Photo by Kensie Wallner

Vegan Mexican Lasagna

By Kensie Wallner
Contributing Writer

The great thing about the wide assortment of meat and dairy alternatives is almost every recipe can be made vegan with little effort. Although I love my vegan cookbooks, I also enjoy ‘veganizing’ recipes I come across.

A few years ago I had stopped by my parents house while my dad was making dinner. I quickly skimmed through the ingredients list and thought, “I could totally do this”. I photo copied the Rachel Ray recipe for mexican lasagna and made my way to the grocery store later that week.

The only substitutes I needed to make were the ‘ground chicken breast’ and the cheddar cheese. For the chicken I used Boca-brand meatless crumbles, which resemble precooked ground beef. It comes in a 12 oz bag and is very easy to use. I’ve used the crumbles in chili, lasagna and sloppy joes, just to name a few. Boca crumbles are available at most grocery stores in the natural food section and also at Target.

At the time there really wasn’t a great vegan cheese substitute, so I used whatever mediocre product that was available. Now I use Daiya cheese substitute for everything in need of cheese. It’s a bit spendy, running around $5.50 a bag, but it is well worth it!  It can be used for pizza, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, quesadillas, cheeseburgers and much more!

Vegan Mexican Lasagna (adapted from Rachel Ray’s Mexican Lasagna)
Serves 4

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bag Boca meatless crumbles
2 tbsp chili powder (or more if you like it hot)
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup taco sauce
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 flour tortillas torn into strips (most brands are vegan,check the ingredients. I have tried using whole wheat tortillas, but it just isn’t the same.)
1 bag Daiya shredded cheddar style cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add Boca crumbles and cook until warm.
3. Add chili powder, cumin and onion; continue cooking until onions are soft.
4. Add fire roasted tomatoes, taco sauce, black beans and corn. Continue cooking until heated throughout.
5. Coat a 9x9 in. pan with a tbsp. of oil. Place ⅓ of the Boca mixture on the bottom of the pan. Layer with ⅓ of the tortillas and ⅓ of the Daiya cheese, and continue in this order until all ingredients are used up.
6. Place uncovered in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Top with vegan sour cream (try Tofutti brand), chopped scallions, black olives, tortilla chips, and fresh tomatoes.

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