Enchilada Casserole

I love Mexican food!!  Tacos, burritos, refried beans, chimichangas, enchiladas….I should have been born in Mexico.  While enchiladas are not difficult to make, I have four young children, three of whom are under three years old.  So I take a short cut and layer the ingredients instead of rolling them.

This can easily be made with chicken instead of beef.  Or, for a meatless version, omit the meat and substitute with cheese.

I don’t normally buy diced green chiles because they are way out of my produce spending parameter.  For this batch of casserole, I paid $0.99 for a 7 oz. can.  But I was cooking for other people and the chiles do add great flavor, so I splurged.

Regarding the sauce, I personally like El Pato red enchilada sauce.  The mild sauce has a little heat, so I used a different brand for this batch since I was cooking for others.  You can also make your own enchilada sauce, which I would have done had it not been such a crazy week.

Be sure to use corn tortillas, not flour.  I prefer white corn tortillas, though yellow corn tortillas will do.

An added bonus to this recipe—it is freezable!!  I needed this casserole on Friday but also had a birthday cake and a batch of cupcakes to make and decorate for Saturday.  I simply constructed the casserole earlier in the week and popped it in the freezer, covered with plastic wrap and foil.  I moved it to the fridge on Thursday morning and baked it Friday evening (be sure to remove the plastic wrap first!).

Enchilada Casserole

¾ lb. ground beef

½ lb. cheddar or cheddar/jack cheese mix, shredded, plus more for sprinkling

1 c. frozen corn

½ c. sour cream

1 can (7 oz.) diced green chiles

1 can (28 oz.) enchilada sauce, or homemade enchilada sauce

about 16 corn tortillas

½ can olives, sliced

Brown and drain ground beef.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix ground beef, cheese, corn, sour cream, green chiles, and about ½ c. enchilada sauce.

In a 9” x 13” baking dish, pour enough enchilada sauce to cover bottom.  Cover with a single layer of tortillas—rip some to fill in gaps.  Spread ⅓ of the filling mixture over tortillas; spoon some sauce over filling

Repeat layers, ending with tortillas.  Pour remaining sauce over.

Cover with foil.  Bake at 350° until hot throughout, about 45 minutes.  Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese and olives.  Continue to bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Goes great with refried beans and rice.