Vegetarian Enchilada Pie

by Kate Bergen

As we settle into the long, cold(ish?), dark bewilderingly hot days that come with the final slog through winter, we — your pals from The Hairpin and The Awl — will be bringing you some of our favorite casserole recipes (and crockery recommendations).

My parents own a health-food store, so my childhood was light on casseroles and heavy on macrobiotics. The first time I had turkey tetrazzini at a friend’s house after school I was confused and obsessed — creamy meat pasta. To this day you can put cream of mushroom soup on anything and count on me to eat seconds; a friend once brought a tater tot casserole to a party, and I’ve never forgotten it and probably never will.

But my favorite casserole is inauthentic semi-homemade enchiladas. Their virtues are many:

– You will never throw out leftovers. They just get better with time. Have some for breakfast with a fried egg on top.

– The actual chopping and cooking takes no more than 15 minutes; the rest is satisfying, messy assembly and unsatisfying, anxious pacing as they bake.

– The recipe begs you to make your own alterations. Think zucchini’s weird? Use bits of cooked potato. Want a spicy casserole? Add a chopped jalapeno or two during the sauté. No dairy? You won’t miss the cheese.

You can use canned refried beans here, but my favorite is Fantastic Foods refried bean flakes. You add boiling water and you get beans. They’re just the best; I make them in the morning for breakfast tostadas and have survived for days on them plus chips and nacho cheese from a can. (Ed. — Not … recommended? Or maybe?) I get them at the health food store in the bulk bin (!), but this might not be standard, because my local health food store is old-school and structured like a nested nautilus that grew extra nooks as it needed them.

Ingredients

(Don’t be like me. Light sour cream is weird. Full fat or die.)
12 corn tortillas
10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium zucchini, sliced in nice pieces
1 7 oz. can diced green chiles
½ tsp. table salt
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
2.5 cups refried beans
1.5 cups grated pepper jack cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a 9”x13” pan by spraying it liberally with oil.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium high heat. Add the onions and zucchini and stir well. You’re going to sauté these together for 8–10 minutes, until they’re soft and speckled with brown fry spots. Stir every minute or so.

3. Turn off the heat (this was the hardest part and it’s done!). Add the green chiles, salt, cumin, and oregano. Stir together.

4. If you’re using canned refried beans, put them in a bowl and, adding a couple tablespoons of water at a time, thin them until they’re spreadable. They shouldn’t be at all stiff.

5. Assembly time. Dump half the enchilada sauce on to a plate. Dredge 6 of the tortillas in the sauce, one at a time, so that they’re covered with sauce on both sides. Use these to line the bottom of your greased casserole pan. Scatter the green chile, onion, and zucchini mixture over the top of the tortillas, and then spread the beans in an even layer over the veggies. Add the rest of the enchilada sauce to the plate, dredge the remaining 6 tortillas, and arrange them on top of the beans. Pour any remaining enchilada sauce on top, and festoon with the cheese.

6. Cover tightly with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, bake another 10, and remove from the oven. These are easier to serve if you can let them sit for 10 minutes after they come out of the oven, but I understand if you can’t wait. Serve with sour cream or guacamole.

VEGAN FRIENDS: Skip the cheese but follow the baking procedure. When the enchiladas have come out of the oven and cooled for 10 minutes, glitter-bomb them with chopped cilantro and scallions. Serve with more guacamole than you think is necessary.

Previously: Pesto-Shrimp Mac & Cheese.

Kate Bergren prefers blogging with her mom.