This Salsa Verde Mexican Casserole is vegan and easy to make. It is full of fresh vegetables, is dairy free, and does not use added oils (except what you will find in the tortillas and if you choose to add vegan butter to the potatoes. It is super easy to throw together because you use frozen mixed vegetables, jarred salsa verde, boxed mashed potatoes, and canned beans. The only vegetable you will have to cut is your zucchini of choice (I used Mexican Gray Squash).
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FOR THE VEGETABLE LAYER:
Start by cutting the zucchini into small bite-sized pieces. My favorite type of zucchini is the Mexican Gray squash. I like the flavor and the texture when it cooks up. Give it a try if you haven’t!
Line the sauté pan with enough vegetable broth to cover the bottom. We don’t need to cook with added oils! Just watch your pan so that it doesn’t dry up and begin to stick. Add a little more broth if necessary. Sauté for about 3 minutes or until the zucchini begins to soften.
Add in the mixed frozen vegetables, and chili beans. Do not drain the chili beans. You will want that yummy flavored chili sauce!
Add in the onion powder and garlic powder. Continue sautéing for a few more minutes or until the vegetables are softened and the flavors have mixed. Set aside.
FOR THE POTATO LAYER:
Now start working on the mashed potatoes. Did you think you would be using mashed potatoes in a Salsa Verde Mexican Casserole? We use the mashed potatoes along with a “secret ingredient” to give a cheesy flavor to this vegan dish – without having to use the fake oily vegan cheese! You can use real potatoes if you prefer. But we don’t always have time for that and because this recipe is categorized as Quick and Easy, we used the dehydrated potato flakes.
Mix your mashed potatoes using the directions for four servings. For reference, four servings is 1 1/3 cup potato flakes each. Follow the cooking directions on the package BUT do use vegetable broth instead of water and unsweetened plant milk rather than dairy milk. I did not add in the salt because the recipe is plenty salty as is – but do adjust for your taste preference. You can choose to add the vegan butter or not. I have not found any vegan butter that is oil-free. If you feel you need it for taste, just be aware that you are adding in oil. I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread – but use what you typically use.
And now for the secret ingredient: Nutritional Yeast! Nutritional yeast is NOT the same as brewer’s or baker’s yeast so DO NOT substitute either of those. It adds a cheesy tang to your recipe and is really a staple in a plant-based kitchen. In fact, we plant eaters have a nickname for it – NOOTCH! It can be a little challenging to find. At the grocery store, I have found it in the “health food” or gluten-free section. I’ve also found it with the grains…so no real consistency. I usually just buy mine from Amazon. It’s cool because I can just ask Alexa to order me some more and she does it lol!
Here are a few different brands of nutritional yeast I’ve used. Sometimes you have to experiment a little to find the one you like. Not everyone likes the flavor of nutritional yeast at the beginning. It can be a learned taste…
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Now for the fun part – layering and putting it all together. This is really more like a lasagna – you need to layer in a particular order for best results. Just follow along with me and it will be perfect! The directions will be numbered in the printable recipe.
In a 9×13″ casserole dish, spoon about third a jar of salsa verde on the bottom of the pan for the first layer. Spread it evenly.
Next, lay two tortillas on top – breaking apart to cover the salsa layer. You will be using about nine 10″ tortillas in the recipe.
Then layer in one half the vegetable mixture. Top again with two more tortillas – again, breaking apart for full coverage.
Now you carefully drop spoonfuls of the mashed potato mixture on the top of the tortilla layer and press/spread until the tortillas are evenly covered. This is the middle layer and so you are half-way done!
Cover the potato with 1/3 jar of salsa, spreading evening, covering with another layer of tortillas, followed by the rest of the vegetables. Finally, you cover the second vegetable layer with tortillas and top with the remaining salsa.
Cover and bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. I let sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into it. This recipe for Salsa Verde Mexican Casserole makes six generous servings. You can top with cilantro or some avocado if desired. This recipe works great for meal prep. Just portion out into six meal prep containers.
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Salsa Verde Mexican Casserole - Vegan
Ingredients
Vegetable Layer
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth you will use more in the potatoes
- 1 Mexican Gray Squash
- 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
- 15.5 ounces can chili beans - black beans
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mashed Potato Layer
- 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter do not add if wanting to eat oil-free
- 3.4 cup plant milk (such as soy or almond) unsweetened
- 1 1/3 cup potato flakes
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
Putting it all Together
- 20 ounces salsa verde I used mild.
- 9 10" round tortillas I used whole wheat
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
The Vegetable Layer
- Chop zucchini/Mexican Gray Squash into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Add enough vegetable broth to line the bottom of sauté pan. Sauté zucchini for about 3 minutes or until it begins to soften. Watch the bottom of your pan so that the broth does not dry out or pan begin to stick. Add more broth if necessary.
- Add the frozen mixed vegetables, black chili beans, onion and garlic powders. Do not drain the chili bean liquid/sauce from the can, but add it to the mixture.
- Continue sautéing a few more minutes or until vegetables have softened and the flavors have mixed well. Set aside.
The Mashed Potato Layer
- In a sauce pan, bring vegetable broth, vegan butter (if using) and plant milk to a gentle boil. Remove from heat.
- Stir in dehydrated potato flakes and nutritional yeast. Add salt if desired.
Putting it All Together!
- Layer and spread in a 9x13" pan in this order: 1/3 jar of salsa verde,two tortillas - tear to fit and cover the salsa layer, 1/2 vegetable mixture, 2 more tortillas - tear to fit and cover the vegetable layer,mashed potatoes - use all of the potatoes. Carefully spread over vegetable layer,1/3 jar of salsa verde,2 1/2 tortillas - tear to fit and cover the salsa layer,1/2 (remaining) vegetable mixture,2 1/2 tortillas - tear to fit and cover the vegetable layer,1/3 jar (remaining) salsa verde
- Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
I start with two jumbo avocados. I wait to cut into them though until everything else is prepared so that my guacamole will be extra fresh.
Toss it all together and what you do get?
These loaded vegan nachos don’t make use of the vegan “fake” foods that are out there such as commercial vegan “meat” and “cheese”; rather, I do use a 
While your tofu is being pressed, prepare the other ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Crumble your pressed dried tofu into the bowl. I really don’t know a better way to do it other than by hand. I’ve tried cutting it and mashing it but the hand method really gives the best sized, most natural looking crumbles.
I fold the sides in first to make the burrito easier to roll.
