Layered Tortillas with Tofu and Chili

48 Reviews
100% would make this recipe again

Layers of tortillas with a mixture of peppers, tomato sauce, tofu, and grated cheese, baked in the oven.

«Pastel de pobre» or «Torta Azteca» is the name of this tasty Mexican specialty, which is often a creative way to use up whatever is left in the refrigerator. As with many of my Mexican recipes, I owe this one to a fellow student with me while at École Polytechnique, Maria del Pilar.

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Preparation : 20 min Cooking : 40 min
500 calories/serving

Ingredients

1 onions, finely chopped 200 g
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow or red sweet peppers, cut into bite-size pieces 100 g
2 tbsp canola oil 30 mL
1/3 cup canned tomatoes (diced) 90 g
150 g firm regular tofu, crumbled 3/4 cup
1/4 cup cream cheese 35 g
1/4 cup vegetable broth 65 mL
1 tsp tomato paste 6 g
1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 g
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 2 g
1/2 tsp dried oregano 0.4 g
1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g
ground pepper to taste [optional]
3 corn tortillas 140 g
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, low-fat (4%), grated 40 g
aluminum foil, to cover the dish

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F.

Cook the filling

  1. Peppers and tofu are cooked separately then blended into one filling before assembling the «torta».
  2. Prepare the vegetables: finely chop the onion and mince the garlic; cut the peppers into bite-size pieces.
  3. Heat half of the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add half of the onion and garlic then sauté 4-5 min until lightly coloured and soft, paying attention not to let them burn. Add the peppers and sauté 4-5 min, then add the diced tomatoes.
  4. Cook over low heat, covered, about 15 min until the peppers are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion and garlic then sauté 4-5 min, with stirring, until the onion is translucent. Crumble the tofu and add it to the skillet. Cook 2-3 min with stirring.
  6. Add the cream cheese, broth, tomato paste, spices and oregano. Cover and cook over medium-low heat about 5-7 min, until the flavours are blended. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine the tofu mixture with the peppers.

Assemble and cook the «torta»

  1. Place a first tortilla in a buttered ovenproof dish. Put some filling on top, sprinkle with some grated Cheddar, then cover with a second tortilla. Continue this layering sequence according to the number of tortillas in the ingredient list, until the filling is completely incorporated. Press down lightly on the top tortilla at each new layer. Finish with additional grated Cheddar on top of the last tortilla.
  2. Cover with a lid or greased aluminum foil (so that it does not stick to the top) then bake 20-25 min in the middle of the oven. Uncover and cook an additional 20 min. For a nice crust, turn on the top broiler for the last 2 minutes.
  3. Take the dish out of the oven and let it rest 5 min before cutting up the «torta» into pie-shaped slices. Serve.

Observations

The filling can be prepared in advance. The «torta» can then be assembled and baked just before serving.

Nutrition Facts Table

per 1 serving (380 g)

Amount

% Daily Value

Calories

500

Fat

24 g

37 %

Saturated 5.8 g
+ Trans 0.2 g

30 %

Cholesterol

30 mg

Sodium

290 mg

12 %

Carbohydrate

50 g

17 %

Fibre

6 g

25 %

Sugars

7 g

Net Carbs

44 g

Protein

25 g

Vitamin A

40 %

Vitamin C

151 %

Calcium

40 %

Iron

27 %

DIABETES Exchange

1 serving of this recipe is equivalent to :
Food Group Exchanges
Starches 2
Vegetables 2 ½
Meat and Alternatives 2
Fats 4 ½

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Reviews

48 Reviews (47 with rating only) 100% would make this recipe again

My Notes

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This space is reserved for your personal notes on the recipe. These notes are private and will only be visible to you. Here's an example of what these notes could say for a given recipe:

  • I replaced oregano by rosemary and it turned out great
  • use my large pan with the copper bottom
  • leave under the grill 3 minutes instead of 1 to get a golden crust

This recipe is in the following categories

Cheese | Soy | Main courses/Entrées | High Iron | Mexican

Top Reviews

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Anonyme
october 20, 2021 | I would make this recipe again

We used paprika instead of the cayenne pepper, it was a good way to reduce the spiciness. This was a very creamy dish that was full of flavor and aroma. A bit of a chore to prepare and cook, but well worth the effort.

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