A simple, healthier Vegan Enchilada Casserole Recipe with creamy layers of nut cheese, black beans and spinach. Store-bought and homemade ingredient options. Oil free, WFPB, gluten free.
Place the spinach in a microwave safe dish, cover, and cook for about 4 minutes or until tender. (Kale may take a bit longer). Drain, and pat dry with a clean towel or paper towels.
Ladle ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Gently rotate and shake the dish to evenly distribute the sauce.
Spread a thin layer of spreadable nut cheese on half the tortillas. (See notes.) Cut them to fit in the bottom of the dish, and arrange evenly in a single layer. Overlapping a little is fine.
Spoon the black beans evenly over the tortillas in the baking dish.
Spoon the spinach evenly over the beans.
Add a second layer of tortillas on the top as you did for the bottom. Pour the remaining sauce over the dish. It should be very liquid, but you should still be able to see a bit of the tortillas on top.
Cover the casserole, and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrhenheit, or until hot and bubbly. If adding cheese sauce to the top, do it in the last 10 minutes of baking.
Garnish with sliced green onions and serve.
Notes
Nutrition information shown is approximate and DOES NOT INCLUDE optional cheese sauce topping. Please
Cheese sauce on top variation. I personally like this version the best. But it does add a bit of labor and more fat to the recipe.
Spreadable cheese. You can use none at all, or you can coat both the top and bottom layer of tortillas with cheese for a creamier casserole. Be sure to place the tortillas cheese-side down if you use more for the top tortillas.
Using greens. Make sure you drain your spinach, kale or other greens and pat dry.
Leftover enchilada sauce or cheese. Some recipes or packages may give you more sauce than you need. I like to reserve any extra sauce and serve it on the side with the casserole. It's also great to pour over leftovers, especially if they get a little dry.
Store bought or homemade ingredients. You can find oil free enchilada sauce, nut cheese, etc. in most stores or online. But for the lowest fat, healthiest, and lowest sodium version, make as much of the the recipe from scratch as possible.
To spread the nut cheese. Bring it to room temperature for easier spreading. This is especially helpful if you want to use just a little bit of cheese for less fat.