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Tex-Mex Enchilada Casserole

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 14 corn tortillas cut into thirds
  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef or lean ground turkey
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
  • 1 large poblano chile, diced
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
  • Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9X13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
  • Arrange the cut tortillas in a single layer on two large, rimmed baking sheets. Bake the tortillas until slightly crisp, about 15 minutes.
  • In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef or turkey with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper 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, 3-4 minutes. Stir the flour, chile powder, cumin and coriander into the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 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 and pepper.
  • Line the bottom of the greased baking pan with 1/3 of the baked 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.

Notes

Poblanos: don't let the poblano chile scare you! If I can find it in my small-town grocery store, you can find it, too. Poblanos are fairly mild and longer and more slender than a bell pepper. Just do it. You'll be happy at the flavor it imparts.
Ingredients: don't be turned off by the long list of ingredients. This comes together quickly and perfectly.
Freezer Meal: by the way, I have not tried freezing this ahead of time, but I think it would probably fare pretty well as a freezer meal.
Meat: also (and I promise this is the last thing), it stands a good chance of being spectacular as a meatless dish if you omit the ground meat (or conversely, subbing in cooked chicken for the meat).