This is one of the most beautiful and delicious recipes to serve. Use a variety of colored tortillas to make it even more spectacular. When this dish is cut open to expose the tomato sauce, vegetables and cheese it looks amazing. I often prepare a couple of these to freeze, so I can bake them when I need them.
RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
2. Lightly coat a nonstick saucepan with vegetable oil and set over medium heat. Add the corn and sauté, stirring often, for about 8 minutes or until slightly charred. Set aside.
3. Add the oil to the saucepan and keep over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the red and green peppers. Cook for 3 minutes, stir¬ring occasionally. Stir in the tomato sauce, charred corn, basil, chili powder and cumin. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.
4. Place the chickpeas in a bowl and mash them roughly with a fork. Add to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses (but reserve 1/4 cup of the cheddar for garnish). Add the milk and salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
6. Place a tortilla in the prepared springform pan. Spread with one-quarter of the vegetable-chickpea mixture. Sprinkle with one-quarter of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers 3 times. Top with the final tortilla and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Cover the pan tightly with foil.
7. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then uncovered for 10 minutes or until it is completely heated through and the cheese has melted. Cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife
INGREDIENTS
1 cup canned corn, drained
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 2 cups tomato sauce (can be store-bought spaghetti sauce)
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
FILLING:
1 cup light ricotta (5%)
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded light cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp low-fat milk pinch of salt and pepper
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
5 large flour tortillas
NOTES
Nutritional Analysis per Serving
Calories 280
Protein 14 g
Fat 8.5 g
Saturated Fat 3.1 g
Carbohydrates 39 g
Cholesterol 22 mg
Sodium 710 mg
Fiber 5 g
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Make Ahead: Can be baked up to a day in advance. Reheat in 350°F oven for 10 minutes.
Serves 8
Nutrition Watch: Choose lower-fat cheddar cheese more often (1 oz of regular fat cheddar cheese has 6 g of saturated fat; 1 oz of lighter cheese has less than 4 g of saturated fat).
