Two confessions: first, the original name of this recipe was “tortilla pie” before, in creating this post, we realized that it wasn’t really a pie at all, and that it deserved more than that. And so, it is a Southwestern Torte.
Second, and more personally, I (Amelia) detest tortillas, which make up the layers of this torte. I get a lot of grief from my family for this, and I’m sorry, but they’re gummy, stick to the roof of my mouth, and don’t really taste like anything. Yet, despite my aversion to tortillas, I love this meal. We all do (except Lucia, who cannot stand beans. We all have our things). It’s filling and hearty, but not so much that I feel uncomfortable after having eaten it. The flavors of the beans are bright, the cheese is warm, and with the tortillas it all blends into a savory comfort-food goodness that I have loved for as long as I can remember. If you’re looking for something vegetarian but hearty, and something that easily pleases both kids and adults, this is your recipe. It’s mom’s version of recipe she found in Cooking Light magazine twenty-five years ago.
Keep cooking (and distancing)! We can do this. We’re sending all sorts of good vibes towards you.
Southwestern Torte
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium red onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
2 bell peppers, chopped into 1/4-inch dice (red, yellow, or orange)
1 Anaheim chile, seeded and chopped or 1 (4.5-oz) can chopped green chilis
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 15-ounce cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 8-ounce package colby jack, montery jack, or Mexican blend shredded cheese
Vegetable cooking spray
7 8-inch (fajita-size) flour tortillas
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish optional
A note on equipment: you’ll need an oven safe soup pot with lid, or 9-inch round cake pan (or regular pie dish) and tinfoil. The soup pot is easiest, but the others work fine.
Heat vegetable oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Saute onion for 3 minutes, then add peppers and saute for 5 minutes. Measure the spices (oregano through salt) into a little dish while the peppers cook, then add them to the pan and stir for thirty seconds.
Add the tomato sauce and beans immediately, so the spices don’t overcook. Heat for two or three minutes while you open the cheese and tortilla packages, then turn off the stove.
If you don’t have a soup pot with an oven-safe lid, you’ll need to tear off two long (as long as your arm) pieces of tinfoil, and arrange them perpendicular over the middle of the cake pan. Spray the interior of the foil with cooking spray and place the first tortilla in the bottom of the pan, where the two pieces of foil meet.
If you do have the right soup pot, just spray the bottom with cooking spray and place a tortilla on the bottom.
Either way, cover the first tortilla with a thin layer of beans (one scoop with our regular soup ladle, about a cup, works perfectly for us), sprinkle with a light layer of cheese, then cover with another tortilla and repeat. By the time you finish, you’ll have used 7 tortillas and the top tortillas will be covered with beans and cheese. Sprinkle more cheese on the top than you did on the middle layers, because you want it to look appealingly cheese-y. Cover with the lid and bake for forty minutes.
Or, if you’re using tinfoil, bring the two ends of each piece together at the center of the pan, first one set of ends, then the other, so the torte gets sealed inside and stays moist while it bakes. Bring edges of foil to center; fold to seal.
Bake at 325° for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove foil packet from dish; unwrap pie, and slide onto serving plate using spatula. Cut into wedges and garnish with optional cilantro. You can drape sprigs over the top or chop it and sprinkle. The first option is more dramatic, but the second more user-friendly for the diners.
