“An Oaxacan Lasagna”

I’ve always loved mole (pronounced mo-LAY).  Hailing from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, mole is a deeply flavorful sauce made from roasted chiles (don’t worry, they’re pretty mild), nuts, seeds, dried fruits, spices, and a little cacao.   The result is staggeringly complex yet completely harmonious, and goes down easy like comfort food – on rice, with meat, or over enchiladas (which we then call enmoladas).  The problem is, a good mole needs a few dozen ingredients, and a day or more of cooking.   Meanwhile, the stuff from a can usually isn’t worth it. Luckily, there’s a new brand called Ya Oaxaca that finally gets it right.  We’ll start there.   

There are vibrant green moles and piquant red moles.  I love them all! Here, we’re going to use the most famous mole, black mole, mole negro, which is mild and sweet.  Traditionally, mole is paired with pork, but we’ll go vegetarian with butternut squash, Pumfu™ (an awesome pumpkinseed tofu that’s high in protein), and black beans.  You can even go full vegan if you swap out the dairy for plant cheese.  And of course you can use chicken or pork, too, although I find they work better without the butternut, and with a sharper mole rojo.   (The dish on the right, above, is exactly that).

The end result is simple to make, super-delicious and quite healthy: nuts, seeds, plant protein, black beans, whole grains, and some vegetable.  And it serves like lasagna.   

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 jar Ya Oaxaca mole negro
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained
• 1 10-oz bag frozen cubed butternut squash
• 1 ½ C broth (mushroom, vegetable, chicken…) or even water 
• 1 8-oz package Pumfu™ 
• 8 corn tortillas (I used sprouted corn)
• 6 oz shredded “Mexican blend” cheese 
• Optional: pickled onions or radish, cotija cheese, lime

DIRECTIONS

1. In a 12-inch Dutch oven or high-walled saucepan, simmer the mole with the beans, butternut and broth until it thickens to coat the spoon, about 5 minutes. 

2. Slice the Pumfu™ into thin planks about an inch long.  Add to the sauce and stir to coat.   

3. Remove and reserve 2/3 of the mole mix from the Dutch oven.  Spread the remaining third evenly across the bottom, and place four corn tortillas on top. 

4. Continue layering: spread half the cheese over the tortillas; half the reserved sauce/stew over that. Lay on another 4 tortillas, the rest of the cheese, and the remaining mole. 

5. Bake at 400 around 20 minutes, or until everything looks nice.   

6. Let it cool before serving, otherwise it will fall apart.  (Conversely, just let it fall apart).   Serve with pickled onions, radish, cotija cheese, and lime.