In every parent's life, there are those days when supper isn't prepared or planned out and the only meat on hand that's easy to thaw is ground beef. One reason I encourage keeping your pantry stocked with staples is because you can always come up with ingredients to make a meal. Whether it be comfort food such as soups or stews, cheesy, cream of soups for any casserole, or Hispanic dishes. Let me share with you how I made this delicious beef enchilada bake the other night, when I found myself planning supper later than expected. I had already laid out a package of ground beef beforehand but had no idea what to do with it. I didn't follow a recipe, I used what I had and made it work! That's the joy of cooking.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef 12 small corn tortillas 1 can red enchilada sauce 1 can green chilies 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese Taco sauce 1 can refried beans Dano's taco seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder - to taste Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Brown the ground beef and strain the grease. Add back to the skillet, add the green chilies, and season with taco seasoning, garlic and onion powder, add two tablespoons of water and let simmer while you prepare the beans. In a small sauce pan, add the beans and cover with taco sauce. When it begins to heat up, add a splash of milk to help break them up and make it easier to stir and make them creamy for convenient spreading. Remove the meat and beans from the heat and set aside to assemble. In a shallow dish, pour in the enchilada sauce. You will need a square baking dish.
Now, you have your building station - shallow dish of sauce, corn tortillas, taco seasoned meat, cheese, and beans. For the bottom layer, dip a corn tortilla in the sauce on both sides and lay in the dish. The bottom layer will be four tortillas, making a square covering the bottom of the baking dish. Spread half of the beans over the tortillas, then half of the meat, and then a third of the cheese. Repeat these layers another time. The top layer will be tortillas in the sauce, more cheese, and pour taco sauce all over the very top.
Bake at 35 for about 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with toppings of your choice! Sour cream, green onions, pickled jalapenos, cilantro, or pico!
ENJOY!
