If you are looking for a great meatless recipe that tastes incredible, you will love this easy Gluten-Free Vegan Mexican Casserole! This casserole is perfect for those busy weeknights, and you can even meal prep by making it ahead and baking it when you need it! All you need is 30 minutes to make this recipe!
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(This post has been sponsored by Cultivated Foods, LLC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Are you looking for a fabulous gluten-free meat substitute that cooks like ground beef? Mr. Fearless Dining has asked me to cook more meatless meals, and I will be honest…it was tough. Hard to find a meat substitute that is actually gluten free and hard to find a meat substitute that is the same consistency as ground beef.
If you have been struggling to find vegetarian meat that is also gluten-free, I am really excited to tell you about this new product: HAPPY LITTLE PLANTS®. It is brand new, and you can find it at your local Safeway stores, along with all of the ingredients to make this recipe! Try all of my deliciously easy gluten-free vegan recipes.
I LOVE that you can prepare HAPPY LITTLE PLANTS® products the same way you would ground beef or turkey. Put it in a pan, throw it on a grill, or cook it on a campfire…it is so easy to cook! Go ahead and get creative. This meat substitute cooks just like meat, so you have nothing to worry about when substituting it in your recipes!
Several readers have asked me what brands of dairy-free cheese are good in this recipe. I like VioLife, which can be found in many grocery stores. Daiya also makes good vegan cheese.
Allergen Information:
This vegan Mexican casserole is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and oat-free. Most vegan meat contains soy. If you can find a non-soy option, you can make this recipe soy-free.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Brown the HAPPY LITTLE PLANTS® product with diced onions and oil in a large non-stick skillet. I used a 12-inch cast iron pan, which worked really well.
Use a metal spatula to break up the plant-based ground meat so that it cooks into bite-sized crumbles.
Step 2: Chop up poblano peppers (removing the seeds) on a cutting board. We will cook these separately with vegan cream cheese to make a creamy pepper layer in this casserole!
Step 3: Cook the meat over medium heat. Stir occasionally and continue to break up the meat into smaller pieces as it cooks.
Step 4: Cook the meat mixture until the product reaches an internal temperature of 165° F, measured by a digital meat thermometer, about 10-12 minutes.
Step 5: Add the ground dried spices, fresh cilantro, and sliced jalapeños to the pan and continue to cook and break up the meat for 5 minutes.
Step 6: Add a can of diced tomatoes to the mixture, turn the heat down, and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
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Step 7: Cook the poblanos and oil over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 minutes until the peppers are softened. Add the dairy-free cream cheese and cook on low until the cheese is melted.
I still can’t get over how similar the HAPPY LITTLE PLANTS® product is to ground beef. I could eat it by the forkful without making a casserole!
Step 8: Spray oil on the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Line the bottom of a baking dish with corn tortillas.
Step 9: Add the ground layer and then top with more corn tortillas. Your vegetarian Mexican casserole is coming together!
Step 10: Add another layer of corn tortillas, the dairy-free cream cheese, and the poblano pepper mixture. Top with the final layer of tortillas.
Step 11: Top with your favorite gluten-free enchilada sauce. Most grocery stores have several choices! Next, sprinkle on the dairy-free cheddar shreds and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Serve hot, and enjoy!! You can garnish this with vegan sour cream like VioLife or Kite Hill brands. Serve this vegan Shishito Pepper Soup!
Frequently Asked Questions:
I used a 9×13 baking dish to make this Mexican Casserole recipe. You can use a ceramic casserole dish or a metal 9×13 pan.
If you don’t like things too spicy, feel free to leave out the jalapeños from the cooked meat.
feel free to substitute green peppers instead of poblano peppers.
You can also use tempeh as a protein source, but be sure to check your tempeh to see is tempeh gluten free?
More Vegan Recipes To Try:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Vegetarian Mexican Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound vegan meat
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or another high heat light oil
- 14 ounces gluten free enchilada sauce
- 18 corn tortillas
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 jalapeno
- 14.5 ounces 1 can diced tomatoes, unsalted
- 8 ounces cream cheese or dairy-free
- 2 poblano peppers chopped and deseeded
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil for cooking poblanos
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 cup cheese or dairy-free
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
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Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350º F.
- In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and 1 pound vegan meat. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the product reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, measured by a meat thermometer—about 10-12 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 minced garlic cloves to the pan, and continue to cook and break up the meat for 5 minutes.
- Add 14.5 ounces 1 can diced tomatoes, unsalted, 1 jalapeno (chopped), and 1/4 cup fresh cilantro. Mix well and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
- Deseed the poblano peppers and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil and add 2 poblano peppers (chopped). Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the peppers are softened. Add 8 ounces cream cheese or dairy-free and turn the heat down to low. Stir occasionally, allowing the peppers and cream cheese to cook together.
- Take a 9×13 pan and grease it, (I used spray canola oil).
- Layer corn tortillas along the bottom of the pan. (About 6).
- Add the meat crumble on top of the tortillas and cover with another row of corn tortillas.
- Add the cream cheese poblano layer on top of the corn tortillas.
- Top with the last layer of corn tortillas and then pour the 14 ounces gluten free enchilada sauce over the top of the casserole.
- Add 1 cup cheese or dairy-free or Mexican style cheese and bake for 30 minutes so the flavors all blend together.
- Serve hot and top with 2 tablespoons chopped scallions.
Notes
- If you do not have to be dairy-free, you can use regular cream cheese and cheddar cheese.
- You can use any brand of vegan meat, just make sure to check the ingredients because not every brand is gluten free.
- Feel free to add any veggies you like to this vegan Mexican casserole. If you like it spicy, add in some roasted hatch green chiles.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This sounds so delicious!! I love Mexican food and I’ve been trying to cut back on cheese so this is perfect!
I am so glad you like this Liz…let me know how it turns out 🙂