Quesadilla Casserole

Normally, I am wary of any dish with the word "casserole" in the title. I don't know why. I don't associate it with anything particularly negative. Maybe it's the actual word itself. It's not a great word. "Casserole". "Casserole". "Casserole." Say it over and over again, and you might choke on it.

Okay, I don't want any negative connotation involving this dish. It was undeniably delicious; I just wish it didn't have the word "casserole" on it. Let's think of it as a lasagna, okay? Quesadilla Lasagna.

The recipe once again comes from the fine folks at McCormick and their lovely little spice packets. I mentioned the McCormick Recipe Inspirations on the Chicken Tikka Masala blog, but if you don't feel like clicking over there, I'll reiterate. 

McCormick Recipe Inspirations are little packets of spices that come with a recipe for you to use those spices in. They look like this:

and they can be found in your supermarket's spice aisle. The recipes are on the back of the packets. They list not only the spices that are included in the pack, but any other ingredients you will need to complete the dish, and are detachable so you can reuse them again and again.The recipes are easy to follow and they help beginner cooks get acquainted with their spices.

Apparently my area is supposed to get hit with snow sometime this week so I did a major, major grocery shop yesterday. I have dinners planned out for the week, two of which are left-over friendly. This is one of them. There was plenty Quesadilla Lasagna to go around, and eating it kind of eased the pain of watching the Jets go into a tailspin last night.

QUESADILLA CASSEROLE (or Lasagna), courtesy of McCormick Recipe Inspirations
YOU WILL NEED:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (8oz each) tomato sauce
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 3/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 (4.5oz) can chopped green chiles, undrained
6 flour tortillas, 8" in diameter
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp chili powder*
1 tsp ground cumin*
1 tsp minced garlic*
1/2 tsp oregano leaves*
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper*

*included in spice packet

Mise-en-Place

You will also need a 13x9 baking dish and a large skillet. Also, as you can see, I did not use plain flour tortillas. I found these in my supermarket; they're jalapeno and cilantro-flavored tortillas. I thought it would add a nice flavor to the dish and make it a little interesting. They were slightly green, as expected, but once they were cooked into the dish it didn't matter.

On the side I made Spanish rice (arroz amarillo); I don't know why I included it in the mise-en-place.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown the beef and onion in a large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn, and green chiles. Mix well. Stir in all the spices except crushed red pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 5 minutes. Add red pepper to taste, if desired.

2. Spread 1/2 cup of beef mixture onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish that's been sprayed with no-stick cooking spray (NOTE: I discovered that a 1/2 cup was not enough beef to cover the entire bottom of the baking dish. I ended up using 2 cups for each layer). Top with 3 tortillas, overlapping as needed.

3. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef mixture and cheese.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lovely! It came out just as good as I had hoped. I was worried about the tortillas, that they would come out too chewy, but no - they were soft and easy to cut through with the side of a fork. The cheese was perfectly melted and the beef was spiced well. Also, it wasn't until after I had put the dish in the oven that I realized I didn't add in the crushed red pepper! I was slightly disappointed, but the spice was optional and it couldn't have tasted any better than if I had added it. So, I opened the packet and emptied it into my bigger bottle of crushed red pepper. No waste! 

Okay, so I know my Jersey peeps are bummed about the Jets, but there's always next year, right? There's always next year. Everyone else - enjoy the Superbowl, no matter who you're rooting for. I'm looking forward to only one thing: the first episode of part 2, season 2 of "Glee", which airs directly after the game! =)

Yes, I am fully aware as to how lame I am. 

This week I have two new recipes I am trying out: herb oven-fried chicken and slow-cooker Parmesan-and-sage pork. Apparently we're in for more snow, so this is sure to keep our tummies warm.

Stay safe out there! <3