This cheesy Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna makes an ideal Meatless Monday family dinner. It’s packed with fresh vegetables, a homemade enchilada-style sauce and plenty of melting cheese for a crowd-pleasing, meat-free meal.
Family dinners are my thing, and this Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna is excellent for Meatless Mondays. The casserole layers tortillas with a veggie filling, black beans, corn, a bright enchilada-style sauce and lots of cheese. Serve it with salsa, sour cream, avocado or guacamole for extra flavor.
Make-ahead friendly: This taco-style lasagna can be assembled ahead of time or frozen, making it a convenient option for meal prep and busy evenings.
Ingredient Notes
Tortillas: I use 8-inch flour (fajita-size) tortillas. You can use larger or smaller tortillas but adjust the count accordingly. Corn tortillas work too if you prefer.
Shredded Cheese: A store-bought Mexican blend works great. You can also mix mozzarella, pepper jack and cheddar for more complexity.
Beans: Black beans pair nicely here, but pinto beans are a fine substitute.
Veggies: Red bell pepper and cremini (or white button) mushrooms give a mild, kid-friendly flavor, but use your favorite vegetables as desired.
Why You’ll Love It
Veg-forward yet kid-friendly
Makes great leftovers: even better the next day
Perfect for Meatless Monday
Instructions
Make the Sauce
Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend on medium-high until smooth and combined. This fresh, “boosted” enchilada-style sauce adds more flavor than plain store-bought sauce.
Prep the Veggies
Dice the red onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the vegetables and cook about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in minced garlic, salt, pepper and paprika, cook 1 more minute, then remove from heat.
Prep the Other Ingredients
Rinse and drain canned black beans. If using canned corn, rinse and drain; frozen corn can be used straight from frozen.
Layer the Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly coat the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish with sauce. Place three tortillas in an even layer (tear one if needed to fit).
Top the tortillas with half the cooked vegetables, half the black beans and half the corn. Spread about 1 cup of enchilada sauce over the filling, then sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese over the layer.
Repeat the same layering for a second layer. Finish with the remaining three tortillas, the rest of the enchilada sauce and the remaining cheese on top.
Bake
Bake on the center rack at 350°F for 20–30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let rest briefly, then slice and serve warm with optional toppers.
Leftover Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warm.
FAQS
Yes. Fully cooked lasagna freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool completely, portion if desired, wrap or place in freezer-safe containers. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Peppers, corn, mushrooms and onion are the base I use, but tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower or broccoli also work nicely.
Yes. If you want to add meat, cook it first (leftover taco meat, grilled chicken, pork carnitas or carne asada are all great options) and layer it in with the vegetables.
Absolutely. Assemble the casserole, cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours before baking. Allow it to come to room temperature briefly before baking for best results.
Pro Tips
Sauce it up: Don’t let the tortillas dry out. Use a generous amount of enchilada sauce on every layer and on top; it keeps the tortillas soft and helps the lasagna slice neatly.
Boost the sauce: Blending fresh ingredients into canned sauce takes a few extra minutes but adds a big flavor payoff. If short on time, canned sauce alone will still work.
Serving Suggestions
Serve slices with fresh toppings such as diced avocado, chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce or guacamole. These extras brighten the dish and let guests customize their plates.
You May Also Enjoy…
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Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe
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Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna
-
Healthy Crockpot Vegetarian Chili
-
Vegetarian Enchiladas with Roasted Cauliflower
Thanks for stopping by. If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Happy Eating!
Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna Recipe
Caitlyn Erhardt
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 10 oz cans red enchilada sauce
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
Veggie Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
Mexican Lasagna
- 1 14-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 cups Mexican shredded cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella
- 9 fajita-sized flour tortillas
Optional Toppers
- Diced avocado
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Fresh cilantro
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Blend all sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside.
- In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and cook onion, mushrooms and bell pepper until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper and paprika; cook 1 minute then remove from heat.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Place three tortillas on the sauce (tear one to fit if needed). Add half the vegetables, half the corn and half the beans. Spoon about 1 cup sauce over the filling and sprinkle 1 cup cheese.
- Repeat for the second layer. Top with the remaining tortillas, sauce and cheese.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce bubbles. Slice and serve warm with desired toppers.
Notes
Leftover Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days; reheat in microwave or oven.
Freezer Option: Freeze cooked lasagna up to 3 months in portions. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 98.1 g
Protein: 32.2 g
Fat: 18.3 g