fold in roasted poblanos. Adjust salt. Set aside.

start by layering sauce soaked corn tortillas at bottom of baking dish

then add layer of vegetable filling

once all layers are placed, cover with remaining sauce and pickled jalapenos

To layer lasagna, first grease 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish with olive oil. Place about ½ cup of sauce in bottom of dish. Dip corn tortilla in sauce then place on bottom to cover base of baking dish. I used about six to eight tortillas per layer. Cover first layer of tortillas with about a third of the spinach corn filling. Then cover with about a quarter of cheese. Spread some more sauce over cheese. Then repeat with a layer of tortillas. Make three layers of filling and cover final layer with tortillas. Cover that with remaining cheese then sauce. I placed some pickled jalapenos on top for decoration.

Wrap dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another five to 10 minutes to brown top of lasagna. Remove from oven. Let set for about fifteen minutes then serve.

allow finished lasagna to set for about 15 minutes