Vegetarian enchilada casserole or the enchilada bake made with mixed vegetables stuffed in hard taco shells along with refried beans covered with enchilada sauce and cheese.
7taco shellsyou can fill eight taco shells with the beans and vegetables
15.5ozenchilada sauce
16ozrefried beans
2cupscheese
To serve
½cupguacamole2 tbsp for each plate
½cupblack beans2 tbsp for each plate
sliced red radishes
¼cupsour cream1 tbsp for each plate
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, add all the veggies - corn, onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms, along with cilantro. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set it aside.
Preheat the oven at 375 deg F. I used 9X13 bakeware for this casserole. Make sure you can keep 6 to 8 taco shells in a single layer. Overlapping is ok. (Refer notes for layering) Grease the pan and add ¼ measure of the enchilada sauce and about ⅓ to ½ cup of cheese.
Now take one taco shell and first fill with 2 to 3 tbsps of refried beans.
Then top it with the prepared vegetables. Similarly, fill all the taco shells evenly with refried beans and vegetables.
Place the taco shells flat in the baking tray fill with enchilada sauce. I arranged them in a single layer like below.
Now add the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the arranged tacos and sprinkle the cheese evenly. If there are any remaining vegetables, add them on the top.
Bake uncovered at 375 deg F for 25 to 30 minutes. Please refer to notes for more details. Carefully remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit. Then serve it hot with your favorite sides.
Notes
Sauteing the vegetables: I did not saute the vegetables on the stove-top. The veggies were pretty tender and soft when baked, so I have been stuffing raw vegetables in taco shells. You can also saute them separately with Mexican seasoning or spices before stuffing.
Instead of refried beans, you can use cooked or canned beans like pinto, black, or red kidney beans.
I used mild enchilada sauce for this recipe. Buy the ones according to your spice preference.
For layering the tacos: If your bakeware is small, you can also layer the tacos. Let's say your layer four first, then add some enchilada sauce and half of the cheese and then place the remaining three or four. Add the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
We like our enchiladas when baked uncovered, especially with taco shells. You can also cover it with aluminium foil and bake for 15 minutes and remove the foil and bake again for 10 to 15 minutes. I have always baked my enchiladas uncovered.