Enchilada Casserole

To start off, I just want to say of the dozen or so things I've made so far for this blog, this is by far my husband's favorite dish.  It's not super healthy, although I don't think it's terrible for you and it's gluten free if you use corn tortillas.  It's basically a Mexican lasagne with tortillas instead of noodles.  I didn't make this recipe exactly right, I definitely took some liberties, but it turned out delicious.  A few days after I made it, my husband made an entire second casserole, but he used the leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken. That, by the way, turned out great too.

Here's the original pin:

Chicken & Black Bean Casserole

I forgot to take a picture of it cooked.  It was just too delicious.

This recipe is pretty easy and quite adaptable. I didn't have the cumin, coriander or garlic powder so I used red chili pepper and onion powder.  Also, didn't bother to buy fresh cilantro, I just used dried.  This recipe is plenty flavorful, so no harm done.  You start by cooking the chicken with a little oil and the dried seasoning, then pull it apart. I had my husband buy the groceries for this recipe and he couldn't find diced peppers so he bought a second can of enchilada sauce, which ended up being just fine.  The second can was medium rather than mild, so it gave it a little punch while keping it edible, even for Nugget.  Apparently, you're not supposed to mix in the enchilada sauce in with the other ingredients, but I did and it was fine.  I combined the chicken with the beans and sauce.  Then begin layering in a casserole dish like you would a lasagne... sauce, sour cream, cheese, tortillas... repeat. I also didn't reserve any cheese for the end, I just pulled off the tin foil a few minutes before the cooking time was up.

                 

Like I said, this has been my husband's favorite Pin I've done by far, and I thought it was great too.  Spicy but not too spicy, and I do love a good casserole.  There are tons of changes you can make to adapt to your taste: change the cheese, level of spiciness, beans, meat (the turkey version was delicious too).

Cost: Fairly reasonable for a full meal for a family plus freezer leftovers.

Time: Not long.  You could certainly prepare it the day before and pop it in the oven after a long day at work or just do it day of, it's maybe only 20 minutes of prep.

Difficulty: Very easy, very tasty... a perfect combination.

Aesthetic Appeal: Doesn't really matter.  Anytime cheese is bubbling on top of a meal, it's a good thing.

Life Enhancement: It certainly enhanced my husband's life.  It would be a nice casserole to bring a sick friend or someone who just had a baby, so that's nice too.