Vegetarian Tortilla Pie

In case you all were wondering what the most popular dish on my blog is (I'm 100% sure that none of you were wondering this), it is my Mexican Tortilla Pie. It's crazy good, has been featured in a magazine and is served for dinner on repeat in my house. It uses ground beef but I decided to make a vegetarian version of it for non-beef eaters and for any meatless Monday dinner makers. Also, I was out of beef.

And I have to say that it's crazy good, too. Just as good as the original because it's stuffed full of beans and vegetables, sauce and cheese. Lots of cheese. Lots. I made my beef version in a cast iron pan and I ended up getting a lot of reader questions wanting to know if they could make it any other way because they didn't have a pan like that. Happily, the answer was yes, any oven safe pan would do. I made this vegetarian version in a spring-form pan and it worked just as well. Just like my original, I gave this pie southwestern flavors but you can certainly customize it for whatever herbs and spices you like best. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Tortilla Pie

by Hungry Couple

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

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Ingredients (8 Servings)

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Onion, peeled and diced
• 1 Bell pepper (any color), seeded and diced
• 1 Can (approximately 15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Can (approximately 15 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 Cups enchilada sauce or other tomato sauce
• 1 Cup roasted corn kernels
• 2 Tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 Cup chopped parsley or cilantro
• 1 Teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 Flour tortillas (10")
• 2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Add the oil, onion and bell pepper to a large skillet and saute on medium heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and begun to color.

Add the beans and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Using a fork or potato masher, mash down some of the beans but you can leave it as chunky or smooth as you like.

Add the enchilada sauce, corn kernels and tomatoes. Stir in the parsley, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line the bottom of a spring-form pan with parchment paper.

Place one tortilla into the bottom of the pan, top with one third of the bean mixture and a quarter of the cheese. Add the second tortilla, another third of the bean mixture and another quarter of the cheese. Add the third tortilla, the remaining bean mixture and another quarter of the cheese. Top with the fourth tortilla and the remainder of the cheese.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve hot.

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