Vegan Southwest Tortilla Bake (Gluten-free)

If you were ever a Weight Watchers member, then you’ve probably made Southwest Tortilla Bake (or some form of it) at some point. It’s been circulating among websites/blogs/meetings/members for a long time now.

It’s popular because it tastes great, it’s good for you and you can have a sizable portion for a relatively low number of ‘points.’

Vegan Southwest Tortilla Bake Gluten-free

Dawn at Florida Coastal Cooking took the liberty of converting it into a vegan, gluten-free version. And guess what. She did a GREAT job. Hubs LOVED it, and so did I. In fact, you can even leave out all the seasonings (like I accidentally did – true story) and it STILL tastes great. Don’t do that, though.

HOW did I leave out all the seasonings, you ask? I mixed them all in one prep dish and then just forgot to add them to the skillet. It didn’t help that I was simultaneously making two other recipes. I guess multi-tasking can only get you so far.

Vegan Southwest Tortilla Bake Gluten-free

Serves 4-6

***

Ingredients:

  • 2 Sunshine Southwest Black Bean Veggie Burgers (locals – you can get these at Apple Valley)*
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 mild pepper of choice, seeded and chopped
  • 7 oz cooked dark red kidney beans (or ½ can) drained and rinsed
  • 14 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies*
  • 2-3 brown rice tortillas, cut into 1½-2″ strips*
  • ½ Tbsp chili powder 
  • ½ Tbsp garlic powder 
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ⅛ tsp chipotle powder
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt

Optional:  ½ cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese

Notes

*I think you could use pretty much any (vegan/gluten-free) veggie burger in this recipe, but it helps if you use one with a spicy/mexican/southwest flavor. Also, if you don’t like spicy food, then you might want to opt for plain diced tomatoes (no chilies) instead. And don’t get too hung up on the exact spices. If you don’t have one of them on hand, no big deal. Like I said, I left ALL of the spices out (by accident) and it still tasted GREAT. Tip: use a pizza cutter to cut the tortillas into strips.

Vegan Southwest Tortilla Bake Gluten-free

Instructions

STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix all of the seasonings (chili powder through sea salt) in a small bowl.

STEP 2
Spray large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium/high heat. Add onions and pepper and sauté until translucent (about 5-7 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.

STEP 3
Add veggie burgers to skillet, break up with wooden spoon and mix thoroughly. Add beans, tomatoes, and seasoning mix to skillet. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.

Vegan Southwest Tortilla Bake Gluten-free

STEP 4
Spray 8″ or 9″ square baking dish/pan with cooking spray. Place half of the tortilla strips in the dish, overlapping slightly. Spoon half of veggie mixture evenly over tortilla layer.

Cover with remaining tortillas (I laid mine in the opposite direction) and then remaining veggie mixture. Top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Vegan Southwest Tortilla Bake Gluten-free

If you’re not familiar with vegan cheese, it doesn’t melt the same way regular cheese does. And it really doesn’t add that much flavor. It’s more for visual appeal.

I garnished it with a few chopped green onions and served it with salsa and Tofutti vegan sour cream. This is one of those recipes that’s even better reheated on day two. Thanks again to Dawn at Florida Coastal Cooking for editing this “oldie, but goodie” recipe!

Anyone have any fabulous plans for the holiday weekend (besides making this awesome recipe, of course)?

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4 thoughts on “Vegan Southwest Tortilla Bake (Gluten-free)”

  1. Apple Valley!!! I went to college in Berrien Springs and definitely remember Apple Valley. Love that area. Looking forward to chatting with you at Taste of MI. Keep up the great work! Your blog looks great for only being a few months old!

    Reply

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