Vegan Chipotle Taco Lasagna

Though I do get cravings for cheesy dishes sometimes, I try to make cashew cheese or some other creamy topping (creamy tahini sauce, avocado-based sauce, etc.) rather than buy vegan cheese to melt, because vegan cheese so often is made mostly of oil and still full of additives and/or chemicals to replicate the texture of real cheese. So this recipe was a little experiment with "cheese" sauce and it was fantastic!! Multiple steps but would be great made in advance for a dinner party so when your guests arrive you can just pop it in the oven. This recipe is adapted from Natalie Slater.

Vegan Chipotle Taco Lasagna

Lasagna before last layer of tortillas and baking

Ingredients for the filling/construction:
-2 tsp. olive oil
-1 lb. button mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 tsp. salt
-freshly ground pepper
-6-8 soft tortillas
-12-16 oz. of your favorite salsa
-Chalupa chipotle sauce, or Tabasco chipotle sauce 

Ingredients for chipotle "cheese" sauce:
-1 1/2 tsp. salt
-2 cups warm water
-1/4 cup raw cashews
-1 cup nutritional yeast
-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced (I get this in a can in the Mexican area of the grocery store)
-2 tbsp. cornstarch
-1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
-1/2 tsp. onion powder
-3/4 tsp. garlic powder
-3 cans of black beans (drained and rinsed)
-2 cans of corn, drained

To top:
-diced red onion
-guacamole (recipe to follow in another post!)
-sliced black olives (optional)

Mushrooms cooking with garlic

Method:
1st step: One hour before you prepare! Mix the salt and warm water until salt is dissolved, then add cashews and soak for 1 hour!

Preheat oven to 400F. Heat olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat and once it's hot, throw in mushrooms. Cook about 6-8 minutes until browned, then add garlic, salt and pepper. Mix for 1-2 more minutes then remove from heat.

Cheese sauce thickening

In a food processor, blend the soaked cashews with the soaking water, yeast, peppers, cornstarch, lemon juice and onion and garlic powders until VERY smooth. Then transfer to a saucepan and over medium heat whisk until thickened (about 10 minutes). (Do try to whisk almost constantly so it doesn't burn.) Remove from heat.


In a very large bowl, mix the mushrooms, cheese sauce, beans and corn. Set aside.

First layer of tortillas on the sals

Pour about 1/3 of the salsa into the bottom of a 9x13" Pyrex lasagna dish. Then set down one layer of tortillas (cutting if necessary, like lasagna noodles). Then spoon about 1/3 of the mushroom/bean/cheese/corn mixture on top and sprinle with a few drops of Chalupa sauce. Then spoon about 1/3 of the remaining salsa on, followed by another tortilla layer. Then another cheese/bean layer, Chalupa and salsa, tortillas, etc. The top should be a layer of tortillas.

Put it in the oven and cook about about 20-25 minutes, until the tortillas on top are browned and the juices are bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5-10 minutes, then cut and serve like lasagna. Top with onions, olives, more Chalupa, and guacamole if desired.