Bean and Cheese Stacks

A little over a year ago, I started Meatless Monday at my house. As a family, we decided that it was a good idea to cut down on our meat consumption and to increase our vegetable intake. My husband and I may have helped the children come to that conclusion, but they never missed the meat. In fact, they were the first to remind me that it was Meatless Monday and would help me come up with things to add to our weekly meal plan. We sat down and made a list of our favorite meals and found ways to make them vegetarian.   

You would be surprised at how many things you already make that can be made meatless. Pasta, pizza, Mexican food, breakfast items, soups, casseroles. You name it. You can either make it completely out of vegetables, or you can replace the protein with a vegetarian protein source, like veggie crumbles, beans and eggs. 

Not only is going vegetarian once a week good for your body, it is also good for your wallet. Replacing beef and chicken with eggs or beans drastically reduces your grocery budget. Another plus! We liked Meatless Monday so much that this year we have committed to being meatless at least twice a week.

My Bean and Cheese Stack is a great recipe to try out on your family if you are considering going meatless.  I used to make it with ground turkey or chicken, but now I prepare it with beans. We all like this version better. 

To start, sauté onions and red peppers until soft. Add corn, beans and taco sauce.

Using a springform pan makes stacking your tortillas easy. Use a little shredded cheese on the top and bottom of each tortilla to help the layers stay together.

Make 3 layers; top with an additional tortilla and remaining cheese. Bake until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Top with sliced green onions and cilantro.

Slice into wedges and serve with sour cream and guacamole.