Layered Veggie Casserole with a Mexican Twist

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup roasted pasilla chile sauce (such as Herdez®)
• ½ cup frozen corn
• ½ yellow bell pepper, chopped
• ½ white onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5 (7 inch) whole wheat tortillas, or as needed

Step 1

Gently heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a skillet over medium heat, warm some oil and toss in the tomatoes, chile sauce, corn, both yellow and green bell peppers, white and red onions, jalapeño, and cumin. Cook everything together, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are nice and tender—about 5 to 7 minutes. Then, stir in the refried and pinto beans and take the pan off the heat.

Step 2

In a separate bowl, mix the Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream until well combined. Grab a 9x13-inch casserole dish and spread a third of the bean mixture on the bottom. Dollop on a third of the cheese mixture, then add a thin layer of tortillas on top. Repeat this layering two more times—beans, cheese, tortillas—until you’ve used it all. Finish by sprinkling the remaining Cheddar over the top and cover the dish with foil.

Step 3

Pop the casserole into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After that, take off the foil and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Once it’s out of the oven, let it rest for about 10 minutes before digging in.