Truman's New Mexico Stacked Enchilada Casserole

1 small to medium butternut squash, or your favorite squash

4 tablespoons olive oil or other vegetable oil1 to 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, to desired taste

1 large sweet onion, sliced or diced
1 to 2 teaspoons New Mexican red chile powder, to desired taste 1 to 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, to desired taste4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed3 to 4 cups cremini, white button mushrooms, or your favorite mushrooms, sliced2 4-oz cans Hatch diced green chiles2 to 4 ears steamed sweet corn, kernels cut off cobs1 to 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and washedSalt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteRed chile enchilada sauce (3 15-oz cans or jars; or the equivalent of a homemade sauce)Corn tortillas (may need up to 18-24 depending on size of your pan)Nutritional Yeast or vegan Parmesan1 8-oz package Trader Joe’s vegan mozzarella style shreds or other vegan cheese shreds, divided into three equal portionsa 9x13” to 10x14” baking disha foiled-lined baking sheet (Don’t panic! No food touches the foil.)


Roasting the squash:This can been done a day in advance to make the whole cooking process go more quickly. First, preheat oven to 350F (175C). Roast the butternut squash by cutting the squash in half and removing the seeds. (The seeds can be cleaned, washed, and toasted later for a snack if desired). With 2 tablespoons of olive oil, brush each halve lightly with oil. Place both pieces squash, cut side, in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet. Add enough water just slightly to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake the squash for 90 minutes. Allow squash to cool slightly. Then scoop out the tender flesh, leaving behind the outer skin. Divide the roasted squash into two equal portions and set aside the scooped-out squash for the later construction of the casserole. Now, you can just skip this process altogether if time is limited and just use sautéed sliced zucchini, yellow squash, or other squash varieties. However, the butternut squash adds a sweet-savory, creamy, almost cheese-like flavor and texture to the casserole.


The Veg Sauté:In a large skillet or wok, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon cumin. Allow cumin seeds to toast slightly without burning them for about one minute. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until golden, around 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp red chile powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, the diced green chiles, the sweet corn kernels, the drained/washed black beans, and the minced garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for an additional minute or two to heat through all ingredients. Then, within the skillet, divide the sautéed veggies into two halves and set skillet aside for construction of the casserole.


The red chile enchilada sauce:I used one jar of red enchilada sauce from The Shed in Santa Fe, NM and two cans of Hatch red enchilada sauce. However this is just what I had in my pantry. You could easily use any brand or make your own from scratch. Beware that some brands tend to be too watery. In that case, just add additional red chile powder, garlic, and oregano. There are several wonderful recipes online for New Mexican Red Chile Enchilada Sauce.  


Combine both jarred and canned enchilada sauces in a pot and bring to a boil. Then, set the pot aside for the construction of the casserole. Set aside at least one cup of enchilada sauce to make sure you will have enough sauce to cover the very top of the casserole at the end of construction.


Construction of the casserole:Build the casserole as you would make a lasagna by building layers. In a large baking dish, ladle a small amount of sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Then, add a layer of overlapping corn tortillas to cover the sauce and bottom of dish. Then spread out the first half of the butternut squash on top of the tortilla layer. Sprinkle nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan on top of the butternut squash. Spread out the first half of your sautéed vegetables on top of the butternut squash layer. Ladle a small portion of the enchilada sauce over the veggie layer. Sprinkle the sauce layer with the first 1/3 portion of vegan cheese.


Repeat the layering process one more time, ending with the vegan cheese.  


Now, top the vegan cheese layer with one last layer of overlapping corn tortillas. Ladle the saved one cup of enchilada sauce all over the top of the corn tortillas. If any additional sauce remains, ladle it on top of the tortillas too. Finish construction with the last 1//3 portion of vegan cheese shreds. Place the baking dish on top of a foiled-lined baking sheet. This prevents any sauce from dripping out of the dish and into your oven while cooking.


The Bake:In a preheated 350F (175C) oven, place the baking dish/foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F (175C) for one hour. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving. The casserole is actually better the day after it’s made, since it allows the flavors to develop and the layers to be more firm and defined. Refrigerate/freeze any leftover portions.
Hatch brand red enchilada sauce and diced green chiles can be found at many grocery stores, Amazon.and at other online retailers in the USA.