No Meat Tortilla Bake with Peppers and Onions

This no meat tortilla bake with peppers and onions is a simple, easy, healthy midweek meal. It’s also comfort food at its finest.

I’ve made this recipe for many years. When I used to eat meat (I’ve been meat free for three years), I would add chicken, but to be honest, it is just as good without. The thick strips of peppers and onions are definitely a “meaty” substitute, offering a filling, healthy meal the whole family will enjoy.

The tortillas I used were small and gluten free, but you could use any you like. The great thing about this recipe is that it is so adaptable: just add or remove whatever you don’t like. I used my own herbs and spices, but a packet of taco spice mix would also work extremely well. 

The thing I like most about this recipe for no meat tortilla bake is how the tortillas soak up all the delicious tomato sauce. I much prefer tortillas baked in this way, and find them rather dry on their own. 

Talking of tomatoes, who knew that there was so much confusion between tomato puree and tomato paste. Where I come from (and I believe most of Europe is the same), we call the thick, concentrated tomato, often in tubes, puree. However, that’s not the case in the US, where it is referred to as tomato paste. It gets weirder, because when Americans refer to tomato puree, they mean what we would call passata. I know, right? Confusing as heck.

If you like this simple dinner recipe, why not check out my 30 minute malfadine pasta dish or garlic coconut chicken curry. 

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No Meat Tortilla Bake with Peppers and Onions

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 small red onions
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• ½ tsp ground caraway (see note 1)
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chilli flakes (add more if you like it hotter)
• pepper and salt
• 1 tbsp tomato puree (see note 2)
• 200ml (⅚ cup) water
• 200ml (⅚ cup) chopped tomatoes (or passata)
• handful of plum tomatoes (cut into halves)
• 6 small tortillas (see note 3)
• cheese (see note 4)

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a frying pan. Thickly slice the onions and peppers. Fry until soft.
• Mix all of the the spices and seasoning together and then sprinkle over the onions and peppers.
• Add tomato puree (paste), tinned tomatoes (or passata) and plum tomatoes, and cook for around five minutes.
• Pour a little of the sauce over the bottom of the your baking dish (mine is 28cm x 21cm or 11" x 8¼").
• Cover with two of the tortillas. To fit the dish, I placed one whole tortilla in the centre of the dish, and cut the other tortilla in half and placed them either side.
• Pour half of the mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle over your cheese (as much or as little as you like).
• Cover with two more tortillas (in the same way as above) and then add the rest of the sauce.
• Top with last two tortillas as before, and cover with cheese.
• Bake on 175℃ (350℉) for around 20-25 minutes until the cheese is has turned brown and you can see a little of the sauce bubbling up through the tortillas. Serve hot/warm with a fresh salad. Enjoy!

Notes

1. If you don't have ground caraway, just use cumin instead (they are not quite the same, but cumin would also work).
2. Tomato puree is the same as tomato paste (if you are in the US). It is condensed, thick tomato, often in a tube. 
3. I used a fairly small baking dish (mine is 28cm x 21cm or 11" x 8¼") and only needed 6 small tortillas.Feel free to use any dish you like, and adapt the amount of tortillas accordingly.
4. I didn't weigh my cheese: I just eyeballed it. Use as much or as little as you like. I used a mixture of Gouda and Mozzarella, but you can use whatever you have on hand.