Vegan Mexican Gnocchi casserole is an easy Italian Mexican fusion recipe! Serve it as a breakfast casserole or as a weeknight vegan dinner!
This vegan Mexican Gnocchi recipe is loaded with flavors from both cuisines and can be made in a skillet!
Table of Contents
Fan of fusion recipes
Clearly, I love Mexican food! But what makes me happier is that you love it too! There's a reason why all the vegan fusion Mexican recipes on the blog are so popular!
I have been wanting to feature an easy vegan breakfast skillet-casserole dish on the blog for a long time! Finally here's a recipe I have loved the most.
One-pot meals like these are always treasured in my home – especially when they are packed with flavors! Plus, this Italian-Mexican dish has all the right flavors and is easy to make!
Easy weeknight meal
If you are looking for meatless options to include in your weekly rotations, then recipes like these are perfect for you.
This vegan casserole comes together very quickly on busy weeknights plus you can serve it for breakfast or dress it up for a weekend brunch or date night!
I have been cooking with a lot of gnocchi lately. I enjoy experimenting with the recipes and only share the ones I love the most.
If you haven't checked it out lately, check out this vegan recipe with gnocchi - Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Gnocchi! I promise you will love it.
Why make this
Meals like these act as comfort foods especially on busy days. I promise you will love this vegan Italian-Mexican recipe with gnocchi.
What I love is that this vegan Mexican recipe is endlessly tweakable.
- It's vegan and gluten-free
- You can make it healthy by using less or no cheese and use soft whole wheat tortillas instaead of chips
- This dish is simple, quick and easy to make
- It's a skillet casserole recipe, no baking required
- One-pot meal recipe which means less vessels to clean
- Can be made more hearty by adding more veggies and vegan protein
- is very delicious to taste and loved by all
- You can make it in advance and assemble it before serving
- Ideal meal for large families
Ingredients needed
Gnocchi - I get the vegan and gluten-free gnocchi that's made with cauliflower. But you can use any gnocchi variety.
Black Beans - Since this is a vegan Mexican casserole, beans bring in the protein and make the dish wholesome. Canned black beans save on cooking time.
You can also use kidney beans or pinto beans. Alternatively, use raw beans, but soak them overnight.
Onion, garlic, tomatoes (missing in the image above), and cilantro are basic ingredients that add so much flavor to this casserole.
Spices - Mexcian seasoning, cajun seasoning, and cumin powder help in giving this dish an authentic Mexican flavor.
Salsa - can use mild or spicy, smooth or chunky, red or green salsa. You can make it fresh or use the store-bought variety.
Cheese - Use vegan Mexican shredded cheese blend. If you are not vegan, use Monterey Jack cheese or sharp cheddar.
Tortilla chips - I have used gluten-free chips but you can also use soft tortillas and turn this into an enchiladas casserole! Tortilla chips add a nice crunch to the dish.
Skillet - I have used a skillet for this recipe. You can also use a Dutch Oven or a Le Creuset casserole here. If you are baking, use an oven-safe baking dish.
Here's how to make it
- The first step is to prep the gnocchi. Boil water in a skillet and add the gnocchi to it. Cook as per the instructions on the packet. Once they begin to float, drain the water.
- Immediately, stir-fry them in oil, in the same pan. Fry till they turn light golden on both sides. Fry them in batches if needed and do not stir them often. Transfer to a plate when done.
- Heat oil in the pan. Fry minced garlic till they turn light golden. Then add chopped onions. Saute till they turn translucent.
- Add tomatoes and salt. Cook till they turn soft and pulpy.
- Drain the black beans from the can and add to the pan. Mix and cook for 2 minutes.
- Now add the spices like cumin powder, cajun seasoning, Mexican seasoning and salsa. Mix and cook for another minute and then transfer to another plate.
To assemble the casserole
- Take the pan off the flame, drizzle oil and then add crushed tortilla chips. Cover the whole pan with the chips.
- Then layer it with cooked gnocchi.
- Spread the black bean mixture all over it.
- Top it with grated cheese and cilantro. Do not mix. Place the pan on the flame, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes on medium flame.
- Once the cheese melts and is golden and bubbly on top, take the pan off the flame. Our vegan casserole is ready.
Serving suggestions
Divide this vegan Mexican casserole into single servings and serve immediately. You can add some crushed tortilla chips on top along with some salsa to give it more crunch and flavor.
This Italian-Mexican vegan casserole recipe with gnocchi is packed with protein, veggies, and cheese is perfect for breakfast, weekdays, weekends, brunches, potlucks, and even lunchboxes.
