Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Red Enchilada Casserole

I have been trying to convince my family that cheese is NOT a food group...and had very little success. I realized that many of my recipes used almost as much cheese as they did meat! So I have been going through some of our favorites and trying to de-cheese them somewhat. This wonderful casserole was one of the first on the chopping block. Funnily enough, when the fam tasted the revised edition, it earned rave reviews. So, here it is...

Red Enchilada Casserole

2 large cans of red enchilada sauce (Las Palmas is my fave)
18 corn tortillas
1 lb ground beef cooked then seasoned with:1 pkg taco seasoning
1 15 oz can of corn, drained
1 7 oz can of chopped green chilis (I like Hatch's)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
8-12 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Pour 1/4 of 1 can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Place 6 corn tortillas evenly over the sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 of the seasoned ground beef, 1/2 can of corn, 1/2 can of chilis, 1/2 can of beans, and 1/2 the cheese.Pour another 1/4 can of sauce over this. Place 6 more corn tortillas on the sauce and pour more sauce to cover the tortillas. Sprinkle the other half of the meat, corn, chilis, beans and cheese. Pour another 1/4 can of sauce, followed by 6 more corn tortillas. Pour enough sauce to cover, and sprinkle with a small amount of cheese. You may also want to garnish with olives, tomatoes, and chopped onions.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.

Originally, this recipe sported only the corn tortillas, meat, sauce and cheese. This revised way, it is healthier, more filling, and goes farther. Plus, it is WAY more interesting.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Tuna Casserole-two ways

We love Tuna Casserole, and have two ways of doing it. One way is the "oh-crap-what-am-I-going-to-make-for-dinner?" way. The other way is the "I-love-to-cook-let's-do-something-great" way. Here are both:

Tuna (oh crap, dinner!) Casserole
1 12 oz package egg noodles (or whatever pasta falls out of your pantry)
2 cans cream of chicken (or celery or mushroom) soup
2 cans of tuna
1 can (use the soup can) of milk
grated cheese (again, whatever you have. my faves are cheddar or parmesan)

Cook the pasta, stir in soup, milk, and cheese. Stir in tuna last. If you're in a huge hurry, heat and eat. If you have 20 more minutes, sprinkle something on the top (crushed potato chips, crackers, or french fried onions) and put in a 350 oven for however long you have. Then eat it.

Tuna (let's do this right) Casserole

Start a large saucepan of water with 1 Tb salt to boil. When it's boiling, add 12 oz dry egg noodles or other pasta. While the pasta is cooking, melt 2 Tbs of butter in a frying pan, add 1/2 C. chopped celery, 1/2 C. chopped onion and saute til translucent. Stir in 2 Tbs of flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 2 tsp chicken bouillion.
Quickly whisk in 2 C. milk. Stir til thick and bubbly. Add 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese and 1 tsp dillweed. Stir in 2 cans of drained tuna. Drain the pasta and add it to the tuna. Stir gently and pour into greased casserole (9x13). Melt 2 Tbs butter and pour over 1 C. of dry seasoned bread crumbs ( I like Mrs Cubbisons) stir and spread over the tuna casserole. Sprinkle 3 or 4 Tbs Parmesan cheese over the bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.