Tofu Enchilada Casserole Recipe
You don’t have to be vegetarian to enjoy this tofu enchilada casserole! This savory and hearty casserole contains layers of spicy tofu filling, tortillas, homemade enchilada sauce, and cheese. This casserole blends textures, spices and flavors that everyone will love.
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This mouthwatering casserole is a unique twist on traditional enchiladas. Tofu is flavored with classic Mexican chorizo spices that will leave you wanting more. Whether vegetarian or just looking for a flavorful and healthy meatless meal, this casserole will become a new favorite.
🤍Why you will love this recipe
- It’s simple! It has all of the flavors of enchiladas with less work; perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
- Flavor! This casserole has so much flavor, meat-lovers will devour this recipe too.
- It’s easy to make ahead of time.
Here is what you will need
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This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this tofu enchilada recipe; scroll down to see ingredient notes and substitutions as well as the full recipe on a printable recipe card with exact measurements and complete cooking instructions.
🛒Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Extra Firm Tofu
- Diced Tomatoes
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- Tamari Sauce
- Ground Cumin
- Smoked Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Brewed coffee
- Enchilada Sauce (here’s a recipe for my homemade enchilada sauce)
- Tortillas
- Cheddar Cheese
🥄Equipment
- Large Skillet – A cast iron skillet works best in this recipe
- Casserole Dish – If you are using larger tortillas a round casserole dish or pie plate is perfect.
- Cheese Grater
- Tofu Bud – Not necessary, but a helpful tool to extract moisture from tofu.
How to make this tofu enchiladas casserole
Prepare the Ingredients: Press the tofu several hours ahead of time to remove excess moisture. Wrap the block in a towel or paper towels and place a heavy object such as a plate on top of it. If you have a tofu press, place the tofu in that for a few hours.
Measure out the seasonings, shred the cheese, and heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
STEP 1: Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-high heat. Crumble tofu with your hands and add it to the skillet. Use the back of a spatula to press the crumbles down, and let them cook for a few minutes undisturbed. Once the crumbles begin to turn golden brown on the bottom, reduce the heat to medium heat and toss the crumbles around the skillet while it continues to brown.
STEP 2: Stir in the spices, tomatoes, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, coffee and tamari sauce. Reduce the heat to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
STEP 3: Pour a thin layer of sauce (approximately 1/4 cup enchilada sauce) into the casserole dish. This should be enough to cover the bottom of the baking dish depending on its size.
STEP 4: Cover the sauce in the casserole dish with the tortilla. If you are using smaller tortillas, arrange them so that they cover the bottom of the dish.
STEP 5: Spread half of the filling mixture over the tortilla.
STEP 6: Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese over the filling in the casserole, add enough sauce to lightly cover the cheese.
STEP 7: Cover the cheese and sauce with another tortilla, then the remainder of the filling a little bit of cheese and sauce. Top it off with a the remaining tortillas, and enough sauce to cover the tortilla and sprinkle it with the remaining cheese.
Cover the casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes longer.
Read this this article to find out what tofu tastes like, and how to prepare it, and more.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
The complete list of ingredients to make this vegetarian enchilada casserole is above. Below are notes about some of the ingredients and ideas for substitutes.
Olive oil can be substituted with avocado oil one for one.
Diced Tomatoes – Fresh or canned tomatoes will work in this recipe. If you are using canned tomatoes, look for low sodium tomatoes.
An equal amount of crushed tomatoes can be used in place of diced tomatoes.
Tamari Sauce adds a nice umami flavor to the filling. It can be substituted with an equal amount of soy sauce.
Tortillas – You can use any size of tortilla in this recipe. We like larger flour tortillas because they fit perfectly in a round casserole dish.
Smaller tortillas may need to be trimmed to fit the contour of your casserole dish. Corn tortillas are also a great option.
Chipotle Peppers & Adobo Sauce. These two ingredients are actually one product. Look for chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce in the canned section of your grocery store.
You will need one pepper and some of the sauce. Freeze what’s left from the can of peppers and sauce in small portions for future use.
