This Vegan Mexican Pasta Casserole is the perfect family friendly dinner recipe that is perfectly balanced and packed with flavour! It comes together in only a few simple steps.
Preheat an oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 13x9" casserole dish. To make the black bean layer, combine the black beans, chipotle, maple, chili, cumin, and stock in a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the passata, minced chipotle, chili, cumin, salt and pepper, to taste. Adjust depending on how spicy you like it.
Cook the pasta al dente and set aside.
Add 3/4 of the spicy tomato sauce to the pot along with the rigatoni, corn, can of black beans (non pureed), and spinach and toss to coat.
Spread 1/2 of the remaining sauce onto the bottom of the pan. Add half of the pasta, then the pureed black beans, the sour cream, and the remaining pasta. Top with the last little bit of sauce, and finish with the shredded cheese.
Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Top with avocado, jalapenos, green onions, and tomatoes and enjoy.
Notes
Other toppings you can add are olives, green chile peppers, cilantro, parsley, salsa, vegan sour cream, and tortilla chips.
For omnivores, you can add some leftover shredded chicken or cooked beef. You can also add veggie round instead.
I would suggest shredding your own cheese as pre-shredded cheese have a flour coating on them that prevents them from clumping. This makes it grainy when melted. To quickly shred a block of cheese, you can use a food processor.
Feel free to buy pre-made enchilada sauce if you don't want to make your own sauce.