I’m excited to share this delicious and quick recipe that will add some spice to your casserole dish!  Michael’s grandmother, Barbara, sent us a clipping of this recipe to try out, and we loved it.  The tasty Tex-Mex Casserole recipe reminded me of nachos, enchiladas, and all the savory Mexican food I can only find in Texas.  According to the article, the recipe is originally from a Weight Watchers book in which it is called “Mexican Casserole.”  I’m just going to refer to it as “Tex-Mex Casserole.”  I made a few modifications to the recipe.  Since it was originally from Weight Watchers, a lot of the ingredients listed were the low fat variety.  I did not want to sacrifice the flavor and used the regular versions of items like sour cream and cheese.  You can make the casserole a lot lighter and healthier by using extra lean ground beef and low fat dairy ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup onion, chopped (you already know we eliminated these guys)

1/4 cup canned jalapeno slices, chopped (I just used the Old El Paso jar variety and did not bother chopping them)

2 cups fresh tomatoes, or 1 (15 oz) can Rotel

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

cayenne pepper

8 small corn tortillas (I used closer to 20!)

sour cream

1 package cheddar cheese, grated

fresh cilantro

Pam cooking spray

Directions:

1. First, brown the meat in a skillet and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. While the meat is cooking, prepare your casserole dish.  Grease the dish or pan with Pam or a greasing agent of your choosing.  Line the bottom with the first layer of corn tortillas.  I cut mine into fourths.  Set the casserole aside.
3. Grate your cheddar cheese and leave it out for topping your meat mixture.
4. When the meat is ready, add the tomatoes, corn, jalapenos, and black beans to the ground meat.  Watch your skillet come to life with a fiesta of color!
5. Stir in the taco seasoning and cayenne pepper (cayenne pepper is optional,          Michael and I like spice, so I added a nice amount to our skillet).
6. Next, put a lid on the pan and allow all the spices and flavors to do their magic for a few minutes.
7. Once everything is bubbling nicely and looks well blended, it’s time to assemble your casserole.
8. Spoon half of the meat and veggie mixture onto the corn tortillas.  Sprinkle with a little bit of the grated cheese.
9. Add the rest of your corn tortilla pieces to form the base of the second layer, and repeat step 8 minus adding cheese.  Save the rest of the cheese to add to your top layer before the last 5 minutes of baking.
10. Place the casserole in your oven and bake for about 25 minutes.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top for the last 5 minutes.
11. Enjoy your Tex-Mex casserole with fresh cilantro and sour cream!