If you can’t find chipotle pepeprs in adobo sauce, a quick substitute is to use 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chipote chili powder which will add heat and a smoky flavor. Start with 1 teaspoon, taste and adjust the flavor.
You can also use equal portions of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, start with 1/2 teaspoon of each and adjust the flavor.
Enchilada Sauce. Homemade sauce is economical and easy to make, here is my recipe for enchilada sauce or you can buy enchilada sauce that’s made with wholesome ingredients.
If you love Mexican food, try this spicy chicken and black bean casserole or slow cooker chipotle chicken stew.
How to make an enchilada casserole ahead of time
This is a great recipe to make ahead of time, and there are a few ways to do it.
Make the filling and the enchilada sauce a few days before and store them separately in the refrigerator until it’s time to assemble the enchilada casserole.
Assemble the casserole without baking it a day before and store it in the refrigerator. Any longer than a day might produce soggy tortillas.
How to store leftovers
Refrigerate the leftover enchilada casserole in an airtight container for up to three days.
Reheat the leftover enchilada casserole covered in the oven at 350 for 15 to 2 minutes until it’s heated through.
💡Tips
- Larger tortillas fit perfectly in a round oven-proof dish so you don’t have to cut the tortillas to fit in a square or rectangular dish.
- For a meaty textured tofu, press it down in the skillet while cooking it at high heat for the first few minutes. Once the crumbles start to turn golden brown, reduce the heat to medium to prevent burning.
Recipe Variations
Vegetable Enchilada Casserole. Add 1/2 cup of fresh vegetables such as red pepper, cooked sweet potatoes or zucchini to the skillet with the tofu.
Vegetarian Bean Enchilada Casserole. Add 1/2 cup black beans to the tofu mixture.
Enchilada Casserole with Meat. Swap out the tofu with 3/4 pound of ground chicken breast, ground turkey, or lean ground beef.
Change up the Cheese. Replace or use a combination of cheeses such as pepper jack, mozzarella, or Monterey jack cheese.
Vegan Enchiladas Casserole. Replace the cheese with vegan cheese ro nutritional yeast.
Gluten-Free. Use gluten-free tortillas (corn is a great option) and gluten-free flour blend in the enchilada sauce.
Traditional Enchiladas. Instead of stacking the tortillas casserole-style, place a spoonful of the filling into smaller (taco-sized) tortillas, roll them up, and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cover with enchilada sauce, and cheese, and bake.
Tofu Tacos. Instead of enchiladas stuff the soy chorizo into soft or hard taco shells and top with your favoite taco toppings.
Serving Suggestions
Serve vegetarian enchiladas with your favorite toppings such as a side of sour cream, Greek yogurt, guacamole, green onions, brown rice, and fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice.
Round out the meal and serve your veggie enchilada casserole with a simple chopped salad.
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 block of extra firm tofu
- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped PLUS 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon brewed coffee
- 3 large flour tortillas or 6 to 8 smaller sized.
- 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- At least two hours before making this recipe, remove the excess moisture from the tofu by wrapping it in a towel with a heavyish object on top or use a tofu press.
- Measure out the seasonings ( 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder) shred the 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil oil in a large skillet over high heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees f.
- Once the oil in the skillet is hot, reduce the heat to medium high heat, crumble the tofu with your hands and add it to the skillet.
- Use the back of a spatula to press the crumbles down and let them cook for a few minutes undisturbed. Once the crumbles begin to turn golden brown, reduce the heat to medium and toss the crumbles around in the skillet to let them brown up a little bit more.
- Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the spices, 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped PLUS 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle sauce1 tablespoon tamari sauce, 1 tablespoon brewed coffee. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Assemble the casserole: Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with a 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce, top it with a tortilla, spread half of the prepared filling mixture over the tortilla.
- Sprinkle on 1/4 cup of the cheese shreds and more sauce.
- Repeat the layering with one more tortilla, the filling, the cheese, and the sauce.
- Place the last tortilla on top of the casserole and add the remaining sauce.
- Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes longer.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
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Love this! So much easier than rolling up enchiladas and having the tortilla crack!
This looks really yummy! I love the idea of a vegetarian casserole.