Crowd pleasing Tex Mex Casserole

This recipe is got gooey, and most importantly, taste like Mexican food. Which if you didn't know, is the most superior of all foods. As you can see, there's a LOT of ingredients, but the actual cooking is very straightforward. So once your done with the chopping, it doesn't take too long. Which is par for the course with casseroles. It has a nice kick to it and good flavour. 

Also, the recipe makes a ton of food, enough for lunches for a week. However, I did need to pair it with a salad to feel full until dinner. 

Note 1: Again, I didn't preheat my oven until the casserole was ready to go. 

Note: I used salsa and avocado as my toppings. Along with some more vegan cheese. 

Crowd Pleasing Tex-Mex Casserole - Oh She Glows pg 149-150

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (plus more as needed)
• 1 1/4 fine grain sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander (optional)
• 1.5 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 
• 1 jalapeno, seeded if desired, and diced 
• fine grain sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
• 1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes and juices
• 1 cup of tomato sauce or tomato puree
• 2-3 cups of chopped kale leaves or baby spinach
• 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups of cooked wild rice or brown rice
• 1/2 of vegan shredded cheese
• 1-2 handfuls of corn chips, crushed. 
• Optional toppings: salsa, avocado, cashew cream 

Directions

1) In a small bowl, mix the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt and coriander if using. Set aside

2) Oil a large casserole dish (4-5 qt/4-5 L) and preheat over to 375 degrees F, 190 degree C. 

3) In a large wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell peppers, and jalapeno and saute for 7-8 minutes until softened. Season with salt and black pepper.

4) Stir in the Tex-mex spice blend, corm, diced tomatoes and juice, tomato sauce, kale, beans, rice and a 1/4 cup of the vegan shredded cheese. Saute for a few more minutes and season to taste. 

5) Pour mixture into the prepared casserole dish and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the crushed chips over the casserole mixture along with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 15 minutes. 

6) Uncover the casserole and cook for 5-10 minutes more, until bubbly and lightly golden around the edges.

7) scoop into bowls and serve with desired toppings

ingredients for spice blend

spice blend

other ingredients 

Woking it up. 

Giant bowl of food. Giant bowl.

before baking. 

After baking (it doesn't look much different I know. But it was all hot and bubbly.