Tortilla Casserole

(Serves 4-6 )

My husband is a bulk buyer. Yep, always checking the per unit price and buying the largest packages of anything and everything. While this is helpful to ensure we have enough laundry soap on hand, it often results in more food than we can reasonably consume before the it goes bad. I love him dearly, but this bulk buying often drives me crazy.

Recently, I asked him to pick up a package of corn tortillas while he was out for the enchiladas I was making for dinner. He returned with a package of 80, yes 80, tortillas! I needed 8 for my enchiladas. What was I to do with 72 extra tortillas??? I’ve made enchiladas, tostadas, tortilla soup, etc. but still had more tortillas. After a couple of versions of tortilla casserole, this one was our favorite. This recipe is delicious, but also uses 12 tortillas at a time so the giant bag of tortillas is almost gone!

This is also a good recipe that young children can help with. My son likes to help, but is still a bit young to safely and effectively use a knife. For this, he can use his little scissors and cut the tortilla strips and green onions. The tortilla strips don’t need to be perfectly uniform; the final dish turns out the same. He was so happy to help and contribute, he ate his whole bowl.

You Will Need:

• 12 Corn tortillas
• 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped (leftovers or rotisserie)
• 2 15-ounce cans ranch style pinto beans
• 2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper, any color
• 3 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Cilantro, for serving
• Green onions, for serving

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop the onion and garlic. Seed and chop the bell pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
• While the onion and pepper cook, chop the chicken and set aside. Cut tortillas into strips, about ¾ – 1” wide. Set aside. Note – any other shape will work for the tortillas, triangles, squares, etc.
• Add the beans (including the liquid), tomato sauce, chicken stock and cream to the pan. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add half the cheese to the pan and stir until melted.
• Once the cheese is melted, add the chicken and tortillas to the pan and stir to combine. Add a splash more chicken stock if the mixture is too dry.
• Pour the mixture into a 9×13” pan and top with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
• Serve, topped with fresh cilantro and green onions.