Enchilada Casserole
Enchilada Casserole
Whether you are planning for tonights’ meal or looking for a great freezer meal solution, this dish will get requests for second helpings. This meal has a bunch of vegetables so you don’t have to feel too guilty about eating this delicious treat. This dish is very versatile to match up with your favorite peppers or just use what you have in the fridge. You can also substitute the ground beef for shredded beaf, pork, chicken or even omit the meat and ramp up the vegetables. Give this very lenient dish a try and see how easy it really is.
SERVES 8
INGREDIENTS
14 corn tortillas cut into sixths
2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium red or green bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced
2 large poblano chilis, diced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Chopped cilantro for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9X13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef with 1 teaspoon salt, breaking the meat up into bite-sized pieces. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Scrape the meat onto a plate and wipe the skillet clean (you may need to drain off excess grease from the meat depending on the fat content).
In the same skillet over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil and stir in the onion, bell pepper, poblano, corn and garlic. Cook until the veggies are softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir the flour, chili powder, cumin and coriander into the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, lime juice and season with salt.
Line the bottom of the greased baking pan with 1/3 of the tortillas. Layer with 1/3 of the meat and then 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture and then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses. Repeat that process again twice more ending with the cheeses.
Bake the casserole until hot and bubbly, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
