Tex-Mex Enchilada Casserole

I love Mexican dishes and I love casseroles.   And this may be about the best recipe combining these two.  One big difference than other Mexican casseroles is that you toast the tortillas, thereby avoiding a soggy dish.  Next time I make this I will add more corn and maybe black beans, but the amount of poblano pepper was perfect for us.  If you like more heat, double it.  Poblanos are the mildest (outside of bell peppers) peppers on the Scoville scale and are readily available, so don't be afraid!

I just made half of the recipe (using an 8x8 dish), but I do believe this casserole would freeze beautifully (in fact I have some leftover already cooked and think I'll freeze the cooked portion and so how that turns out.....I'll report back when I use it).  Point being, if you are just cooking for 2 or 3, go ahead and make the entire recipe and freeze half of it (both in 8x8 dishes, one uncooked).

I served this with a guacamole lettuce salad (no recipe, really, but will post it tomorrow).

TEX-MEX ENCHILADA CASSEROLE (Serves 8)

14 corn tortillas cut into thirds
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, turkey, or chicken
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red or green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced (I used 1/2 of each that I had in the freezer)
1 large poblano chile pepper, diced
1 cup frozen corn kernels (I'll use more next time)
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup AP flour
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained (I'll probably use more next time)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
S&P to taste
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz Jack cheese, shredded (or you can use 16 oz Mexican cheese blend)
chopped cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly coat a 13x9" 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, 10-15 minutes.

In a large 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, turkey, or chicken with 1 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp 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(s), poblano, corn, and garlic.  Cook until the veggies are softened, 3-4 minutes.  Stir the flour, chili 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 bean, lime juice, and season with S&P.

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 site for 10 minutes or so before serving.  Garnish with chopped cilantro.