Easy Mexican Casserole

I like a good casserole every once in a while. I especially like ones that contain beans, some veggies, and a meat that can be switched out for some lean turkey breast meat. This one is a little on the indulgent side because of the cheese and tortilla chips, but it was a delicious dinner with just enough spice and a decent amount of veggies mixed in. When I make it again, I’ll add some corn to the mix and substitute some oven-browned tortillas or brown rice for the chips.

I still find it a huge challenge to come up with a good casserole photo. They never look as good as they taste, but I can assure you, this was a yummy dinner!

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground turkey (or beef
1 can Chili Beans
1 10-12 ounce bag tortilla chips, crushed
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
1 small onion, minced (optional)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
sour cream and salsa for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, brown meat and drain off fat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, onion, taco seasoning, soup and water. Simmer over medium-low heat until everything is well combined and heated through.

3. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Put down a layer of crushed tortilla chips, followed by a layer of the meat/bean mixture, then half of the cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers one more time.

4. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly. Optional: brown cheese topping under the broiler on high for 2-3 minutes.

5. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Sing for your Supper

Mexican Chicken Casserole

I bookmarked this recipe several weeks ago from Mrs. Sac’s Purple Kitchen. It looked like a recipe that could be modified easily to add different ingredients that I had on hand. I love enchiladas, but I don’t always like the assembly and the work it takes to make them. I also like poaching chicken and shredding it for recipes, so I gave this a try. This casserole came out really good, I added corn and black beans to the mix and used mostly stuff that I had in the fridge and pantry. This is a great, low cost meal that can be heated up the next day for lunch. I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients:

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided (do not include seeds/membranes or it will be HOT!)
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated skim milk (I used heavy cream from my fridge, it worked fine but isn’t as light that way)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) light cream cheese (I used light sour cream that I had on-hand, turned out great)
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 can black beans
1 ½ cups frozen corn
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips) ( I didn’t use any chips, the casserole still came out great)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350°.

2.Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once.

3.Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.

4.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken, beans, and corn; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

5.Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 1/2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture.

6.Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Creamy Chicken Casserole

This is an old standby, I used to have this all the time growing up and now I make it for my Husband and Son. It can be modified to make it more healthy, or you can add veggies, it’s a pretty versatile recipe. I am not sure where it originated, but I know the recipe by memory now. I usually serve this with either a salad or green beans.

Ingredients (feeds 4-5 people):

1½ hours | 1 hour prep



•4 skinless chicken breasts
•1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
•1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
•4 cups herb stuffing mix
•4 tablespoons melted butter
•Salt and pepper to taste

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.Boil chicken breasts in water for 25 minutes.



3.Let chicken sit until cool and then shred chicken.



4.Combine shredded chicken, salt and pepper, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup and spread evenly into a casserole dish.



5.Combine melted butter and stuffing mix in a bowl to soften the stuffing. Sometimes I will soften it even more using some broth from the boiled chicken.



6.Pour stuffing mix over chicken mixture and spread evenly.



7.Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and cook for 20 minutes.

8.Remove Aluminum foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes to make the topping crispy.

9. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!