Mexican Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Looking for crowd-pleasing meals to serve your family throughout the week so you only have to cook once? Whelp, this amazing casserole is your answer!
Ingredients
CHEESE SAUCE
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups sweet potatoes peeled & chopped into 1" pieces(approx. 1 large potato)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
CASSEROLE
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion diced into 1/4" pieces
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar sub another dried sweetener
- 15 ounce can black beans drained & rinsed
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken approx. 1 chicken
- 3 cups tortilla chips 4 large handfuls*can leave off
- 10-12 small soft corn tortillas sliced in half
Instructions
CHEESE SAUCE
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with room temperature water. Soak cashews on the countertop for 1 hour. Drain and rinse and set aside.
- Bring 2 quarts (8 cups) water to a boil in a sauce pot. Add sweet potatoes and boil until easily pierced with a fork, 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water for 1 minute to cool.
- Place cashews, sweet potatoes, nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt and chicken stock in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and set aside. Taste for more nutritional yeast and/or sea salt.
CASSEROLE
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and set a shallow 11 x 9 casserole dish on the countertop.
- Heat a large sauté pan to medium heat and add olive oil. Turn pan to coat completely with olive oil. When oil is coating the pan, add onions. Cook, stirring, until onions are softened and translucent, approximately 3-4 minutes. Turn heat to low and add garlic, sea salt, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Cook another minute, stirring, then add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock and coconut sugar. Stir to incorporate evenly, then add black beans and chicken. Cook, stirring, another two minutes until mixture is heated through.
- Place tortilla chips in a food processor. Process until they form a crumble consistency. Or just crumble chips using your fingers.
- Assemble Casserole: Spread 1/4 cup sweet potato cheese sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with a layer of 6-8 corn tortilla halves. Spread 2 cups chicken mixture over tortilla halves and pour over 1/2 cup cheese sauce. Top with 6-8 more tortilla halves and repeat this process in two more layers, using up the last of the cheese sauce. Spread crushed tortilla chips in an even layer over the top.
- Bake casserole for 35 minutes, then allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Top with optional garnish: olives, salsa, sour cream, cilantro, green onions, avocado, lime Casserole will keep tightly sealed in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
