Easy Enchilada Casserole
My very favorite Mexican menu item is beef enchiladas. I order them at every Mexican restaurant we go to, and I have searched to find just the right recipe to make them at home. I’ve tried several, but it’s like the porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears …some are too cheesy, some too beefy, some too dry…so I’m still looking for the one that is “just right.”
Until I do, I did find a pretty good substitute in this casserole. It has just about everything I want from an enchilada in flavor, just not in perfect form, but it is good enough for now. And, it is so easy. Next time you get a taste for Mexican food, give this a try. Serve with Spicy Black Beans (recipe to come as soon as I try it), or a tossed salad.
Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground sirloin (can also substitute ground turkey or chicken)
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon less sodium taco seasoning mix
- 1 8 oz. can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 4 (8-inch) corn tortillas (you can also use whole-wheat flour tortillas, but then it tastes more like a burrito)
- 1/3 cup (1 ½ oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (if you like your food hot, use Monterey Jack with jalapeno peppers)
Enchilada Casserole
Steps:
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and saute´ one minute.
- Sprinkle with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add broth, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook two minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1½ cups of tomato mixture to beef mixture; reserve ½ tomato mixture.
- Place one or two tortillas in a small-to-medium baking dish. Top with one cup of the beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortillas.
- Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortillas. Top with cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
- Cool slightly before cutting into 4 portions.
Enjoy!
Dugan's Kitchen 