Mexican Tortilla Lasagna with Cashew Cheese Sauce

Prep 20 min·Cook 50 min·Total 70 min·6 servings·VEGETARIAN·635 kcal

A slice of Mexican tortilla lasagna with a golden cheese crust, bean and tomato filling and cilantro

Ingredients

For layering

4-5 large tortillas (wheat or corn)
250 gr (8.8 oz.) sour cream or crème fraîche
100 gr (3.5 oz.) grated cheese (for the topping)

For the vegetable sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper
1 zucchini
100 gr (3.5 oz.) soy mince
200 ml (6.8 fl oz.) water
400 gr (14 oz.) kidney beans (1 can, drained)
400 gr (14 oz.) corn (1 can, drained)
800 gr (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes (2 cans)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 pinch sugar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder (to taste)
1 tsp salt
pepper
1 lime (juice only)
fresh cilantro

For the cashew cheese sauce

100 gr (3.5 oz.) cashews
50 ml (1.7 fl oz.) water
4 Tbsp mild salsa
4 Tbsp plain yoghurt (vegan)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 lime (juice only)

Equipment: Large pan, Blender, Baking dish, Oven

Instructions

Vegetable sauce

1.Finely chop the onion and garlic, cut the bell pepper and zucchini into small dice.
2.Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent.
3.Add the soy mince and fry for a few minutes, then add the pepper and zucchini and fry for another 5 minutes.
4.Drain the kidney beans and corn and add them to the vegetable mixture.
5.Stir in the chopped tomatoes, water, tomato paste, sugar and smoked paprika, combine and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
6.Season with lime juice, salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder and fresh cilantro.

Cashew cheese sauce

1.Soak the cashews in hot water for 10 minutes.
2.Blend the cashews with the water, salsa, yoghurt, salt, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast and lime juice into a creamy sauce.

Layer and bake

1.Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F and grease a baking dish with a little olive oil.
2.Place a tortilla in the dish, cover with vegetable sauce and spread some cashew cheese sauce on top. Repeat until the ingredients are used up.
3.Finish with a tortilla, spread it with sour cream or crème fraîche and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
4.Bake the lasagna for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is golden.
5.Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve – it goes wonderfully with fresh guacamole.

Notes

Tip from my kitchen: let the vegetable sauce simmer the full 20 minutes – it thickens nicely so it doesn't run out of the dish when layering. I soak the cashews in parallel, so the cheese sauce is ready in minutes; use hot water to shorten the soaking time. Don't use too much sauce per layer or the lasagna turns soggy. Leftovers taste almost better the next day, reheated, once everything has had time to mingle.

Nutrition per serving: 635 kcal · 27 g protein