Vegetarian Chipotle Enchilada Lasagna

Living in San Diego, one of the best and most popular foods around is Mexican.

There is a Mexican food joint on every corner.

It doesn't get better than a big plate of beans and rice and some sort of taco/burrito/enchilada for lunch or dinner.

I personally love enchiladas with red sauce.

I love the spice and the tang of it.

Not to mention how pretty it is.

And cheesy.

Cheesy is definitely an adjective I would use for Mexican food.

That's what makes it so darn delicious.

I had some people over for Sunday lunch and I decided to make a Mexican feast.

Instead of rolling each enchilada individually, I did it lasagna style.

I filled layers of tortillas, flour or corn (I used flour here), with a spicy mixture of ground cremini mushrooms with chipotles, black beans, and corn.

Layered, of course, with tons of cheesy goodness.

This is what it looked like.

It was really, really awesome.

The chipotle in it was insanely good.

It added just the right amount of heat, but not too overpowering.

But if you're not a fan of spicy, you can leave it out.

Served that baby up with some spanish rice and refried beans and lunch was served.

Mexicana style.

Ole.

CHIPOTLE ENCHILADA LASAGNA

2 lbs. cremini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped fine in food processor

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced fine

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn

Extra sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, lots of it! (or any cheeses of your choice)

9 flour tortillas

Sour Cream

Scallions, sliced

1 bunch cilantro

In a food processor, chop the onions and garlic until finely chopped.

Remove and put in a skillet on medium high heat with a few tablespoons of oil.

In the same processor, pulse the mushrooms until chopped into little pieces.

Add the mushrooms to the skillet.

Season it with salt, pepper and add all the spices.

Cook for about 3-4 minutes then add the chipotles.

Saute about 10 minutes on medium high heat until the juice from the mushrooms and onions reduces out a bit so the mixture is not too loose.

Add the beans, corn and a generous handful of chopped cilantro and mix altogether.

Set aside and let the mixture cool.

In the meantime, make the enchilada sauce (if you want to make it from scratch.)

Or buy a can if you like.

Here is a good ENCHILADA SAUCE recipe from good ol' Emeril.

I can't remember everything I threw into mine...

it was like I was having a fight with the spice cabinet.

So it's best you follow someone else's recipe.

I've tried his, so I know it's good.

Ok , moving on.

So then you want to start assembling your beee-autiful little mexican lasagna.

Get a 9X13 pan and ladle some of your enchilada sauce on the bottom of it.

Overlap 3 flour tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan.

Put 1/2 of the mushroom mixture on top and spread evenly.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of cheese on top and follow with about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce.

Then overlap 3 more flour tortillas and add the remaining mushroom mixture on top.

Add a little more cheese and a little more enchilada sauce.

Add the remaining tortillas and top with the remaining enchilada sauce.

Sprinkle with lots o' cheese and you're ready for baking!

At this point, you can either put it in the fridge until you're ready to cook it, or bake it off right away.

Preheat the oven to 400 and cover the lasagna with foil.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until it's hot and bubbly and oozing with ridiculousness.

I like to take the foil off at the end of baking and place it under the broiler to get a nice crust on the cheese, but that's up to you.

Top with sour cream, scallions and cilantro and get your fork ready for a work out.

You will devour this in an instant.

And then come back for more.

Trust.

This is a perfect meal to entertain with.

It can be done ahead of time and it cooks up beautifully.

Enjoy!