Skinny Mexican Casserole
A cheesy comforting casserole that you can enjoy guilt-free, chockfull of veggies and whole wheat tortilla. You can’t beat that!
I know I should really be posting about some sort of peppermint-type hot chocolate but even during the holidays, I have a major sweet spot for Mexican-type comfort food.
No, wait, I actually have a sweet spot for Mexican food all year long, 365 days out of the year, especially when there’s a skinny version like this one here – chockfull of veggies, whole wheat tortilla, a layer of the creamiest refried beans, and of course, that cheesy, cheesy goodness.
And even though this meal is completely meatless, it’ll be sure to keep you full and satisfied all day. But be careful, you’ll want to help yourself to at least 2 or 3 servings before calling it a night!
Skinny Mexican Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 4.5-ounce can Old El Paso™ chopped green chiles, drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 4 8-inch whole wheat tortillas, chopped
- 1 16-ounce can Old El Paso™ fat free refried beans, warmed
- 1 10-ounce can Old El Paso™ mild enchilada sauce
- 1 ½ cups reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in black beans, corn, chili powder and cumin until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in green chiles and cilantro; set aside.
- Place tortillas evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread refried beans evenly over the tortillas, followed by the onion mixture and enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Place into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Old El Paso. All opinions expressed are my own.
This was delicious!!! I can’t wait to make it again.
This was delish. I did not have any tortillas, so I used crushed tortilla chips. Turned out great. Glad I found recipe. Good substitute when you need to decrease meat consumption.
The tortillas were mushy, like dough and none of us liked them. Next time I’ll leave them out, add beef or chicken, and put tortilla chips on top after baking as it needed that crunch.
This was delcious. I didn’t have chili’s, but i used a can of diced tomatoes with chili’s. I added additional amounts of seasonings to suit my taste. I Also made an enchilada sauce.
After reading the reviews, I tweeted the recipe a little to deal with the “sogginess.” I used corn tortillas instead of flour which I heated on low until they had the firmness of tortilla chips. Also, I only used one cup of green enchilada sauce. I mixed 2/3 of the enchilada sauce with the refried beans. I also mixed about a pound of shredded thigh chicken meat with the retried beans. Cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. Also, I didn’t add the cheese until the last 5 minutes. No sogginess and left overs held up very well the next day. I heard “OMG, that was delicious” from my spouse who thinks everything is “eh.” Will be making this again.
I added some shredded chicken for a little extra protein. I also mixed a few tablespoons of the enchilada sauce into the bean mixture, then poured the rest over the top. Like others, I found the cut up pieces of whole wheat tortillas a little odd. They certainly didn’t stay in place when I attempted to spread the pre-heated refried bean on top, and I found them a little doughy in the finished casserole. I think I might try corn tortillas torn in pieces next time.
Otherwise very flavorful and healthy tasting. My family ate it up.
Question – Do you use red enchilada sauce, or green? Also, how finely do you chop the veggies?
Melissa, I used red enchilada sauce. You can chop the veggies as finely as you’d like – it’s up to you!
I had high hopes for this, but it was very watery and almost like a dip 🙁
Although it was super tasty it came out to be more a chili/ bean dip. There was no casserole consistency to this recipe. I think I will add shredded chicken next time and Leave out the tortillas on the bottom of the dish. They didn’t really do anything besides get soggy. we used tortilla chips to eat it instead.
We just made this and loved it! We topped with a little sour cream and Trader Joe’s Green Dragon Sauce for heat because there’s no real heat in it, but it was very tasty. Will be making again. I cut the tortillas into quarters and two were enough to cover the pan, so next time we will layer two and two with the other ingredients in between. Recommended.
Made this for a potluck last night and my kids asked me to make it again tonight just for the family. Yet another winner. Hurry up with that cookbook, I need it!
I added chicken and cooked it up with the onions peppers and garlic and then threw everything else in the crockpot except the cheese for three hours. Fabulous!!!
Hi Chungah! I’d like to make this with a shredded chicken layer – Would I decrease the baking time then as to not dry out the already-cooked chicken? Or do you think that the cook time would still be fine with the chicken addition?
Thank you!!
The cooking time should be fine as is but without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
Oh my word. I just made this as my, “Teaching exhausts me so thoroughly that I only cook on Sundays and eat that one thing all week,” dish. I can only describe it as an open-faced burrito. The layer of refried beans on the tortillas adds a creaminess that totally satisfies. Keep making recipes that are this delicious!!
This looks delicious! I was thinking of leaving out the tortillas and using it as a dip with chips. Have you tried that?
I have not tried this myself but it sounds amazing!
Oh! and I left out the corn…not a carb friendly ingredient! 🙂
Took this and made it “skinnier.” With 41+ carbs per serving, this isn’t what I call this “skinny” since I eat low carb! I DID use meat (hamburger and have tried it with chicken…just as delish!) I left out the refried beans and only used the black beans. I also threw in a can of fire roasted tomatoes. I’ve even made it without the tortillas at the bottom to lessen the unneeded carbs.
I was thinking of adding tomatoes too!
Super delicious!
Just tried this last night, it was so easy and tasted great!!
my autistic pickyt eater daughter gobbled this up as quickly as it hit her plate and went back for seconds. I also loved it, and can’t wait to try the leftovers. Delicious!!