Friday, June 25, 2010

Enchilada casserole

Having grown up in Europe, I never learned how to cook Southwestern foods in spite of helping in the kitchen from a young age. When my husband, who is from California, and I got married, I soon came to love this particular type of cuisine.

This recipe is one of the first I ever tried making on my own, and over the years I have tweaked it here and added ingredients there to perfect it. I have also gone from making it in a deep pie pan to using a large casserole dish to accommodate our growing family... :)

Last week, I made this casserole with fresh homemade whole wheat tortillas and enchilada sauce made from scratch. For the meat, I used some leftover slow-cooked beef roast. My husband declared it to be the best meal he had ever had in his entire life. And you better know he eats like a king every day, so that was saying a lot.



12 Servings

Prep: 30 min. Cook: 50 min.

Ingredients

  • about 12 8-inch flour tortillas
  • 3 10-oz cans of red enchilada sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked beef or chicken
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked rice or 1 cup uncooked instant rice
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 can pinto beans
  • 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or Monterey Jack cheese
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 1 cup prepared salsa

Directions

  • 1. Defrost corn by rinsing under water in a colander. Mix corn and salsa in a small bowl, set aside.
  • 2. In a large bowl, mix meat, beans, rice, 1 1/2 cups of enchilada sauce, and 1 cup of cheese.
  • 3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • 4. In a 13x9 inch casserole, assemble ingredients as follows: pour 1 cup of enchilada sauce in dish, then add a layer of tortillas (I cut 2 tortillas in half and put the cut sides of the halves against the four edges of the dish. Then I add cut strips to fill any gaps). Next, add half of the meat and bean mixture. Add another layer of tortillas. Next, add all the corn and salsa mixture in one single layer. Top with a layer of tortillas. Add the second half of the meat and bean mixture. Add a final layer of tortillas. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas, and top with remaining cheese.
  • 5. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes.
  • 6. Turn heat up to 400 degrees, and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is golden and casserole is bubbling.
  • 7. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving (if you can resist!).
  • 8. Enjoy!!
12 Servings

Prep: 30 min. Cook: 50 min.

8 comments:

  1. That sounds really good....I'd have to pair it down a bit for just the two of us otherwise we'd be eating it for a week straight (not that I think I'd really mind...lol).

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  2. This is one of my favorite cuisines too! Do you mind sharing your homemade enchilada sauce recipe?

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  3. That looks great! Is the recipe that you posted for the smaller pie pan version or the larger casserole dish size? My family is not quite as large as yours and the pie pan version sounds perfect for us. Also, do you know if this freezes well? I am trying to start "freezer cooking" and creating a stash for when this new baby is born. Any tips? Thanks for posting a recipe! I am always looking for ones that have been husband-approved! :)

    Katie Drinkard

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  4. Just curious....how do 3 'cans' of Enchilada sauce..constitute Enchilda sauce 'made from scratch"?

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  5. Maggii,

    I used the equivalent of 3 cans of enchilada sauce. Most people buy their sauce ready-made, so my recipe gives the amount of cans needed. Using your own sauce would require about about 4 cups.

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  6. Oh and yes, I'll share the enchilada sauce recipe just as soon as I get the exact measurements figured out. I came up with it as I went and didn't measure.

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  7. ahhh..Thanks for clarifying. That makes more sense.

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  8. thanks for the recipe. i made this last night and it was very good!

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