Mexican Casserole

The stomach flu has sidelined the B.A. Gourmet for a few days. As soon as the rumbling subsided, though, I knew it was time to ditch the toast, bananas, and crackers for a Mexican meal.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of Ground Turkey

6-8 Flour Tortillas

2 Packets of Taco Seasoning

1 Onion

1 Bell Pepper

1 Can of Black Beans

1 Can of Enchilada Sauce

Shredded Cheese (Mexican Blend)

Steps/Analysis:

First, dice your onion and pepper into uniform pieces. Saute in a little olive oil over Medium heat until the onions are slightly translucent. At that point, evacuate the contents of your pan to a large mixing bowl.

Next, dump the ground turkey directly into the same pan, raising the temperature slightly to Medium-High. Using a spatula or large spoon, break up the meat and stir to cook evenly.

Once the turkey has cooked through, carefully drain the oil from the pan and return to the heat. Add one cup of water and both packets of taco seasoning. Stir thoroughly and allow the sauce to cook down for another 4-5 minutes.

Add the meat to the bowl with the onions and peppers. Then, drain the liquid from the can of black beans and add them to the bowl as well. Stir to thoroughly incorporate everything.

Pour half of the meat/onion/pepper/bean mixture into a large baking pan. Sprinkle on some cheese and cover with a layer of tortillas.

At this point, I decided to sprinkle on some more cheese and double up with another layer or tortillas, effectively making a quesadilla in the middle of the casserole. If that seems like overkill to you, by all means skip this step. I think it worked pretty well, though.

Spoon on the rest of the meat mixture, add cheese, a final layer of tortillas, and some more cheese on top. Put the pan in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese on top is brown and bubbly.

While the casserole is cooking, open up your enchilada sauce and heat in a small sauce pan over low heat.

Serving/Notes:

To serve, cut the casserole into squares and spoon some enchilada sauce over top. The end result is a little like a quesadilla, a little like a taco, and a little like an enchilada. It's a big ol' mess of Mexican goodness.

Rice and guacamole are welcome sides, as is a little hot sauce or salsa.

B.A. Gourmet Instant Classic: Enchiladas

Since it's going to become very apparant within a few more posts anyway, I may as well fill you in; I have a weakness for Mexican food. Chipotle Mexican Grill is easily one of my favorite restaurants and Taco Bell is my favorite fast food. If there's a burrito on the menu, chances are I'll order it.



As a result, many of my early dinner attempts naturally leaned south of the border. I consider those recipes some of my greatest successes. Case in point, my enchiladas.


Ingredients:
10 8"-10" Tortillas
2 Packages of Purdue Short-Cuts Chicken Breast Strips*
1 Medium-Large Onion
1 Bell Pepper
10 Ounce Can of Enchilada Sauce
16 Ounce Can of Refried Beans
1 Packet of Fajita Seasoning
Shredded Cheese (I prefer a 'Mexican blend' for this and most other applications)
Sliced Olives
Sliced Jalapenos (Canned works well in this recipe)


Steps/Analysis:
A simple sautee: oil in pan over medium heat, sliced onion and bell peppers in pan until slightly browned and just a little soft. You're going to finish everything up in the oven, so you still want them to have enough structure to withstand that.


Dump your chicken and fajita seasoning into the pan. The seasoning packet will have its own instructions for the proper ratio of water to seasoning. Stir to warm the chicken strips and coat with the seasoning mixture.


Find a large, rectangular baking dish (look for something that will fit your rolled up tortillas snugly) and pour half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom. Open up all your cans and packages at this point and arrange them close to the pan and baking dish; there will be some dripping during the preparation.


Enchilada Filling and Rolling Instructions:
1. Spread a thin layer of refried beans onto the center of the tortilla.
2. Spoon chicken, onion, and peppers on across the diameter of the tortilla.
3. Sprinkle on a generous layer of cheese. This is going to help seal everything up and hold it all in place.
4. Place jalapenos and olives on top of the cheese. This is optional and interchangeable, of course, depending on what you like on your Mexican food.
5. Roll and place seam side down in your baking dish.
6. Repeat until you run out of tortillas or space in the dish, whichever comes first.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and cover with another layer of cheese.


Place dish into a 400-415 degree, preheated oven. Everything in your enchiladas is already cooked, so you're really only looking for all the cheese to melt. This should take approximately 10-15 minutes.



Serving Suggestions:
Chips, salsa, and guacamole are always welcome to the party. (Why not use the Spruced-up Guac I told you about a few posts ago?) Hot sauce is good too.


Notes:
Literally no complaints. I got rave reviews from my girlfriend and my family, including a mother who doesn't like heat and a brother who can't stand olives. If you're cooking for people with a taste for Mexican, this will knock it out of the park. This will definitely be a repeat performance.


*Purdue Short-Cuts are a must for any beginning cook. They have about a million uses and come in a variety of flavors. In addition, they cut huge chunks of time out of meal preparation at a reasonable price. Look for these to show up in future recipes.