Taco night, Mexican night, whatever you want to call it, is a popular night at my house. But there's only so many variations that can be done. This casserole provides a nice change of pace.This is one of my favorite, and more importantly easiest to make, dinners in my family's repertoire. To be honest, I don't even know if it qualifies as a casserole. I call it that because we bake it in a casserole dish. What you call it isn't really that import, it tastes amazing and that's what counts.

Here's what you'll need:

  • 13 x 9 baking/casserole dish
  • 2 lbs. of ground beef
  • 1 package taco seasoning
  • 2 - 8 oz. bags of cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
  • 2 - 14 oz. cans of enchilada sauce
  • 1 package of fajita or burrito-sized tortillas

We don't do this at our house, but you could easily customize this to your own taste by adding onion, green pepper, chopped tomatoes, green chiles, or whatever. If you decide to go that route, I suggest cooking them with the meat to soften them up a bit.

Here's what to do:

  • Preheat your over to 400-degrees, and brown the ground beef until no longer pink.
  • Once cooked through, drain the meat and mix in seasoning according to package directions
  • Spray pan with light coating of cooking oil (you don't want the bottom to burn)
  • Begin layering your ingredients in this order, tortilla shells (they will overlap), ground beef (and any vegetables), enchilada sauce, cheese.
  • Repeat the process until you've reached the top of your baking dish.
  • Bake at 400-degrees for 15 minutes, uncovered.

Generally, I will make the top layer tortilla shells, enchilada sauce, and cheese only. I didn't in the picture above thanks to poor planning on my part and not buying enough shells.

Once cooked, let it cool for a few minutes, then slice into squares and serve. I usually top mine off with sour cream, black olive, lettuce, and original Tabasco sauce. Olé!

 

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