Roasted Red Pepper Enchilada Casserole
If this casserole had a tattoo, it would be inchillheaven.
Also apt: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
However, I have been known to eat the sauce as if it’s a soup. (Consider doubling the sauce. Use the extra for nachos, taco salad, chili, dip…)
1 sweet potato + about 16 oz peppers. I used all the peppers, but had about a quarter cup of sweet potato left after assembling the casserole.
Ingredients (fits into 8x8 dish, makes 2 cups sauce)
1½ cups LAFF protein crumbles 15 oz can drinsed black beans 16 oz sweet peppers (try Glade Growing lunchbox peppers) 1½ cups low sodium vegetable broth 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon avocado oil 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon Adobo (I used La Preferida “con pimienta”) 1 cup roasted red peppers from a jar (I used Mezzeta) 8 corn tortillas Salt
Method
Heat the oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit.
Dice the sweet potato and peppers. Sprinkle them with salt. Roast them on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20-30 minutes. They’re done when they’re soft with just a touch of caramelization.
Sauce secret? This flavor Adobo is the chef’s kiss.
While the veggies roast, make the enchilada sauce. In a saucepan over low to medium heat, whisk together the flour and avocado oil. Add the vegetable broth and continue whisking. Add the lime juice and continue whisking. Add the chili powder, cumin, and Adobo and—you know the drill—keep whisking. Being careful not to splash hot sauce on yourself, add the roasted red peppers. Use an immersion blender to break down the peppers into a smooth sauce. The sauce will be thin enough to easily ladle but thick enough to coat a spoon without slipping right off. Remove the sauce from the heat. Check the roasting progress of the sweet potato and peppers.
While the sauce sits and the veggies finish roasting, stir together the LAFF protein crumbles and black beans.
When the veggies are finished roasting, reduce the oven temperature to 350. Set up an assembly station with the veggies, sauce, LAFF-bean mixture, and tortillas.
Assembly station.
Ladle a thin coat of sauce over the bottom of a deep 8x8 glass baking dish. Pave the bottom of the dish with 4 corn tortillas. The tortillas will overlap, and a bit of the edges will curve up the sides of the dish. Spread about half of the veggies onto the tortillas and top with about half the LAFF-bean mixture. Cover the LAFF-beans with sauce. Pave the sauce with the 4 remaining corn tortillas; layer with the remaining veggies and LAFF-bean mixture. Add a final layer of sauce.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Let the casserole sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Store leftovers in the fridge. The casserole will be just as delicious—and much easier to slice—the next day.
Notes
The first piece may come out ajumble—especially if you don’t let the casserole rest. It’ll still taste delicious. If you want the pieces to look like the photo on the front of the blog and YouTube video, give the casserole its 10-15 minute beauty sleep before cutting.
Taste the sauce and adjust the heat to your liking. A dash of cayenne will kick it up; a sprinkle of oregano or drizzle of agave syrup will lift it; a pinch of unsweetened baking cocoa will deepen it. Some folks might like to add more salt.
I can’t believe I’m going to warn against too much veg, but here it is: Avoid overfilling the casserole with the sweet potato and peppers. If you have leftover roasted veg, just pop it into the fridge for an odds-and-ends soup or salad toppers or (in our household) a treat for the pup.
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