Enchilada Casserole

I love Mexican food, and could easily eat it once a week (okay, daily, if you must know). And while this dish is hardly what one would call good, traditional Mexican food, it is a delicious combination of ingredients that yields a wonderful Americanized Mexican casserole that is tasty, crowd-pleasing comfort food. Feel free to put your own spin on things if you like, that's the beauty of a casserole. The corn can be replaced with the spicier Mexicorn. The heat can be elevated with the addition of sliced jalapeños. For extra cheesiness, layer it in between the beans and meat mixture. I don't think I ever make this dish the same way twice, and yet it is always delicious.

Enchilada Casserole

1 pound ground chuck
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 16-ounce can refried beans
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
1 package taco seasoning
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
4 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Toppings:
Sour Cream
Chopped cilantro
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Chopped scallions
Crumbled tortilla chips or Fritos 

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spray a 9" x 9" glass dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside

Cut tortillas in half. Place four tortilla halves into the bottom of the dish, cut sides of the tortillas against the edges of the pan, overlapping the round edges in the middle. Set aside.

In a 10" sauté pan over medium high heat brown the meat and onion until the meat is done and the onion translucent. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and then return to pan.

Stir in the enchilada sauce, taco seasoning, and diced green chilies, mixing well, and warm through.

While the meat mixture is warming, spread half of the refried beans over the tortillas. Top with half of the meat mixture.  Spread corn on top of the meat mixture.

Place the remaining four tortilla halves over the top of the corn.  Spread with the remaining refried beans, remaining meat mixture, and top with the black olives.

Top with cheese.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until heated through and the cheese is hot and bubbly. Serve immediately with the toppings of your choice. 

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