Have a Mexican fiesta and make all these wonderful Mexican dishes! You can also make this for Cinco de Mayo, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas to impress your guests!
I am not saying, but I have heard that they go well with margaritas! Actually, it would also pair well with Mango Gazpacho, Cold Cucumber Soup Shots, or Jalapeno Cucumber Lemonade.
Top tips, recommendations, and suggestions
You can add spices of your choice to make it palatable to you. If you are not vegan, use regular Mexican cheese and potato gnocchi (most are made with eggs).
Add as much or as little cheese you want. Instead of tortilla chips, you can also use soft tortillas. If needed, you can directly pan-fry the gnocchi without boiling them.
Use fresh or canned tomato puree, sauce, or even enchilada sauce instead of fresh tomatoes. To give it an Indian flavor, use Makhani sauce! Yum!
To make this vegan Mexican casserole more hearty, you can also add TVP, millets like quinoa or teff, rice, cauliflower rice, vegan meat, or even lentils!
You can totally add this to your tacos or make them into wraps and have your Mexican or Tex Mex themed party! They taste delicious, especially with leftovers!
Substitutions or alternatives
Use any kind of beans like kidney beans, white beans, pinto beans, refried beans, or chickpeas. Using canned beans will save on cooking time.
But feel free to soak and cook raw beans as you would and use them in this recipe. Instead of gnocchi, you can use any other cooked pasta variety. Mini pasta will work great here!
Add more veggies like mushrooms, potatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, carrots, zucchini, corn, zucchini, olives, or sweet potatoes to make this vegan Mexican recipe more nutritious.
You can also add in some greens like spinach, kale, beet leaves, etc to make this Italian-Mexican dish more nourishing.
Ideas for vegan toppings
Add some sliced avocado or guacamole on top, it will be a delicious add-on. You can also add some scallions, sour cream, cream cheese, queso on top.
In fact, you can also drizzle some green chutney, ketchup, hot sauce, lemon juice, or mayonnaise to brighten the flavors of this easy vegan breakfast casserole.
Ways to store this
You can cook the gnocchi and the black bean mixture in advance and store them in the fridge or freeze them. Before assembling the casserole, just heat them individually.
The black bean mixture can also be made in the Instant Pot. You can also refrigerate or freeze the contents of the skillet before broiling.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days. Transfer to an airtight container and store. If freezing, divide it into individual servings minus the cheese and toppings. Heat and enjoy this Italian-Mexican dish as needed!
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram @cookilicious with the hashtag #cookiliciousveg. I love hearing your feedback!
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Vegan Mexican Casserole With Gnocchi
Equipment
Ingredients
To prep the gnocchi
- 10 oz cauliflower gnocchi
- 1 tbsp olive oil
To prepare the black bean sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 7-8 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 15 oz canned black beans
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Mexican seasoning
- 1/2 cup salsa
- salt
To assemble the casserole
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup tortilla chips
- 1/3 cup cheese
- 2 tbsp cilantro
Instructions
To prep the gnocchi
- Boil water in a skillet and add the gnocchi in it. Cook as per instructions on the packet. Once they begin to float, drain the water.
- Immediately, stir-fry them in oil, in the same pan. Fry till they turn light golden on bot sides. Fry them in batches if needed and do not stir them often. Transfer to a plate when done.
To prepare the black bean sauce
- Heat oil in the pan. Fry minced garlic till they turn light golden. Then add chopped onions. Saute till they turn translucent.
- Add tomatoes and salt. Cook till they turn soft and pulpy.
- Drain the black beans from the can and add to the pan. Mix and cook for 2 minutes.
- Now add the spices like cumin powder, cajun seasoning, Mexican seasoning and salsa. Mix and cook for another minute and then transfer to another plate.
To assemble the casserole
- Take the pan off the flame, drizzle oil and then add crushed tortilla chips. Cover the whole pan with the chips.
- Then layer it with cooked gnocchi.
- Spread the black bean mixture all over it.
- Top it with grated cheese and cilantro. Do not mix. Place the pan on the flame, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes on medium flame.
- Once the cheese melts and is golden and bubbly on top, take the pan off the flame.
Notes
Nutrition
Unable to find the GF cauliflower gnocchi so I used GF gnocchi. Great dish, I loved it.+ My wife did not like the tortilla chips but stated it had great flavors. Will keep this recipe. thanks
FYI-The Green Giant cauliflower gnocchi shown in this recipe is not gluten free. I check the Green Giant website and confirmed that this is made with wheat. I was excited at first unitil I found out that this product was not gluten free, I am hoping that they will make a gluten free version. I know that there is gluten free gnocchi on the market so I will try this recipe when I buy the GF gnocchi.