Mexican Casserole

Cheap and yummy south of the border inspired casserole!

Posted by Hypergraphia

About

The original version of this recipe is from Joanne Fluke's "Carrot Cake Mystery." She writes a mystery series with the recipes of what everyone makes, and they are reeeeally good!

Only drawback for the original is that it has a whole stick of butter, 32 oz of cheese, and fritos. Yummy, but fattening. I've been craving this bad boy for a while, so I decided to try to lighten it up. I've cut the butter in half, only put in 8 oz of cheese, and replaced the fritos with Organic Blue Corn Tortilla chips. I also added the refried beans for a little fiber and protein (I was all out of pinto and black beans, so had to settle for the refried ones) and added an extra bell pepper. Adding corn might taste pretty good, but I've never done it ;)

This dish is great for potlucks, as it is pretty cheap and easy to make. The majority of the 2 hours cook time is spent in the oven :) Also, the original recipe calls for diced chicken to be added in the first round of mixing, so if you like chicken, you can add that :)

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You Will Need (4 things)

  • Organic Blue Corn Chips
  • 2 Green Bell Pepper
  • Pinto, black, or refried Beans
  • 2 Taco Seasonings

Steps (10 steps, 120 minutes)

  1. 1

    Gather all of your ingredients
    (Forgot the olives, whoops!)

  2. 2

    Add the diced green chilies, HALF of the cheese (save the rest for later), the tomatoes, onion, olives, bell peppers, UNCOOKED white rice, and refried beans to your dish.

  3. 3

    Mix it up. Either use a utensil or wash your hands really well and smoosh it around with your hands (I find the second option easier and less messy)

  4. 4

    CAREFULLY add the vegetable broth and seasoning. As you can see, mine is riiiight to the lip of the dish.

  5. 5

    Mix it up again. Try to make sure the rice doesn't all sink to the bottom. Again, either use a utensil or your thoroughly washed hands. Be careful, since the dish is really full now!

  6. 6

    Cut the 1/2 stick of butter into 8 or so pieces and gently push them into the surface of the casserole.

  7. 7

    Cover the top with foil. I also suggest that you line a baking sheet with foil and place the casserole dish on top, just in case of any leaking!

  8. 8

    Pop the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees for 90 minutes

  9. 9

    Remove from oven, DO NOT TURN IT OFF!

    Remove the tin foil and cover the top of the casserole with the blue corn chips and the remaining cheese. Pop the UNCOVERED casserole into the over for 10 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

  10. 10

    Remove from oven (turn it off this time) and let it sit for 10 minutes to gel. Then just cut squares out and serve! Have some sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and chips on the side. This also tastes really good with margaritas!