Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics & Spices
- 15 ml olive oil
- 150 g yellow onion, finely diced
- 10 g garlic, minced
- 4 g ground cumin
- 3 g smoked paprika
- 2 g dried oregano
Lentil Tomato Filling
- 250 g canned brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 400 g canned crushed tomatoes
- 100 ml vegetable broth
- 3 g salt
Assembly & Garnish
- 150 g corn tortillas
- 120 g monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 10 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 325 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbohydrates
- 36 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 1107 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 29 mg
- Potassium
- 631 mg
- Calcium
- 335 mg
- Iron
- 4.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 72 mg
- Phosphorus
- 353 mg
- Zinc
- 2.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 117 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 16 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 15 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.13 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.21 mg
- Niacin
- 1.2 mg
- Folate
- 30 mcg
- Water
- 145 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 190C or 375F. Lightly grease your 20x20cm baking dish with a small drop of olive oil.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced yellow onion and saute until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
Sprinkle the ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano over the onion mixture. Toast the spices, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds to release their essential oils.
Pour the crushed tomatoes, drained lentils, vegetable broth, and salt into the skillet. Stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, lower the heat, and let it cook uncovered for 10 minutes so the flavors meld and the sauce slightly thickens.
Spread a thin layer of the lentil and tomato sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cover with a layer of halved corn tortillas, slightly overlapping them. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the tortillas, then add another layer of tortillas. Finish with the last of the sauce and sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top.
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven. Bake at 190C or 375F for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted and slightly golden.
Remove the bake from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. This allows the sauce to set and makes slicing much easier. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Topping the bake with pickled jalapeños or a dollop of sour cream adds an excellent acidic contrast to the rich earthy lentils.
- If your canned lentils are quite firm, mash a quarter of them into the sauce with the back of your spoon during the simmer stage to naturally thicken the stew.
- Stale tortillas actually work best for casseroles like this. If yours are very fresh, leave them out on the counter for a few hours to dry slightly, or flash-bake them for 3 minutes before layering.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. The tortillas will soften further as they absorb the sauce, resembling a tamale pie.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze in individual portions. Texture of tortillas may become slightly mushy upon thawing.
Reheating: Microwave in 1-minute intervals, or cover with foil and bake at 175C until heated through.
Troubleshooting
Tortillas disintegrated entirely
Cause: The lentil sauce was too watery when assembled, or very fresh thin tortillas were used
Fix: Cannot be fixed structurally, but still tastes excellent as a spoonable casserole.
Prevention: Ensure the lentil mixture simmers until thickened. Lightly pan-frying the tortillas before assembly also helps them hold up.
Cheese topping browned too quickly
Cause: Oven runs hot or the dish was placed too close to the upper heating element
Fix: Tent the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time
Prevention: Bake on the middle rack and verify oven temperature with an oven thermometer
Cultural Context
This dish is a vegetarian adaptation of traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex enchilada casseroles or pastel azteca. By swapping the traditional shredded chicken or beef for protein-rich lentils, the recipe maintains its hearty, comforting appeal while offering a highly nutritious, plant-based centerpiece.
