Vegan Taco Casserole
on Jan 04, 2015, Updated Aug 12, 2024
Vegan taco casserole made with layers of tortilla chips, salsa, nutritional yeast, and seasoned black beans. A delicious and fast vegan mexican dinner!
In case you can’t tell, I love mexican food!
As a vegan/vegetarian eater, it is one of the easiest and most flavorful meals to make and get tons of protein!
I even wrote a roundup of 28 vegetarian mexican recipes that I love!
This vegan taco casserole is one of my favorites.
It’s easy to make, budget friendly, and tastes amazing!
My husband and I couldn’t stop talking about how good it was.
I was expecting it to be good, but it was even better than I anticipated.
My husband had never had a casserole like this before and wasn’t sure what to expect but he loved it!
We love this when we are craving some good vegan taco food.
Like so many of my favorite recipes, this one starts with lots of garlic and onion.
I used a different blend of spices than I usually do, and added basil for a nice twist.
I was very happy with the finished product!
When you think of baked tortilla chips with salsa, you may think of soggy, but it’s not the case.
I’ve found that the sturdier the tortilla chip the better in this recipe, so choose a chip that is thicker if you can.
Some of the best bites in this casserole is from where the chips are chewy yet crispy, and loaded with flavor from the beans and salsa baking into them!
I also have an undying love for nutritional yeast (I refer to it as yeast cheese.)
Not only is it one of my favorite foods, but it is loaded with protein!
The nutritional yeast gives this dish a cheese-like flavor.
I’ve tried to describe the taste of yeast cheese, but I can’t.
You just have to try it. It is perfect in this dish!
We had this again for lunch today and it was so good!
When reheating, I recommend the oven instead of microwaving, as it will keep that nice crispy/chewy texture without drying it out too much.
We topped ours with fresh lime juice and green onions and served it with additional corn chips for a little added crunch.
If you want another version of this vegan taco casserole, check out this one with just 10 minutes of prep!
More Vegan Mexican Recipes
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Vegan Taco Casserole Recipe
Vegan Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained
- 1 15 oz can of great northern beans, drained
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 1/2 cups chunky salsa, I used medium heat
- 14 oz tortilla chips, plus more for serving
- Lime juice for topping
- Green onions for topping
Instructions
- Combine onion, garlic, olive oil, chili powder, cumin, basil, cayenne, smoked paprika, sea salt, and pepper in a skillet and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until onion is translucent and starts to brown
- Add black and great northern beans to onion mixture and stir well
- Using a 13 by 9 glass baking dish, first put down a layer of tortilla chips to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Layer half of the bean mixture onto the chips, followed by 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, and 1 1/4 cups of salsa
- Add another layer of chips and cover with remaining beans, nutritional yeast and salsa.
- Cover top of dish with a layer of crushed corn chips
- Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until chips on top start to brown
- Top with fresh lime juice and green onions
- Serve with additional tortilla chips for added crunch
OMG! This is so AMAZING. Just made it for dinner. I ended up adding a can of tomatoes & chili’s (drained) to the onion mix, then I eanted to cream it up a bit so the 2nd layer was warmed refried beans with taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. This will definitely be added to a staple meal from now on!!
OhEmGee! This was scrumptious! My hubby doesn’t like a lot of spice, so I halved the cayenne but doubled the smoked paprika. He said he can hardly wait for lunch tomorrow.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe Debbie!
Making it again tonight. So good!
So glad you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Hi There! Loved this meal, new family favourite! Just wondering what the macros are? Thanks xx
So glad your family enjoyed the recipe! I don’t provide nutritional information on my recipes, but you can find out by using a free online calculator. Hope that helps!
Hello Joy,
This looks delicious,. I’m wondering if you can mix the nutritional yeast with the salsa or if it should be sprinkled on as it’s own layer. Also, would you serve this as a main dish or as an appetizer, like nachos?
Thanks!
I would leave it as it’s own layer. I love when it coats the tortilla chips! I would serve as a main dish!
I’m a bit new to a dairy-free diet and trying to find good cheese substitutes. I want to get some nutritional yeast and I see recipes where it’s incorporated into other things to make like a cheese sauce but in this case you just sprinkle it on the dish? Is it often used in that way?
Hi Ashley,
I’ve seen it used both ways. I personally love it sprinkled in replacement of cheese in most any mexican dish! I’ve also seen it used in combination with ground nuts as a sort of faux “parmesan.”
This is awesome! I omitted the oil using water instead to saute. This is definitely a good addition for family gatherings.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi, thanks so much for this recipe!! Do you think it would freeze okay for future meals or no?
Hi Jade,
I don’t think this freezes well, as the texture is best straight from the oven.
Doesnt hurt to try! I would just make sure that you put it all together, and then throw it in the freezer before it has a chance to get soggy.
This was so delicious and easy, thank you!!!! I cut back on the chili and cayenne and did a blend of mild and medium salsa and it still came out pretty warm, I’ll probably do just mild salsa next time but again, so good!!! Thank you!!
Hi Leah, so glad to hear you enjoyed it!