Southwestexican Casserole

Recipe Time!

You may be wondering about that title but that's what I'm calling the dinner I made last night. It's my take on a combination of Southwestern and Mexican food in casserole form. Some of my friends have made a Mexican-ish casserole before but I didn't have the recipe so figured I would whip up something on my own, adding in some of our favorite ingredients.

Before I get to the ingredients, let me just say it turned out delicious!!! That's one reason I am typing up this post now so I won't forget how I made it. It is also very easy to put together. I used frozen veggies because I had them on hand. It saves some prep time if you don't have to chop up fresh ones. I loves them for soups and recipes like this one.

1 lb ground chuck
1/2 cup each of frozen chopped onions and green bell pepper
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
5-6 large flour tortillas
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 bag of shredded Mexican mix cheese

Optional - 1 cup sharp shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the ground chuck (I seasoned with salt, pepper & garlic powder) and drain off any fat/grease. Add frozen veggies and taco seasoning mix. Follow the instructions on the seasoning packet for how much water to be added and how long to simmer the mixture. Once the taco meat/veggies are done, add the corn and black beans stirring until combined.

Grease a 9x13 pan. Using a pie plate or something similar, pour in the chicken broth and dip the tortillas until soaked. Line the pan with a layer of tortillas. You will have to tear them to fit right. Add a third of the meat mixture to the tortillas. Add a layer of cheese. Repeat for two more layers, ending with cheese on top. I also added a little bit of shredded sharp cheddar cheese just because I love cheese :)

Bake for 25-30 minutes. This is great by itself but you could also serve with salsa or any other toppings you like. I was going to add some Spanish rice to the casserole but I was trying to hurry with dinner and forgot to make it. Oh well, maybe next time.

Now I'm going to be honest about why there are no pictures. It doesn't look very pretty. I am a visual person when it comes to food and I didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression and not even try this dish. The pictures I took of it just did not do it justice and I am choosing not to display any :) Just trust me when I say this meal is delicious!

Enjoy!