Shani's Favorite
Shani's Favorite Ready to Eat!
The Idea for Shani's Favorite
I was a single mom and always looking for easy, filling, and tasty (read, foods they would actually eat!) meals to feed my kids.
One of their more popular choices at meal time was burritos - great, I love them, too, but sometimes I just didn't have time for all the prepping. I started making this casserole when my kids were still quite young. It ended up being called after my oldest daughter who requested it quite often.
I still make this for my husband and myself and I am happy to say, my son, who loves to cook as much as I do, is now preparing this dish for his family.
Hope you try ... and like it!
Right Out of the Oven
Cook Time
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ready in: 50 min
Yields: 4 - 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 package flour or corn tortillas, whichever you prefer
- 1 pound ground beef (or ½ beef & ½ bulk sausage), browned
- 1 16 ounce can refried beans
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (if you have them)
- ½ cup cooked rice, optional (if I have it leftover, I use it)
- 1 16 ounce can olives, drained - optional
- 1 small can corn, drained - optional
- ½ teaspoon each chili powder, ground cumin, pepper
- ¼ teaspoons each paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried cilantro, red pepper flakes, onion powder, sea salt
- OR
- 1 package Taco seasoning
- 1 10 - 14 ounce can enchilada sauce, heat level to your liking
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Start to Finish
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9 inch square or 9 by 13 inch baking pan. (The size you use will affect the number of tortillas you need.)
- Brown ground beef (or beef and sausage mixture) until no longer pink. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are beginning to soften.
- Add refried beans and heat through. Remove from heat.
- Add tomatoes, olives, and corn (you can also add other vegetables - spinach is a lovely addition!). Combine well.
- Line your baking pan with tortillas, making sure they go up the sides.
- Add your meat and veg mixture to the pan, sprinkle ¾ of the cheese on top, and cover with additional tortillas,
- Top with enchilada sauce and the remainder of the cheese.
- Cook for 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Garnish each serving with your choice: avocado, sour cream, salsa, pico de gallo, lettuce, tomato ... be creative!
- Enjoy!
