This Ranch Black Bean Tortilla Casserole is a hearty vegetarian dish. It's a great Tex-Mex dinner loaded with veggies and perfect potluck or game day fare... pretty much any time.
Vegetarian Tortilla Chip Casserole
I love Tex-Mex food & have been making my amazing Mexican lasagna, for about 20 years now. I also often make simple tortilla casseroles from the broken tortilla chips my daughter rejects (she is a bit of a Prima Donna & snubs the broken crumbs). I have also been known to just mix in some salsa and maybe some beans and top with cheese, then heat it up into oven or microwave. This vegetarian tortilla casserole is a creamy ranch child of those two dishes. No salsa in this one, but cheese, plenty of vegetables, beans, and creamy ranch, those were very welcome at this flavor party.
I used packets of powdered ranch dressing mix when making this tortilla casserole, but if you prefer a more DIY approach... make your own ranch with my Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix recipe (substitute 2 tbs for a pouch).
Making the Ranch Tortilla Black Bean Casserole Recipe
Here is a quick visual guide to making this ranch seasoned vegetarian tortilla casserole. Full recipe can be found below.
The only potentially challenging part of this casserole recipe is slicing the summer squash thinly. Of course this can be done fast & easy with a mandolin slicer
.
The tortilla chip, bean, and sauce layers are crazy easy.
The thin sliced zucchini summer squash cooks quickly, even between the layers of the tortilla casserole.
Top the vegetarian casserole off with some cheese and it is ready for the oven,
The ranch flavor runs through the whole tortilla casserole without overpowering the milder flavors of the other ingredients. The broken tortilla chips vary in texture within the casserole, some soft, some a little chewy and some even have a bit of their crispness yet. Your family could easily get through half their portion before realizing this is a meatless dish.
Serve with salsa, a drizzle of Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing or dollop of Seasoned Sour Cream.
When you have a little more time, be sure to try out my eggplant casserole recipe as well. It is a vegetarian dinner well worth the extra effort.
Ranch Black Bean n' Veggie Tortilla Casserole
Ingredients
- small zucchini summer squash
- small yellow summer squash
- 2 tablespoon Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix or packet dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups low fat buttermilk
- 2 cups crushed tortilla chips
- 1 can black beans rinsed
- 4-6 oz shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 medium tomato
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 1 Qt size baking dish* with non-stick coating.
- Slice the squash into very thin disks. Whisk together 1 tbs oil with ⅓ of ranch dressing packet, and marinate the sliced squash in it.
- Reserve a ⅓ cup of the black beans, and mix the rest in with crushed tortilla chips, spread the mixture on bottom of casserole dish.
- Whisk remaining ranch dressing mix into buttermilk, then pour over the chips & beans.
- Top with about a ½ cup of shredded cheddar.
- Slice the tomato thinly and lay out over cheese, then sprinkle lightly with a little more cheese.
- Lay the squash on top slightly over lapping. alternate between the two varieties.
- Scatter the remaining beans over the squash then top with a generous helping of the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes uncovered (until squash is mostly tender).
- Allow to rest a few minutes before serving.
Notes
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