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Vegan Taco Casserole

Vegan Taco Casserole


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 19 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Goeden
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

It’s Veganuary, time for vegan comfort food, which is exactly the right time for Vegan Taco Casserole. All the flavour of an amazing Taco Casserole, none of the meat. Instead an alternative made from mushrooms to bring all the umami flavour, lentils and walnuts for protein and texture and a super creamy vegan queso topping you’ll want to pour over everything after making it the first time. Fantastic for meal prep for the whole week too, so you have less stress on workdays.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Taco Mix:

  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 2 cups lentils, cooked. (About 1 cup dried. You can use cans instead.)
  • 2 packs mushrooms (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 5 sundried tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1-2 tbsp brown miso paste (use any colour, but brown has the most meat-like flavour)
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 can tomatoes
  • 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 can sweetcorn (drained and rinsed)
  • 2 cups salsa (use your favourite. Set 1/2 cup aside for the queso)

Seasoning:

  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 corn or flour tortillas (to cover the bottom of your casserole)
  • 1 cup vegan shredded cheese of choice

Queso:

  • 1 cup cashews (soaked for 30min in hot water or overnight in cold)
  • 1/2 cup vegan yoghurt (I used Greek)
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/4 -1/2 tsp chili powder (I like ancho chili, but use whatever you have and enjoy)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp pickled jalapenos
  • 2 tbsp pickled jalapeno brine
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Toppings (Optional):

  • Guacamole (Ready made or, to make yourself:)
  • 5 avocados (mashed)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 3 limes (juice)
  • 1/2-1 tsp Chili powder
  • Salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 1 cup Vegan sour cream or Greek yoghurt
  • 1 Lime (zested and juiced)
  • 1 head Romaine lettuce (chopped)
  • 2 cups Cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 3 tbsp Cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 bunch Spring onions (chopped)
  • 1 bag tortilla chips

Instructions

Prepare Taco Filling

  1. Pre-cook lentils according to package instructions, leaving a bit of bite for texture.
  2. Toast walnuts in a dry pan until fragrant. Set aside.
  3. Fry mushrooms in batches until browned. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  4. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Add Mexican seasoning, sundried tomatoes, tomato paste, miso paste, nutritional yeast, and coconut aminos. Stir and heat through.
  5. Combine garlic-onion-spice mix, fried mushrooms, walnuts, and cooked lentils in a food processor. Pulse until minced meat-like texture.
  6. Transfer mix back to the pan and fry until browned. Add drained beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes from the can and 1 ½ cups salsa. Stir and heat through.

Mix Vegan Queso

  1. For queso, blend all queso ingredients until smooth. Adjust seasoning.

Assemble

  1. Lightly grease a casserole dish. Place quartered tortillas on the bottom, slightly overlapping.
  2. Spread mushroom-bean mix evenly over tortillas. Top casserole with vegan queso, sprinkle over the vegan cheese.

Bake

  1. Cover with foil, bake at 375°F/190°C for 15min, then uncover and bake for an additional 15min.

Prepare Optional Toppings

  1. While baking, prepare toppings: guacamole, lime yogurt, romaine, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, and tortilla chips.
  2. Serve casserole pieces with desired toppings. Enjoy the flavorsome vegan taco casserole!

Notes

The equipment section may contain affiliate links to products I know and love. 

The Nutrition is calculated excluding the optional toppings.

  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Dinner, lunch, Main Course
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American, Mexican

Nutrition

  • Calories: 531
  • Sugar: 8
  • Sodium: 1174
  • Fat: 17
  • Saturated Fat: 3
  • Carbohydrates: 71
  • Fiber: 26
  • Protein: 28
  • Cholesterol: 1