Mexican Junk Food Casserole

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Be sure to cook your rice if you haven't already (if you are just reading this and just now realized you don't have any cooked rice and don't want to wait, consider switching to quinoa, which cooks much more quickly than brown rice. Instant brown rice also works in a pinch).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large casserole dish (9x13 inch or similar) with nonstick spray and set aside.
• In a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high. Add the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper. Sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the beef, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Continue to sauté until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 additional minute.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the rice and Greek yogurt until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
• Assemble the casserole: Spread the beans into an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese over the beans.
• Scatter the tomatoes with green chilis over the top.
• Spoon the rice and ground beef mixture on top of the tomatoes, spreading it into an even layer.
• Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cupmozzarella.
• Bake the casserole, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot, about 15 minutes.
• Turn the oven to broil, then continue cooking until the cheese is lightly browned, about 3 to 4 additional minutes, watching carefully so that the cheese does not burn.
• Let rest 5 minutes, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and green onions, and serve.

EASY MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans, and heat through.
• Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread crushed tortilla chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onion, and tomato over the sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

MEXICAN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes. (Alternately, the peppers can be roasted under a broiler, or on top of a gas or charcoal grill.) Place the blackened peppers in a plastic or paper bag, and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, split in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds and the stems.
• Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Spread the chiles in a flat layer across the bottom of the dish.
• In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, stirring to break up the meat, until browned. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and half-and-half with the hot sauce, salt and black pepper.
• In another bowl, combine the green onions, cilantro, jack, and cheddar, and mix well.
• Spoon 1/3 of the sausage mixture over the chiles in the dish, top with 1/3 of the tortilla quarters, and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering, ending with a cheese layer. Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients. Let rest, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake until bubbly and golden brown, and a knife inserted into the custard comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and picante sauce.

MEXICAN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic, stir and cook for a minute or two to soften the onion. Add 2 teaspoons of the chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the paprika and 1 teaspoon of the cumin. Stir and cook the mixture for another minute or two to release the flavors of the spices. Remove the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chicken along with the remaining 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute the chicken until it's deep golden brown and done in the middle, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and stir to make a sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until it's reduced by half, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the beans and set aside.
• To assemble the casserole, pour half a jar (about 1 cup) of salsa verde into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish or disposable foil baking pan. Add a layer of half the tortillas on top of the salsa verde, overlapping the edges. Spoon the rice over the tortillas, spread the tomato mixture over the rice, then sprinkle the corn over the tomatoes. Next, add the chicken and bean mixture, then sprinkle on half the cheese and pour over half the enchilada sauce. Next, add the rest of the tortillas, then pour on the rest of the salsa verde and the rest of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
• If you're baking the casserole right away, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and cilantro.
• Find this recipe and more in Ree's new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime ($30, William Morrow Cookbooks).

MY FAVORITE MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish, then scatter the crushed tortilla chips evenly on the bottom.
• 2. Combine the chicken, beans, corn, tomato sauce, salsa, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Place half the mixture evenly in the baking dish. Combine the cheeses, then sprinkle half over the mixture.
• 3. Cover with the remaining half of the chicken-and-bean mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
• 4. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve the garnishes in bowls, so guests can top their portions with diced tomatoes, sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Note: Brown ground hamburger meat in a big pot with your onions and jalapeno peppers and mushrooms. Drain off grease.
• Take your flour tortillas and tear into 1/4 and place into a long casserole baking dish and then you put your mixture over the flour tortillas and then put your cheese over that, then just keep on layering it till its all gone.
• Then place into the oven to melt the cheese and get hot, I put mine into a 350°F oven and just check on it to see if its the way you like it to be.
• This is a good recipe to fix.
• Thanks Sugar.

MEXICAN FIESTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• 2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the onions and zucchini and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning, 2/3 cup water, and the corn. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes, then stir in the black beans.
• 3. Spread 1/2 cup of the salsa in the bottom of the baking dish. Lay 4 tortillas over the salsa, and spoon half of the meat mixture on top. Cover with 3/4 cup of the salsa and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Top with 4 more tortillas and the remaining 3/4 cup salsa. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese over the top.
• 4. Bake the casserole until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Slice and serve, topped with scallions and sour cream.

MEXICALI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook turkey, onions and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, breaking up turkey into crumbles, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in beans, tomatoes, water, rice, olives, chili powder and salt., Transfer to an 11x7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, covered, until rice is tender, 50-55 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes longer.