On the menu tonight... Enchilada Casserole

This casserole I created years ago was born out of necessity mainly due to the fact that I wanted enchiladas one night but it was too much work with all of the rolling of tortillas and major assembling of ingredients. I streamlined the process by using all my favorite enchilada components and just layering them in a deep oven proof bowl or baking dish and putting them in the oven to bake. I'm going to share this recipe with you and I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as I do. Twenty minutes prep time and forty minutes in the oven and you're ready to eat. Here we go! Follow the bouncing ball and play along...

List of ingredients:

3 lbs. ground beef of your choice
1 28 oz. can Las Palmas Mild Red Enchilada Sauce ( or whatever brand you have)
1 dozen regular size corn tortillas
1 small bunch green onions
1 15 oz. can whole large black olives
3 cups (as needed) grated cheddar cheese ( really, whatever you like)
1 ripe avocado
Spices for the beef: cumin, garlic powder, chili powder and salt n pepper.
(the spices are arbitrary at best. You can use whatever you like and whatever you have in your pantry. Even if it's just salt n pepper as most of the seasoning comes from the can of sauce anyway. Be bold!)

Preparation:

Coarsely chop the olives and green onions and reserve in seperate bowls.
Grate your cheese and set aside.
Peel and slice your avocado and set aside.
Saute your ground beef with your added seasonings in a skillet until fully cooked. Drain beef if needed. Extra liquid in the casserole will make it soupy.

Assembly:

You are going to make 3 layers in this casserole. Take off the lid on the sauce can and spoon a couple of tbs of sauce into the bottom of the baking dish to moisten. Lay down some corn tortillas to cover, overlapping where necessary. Spoon some sauce to cover the tortillas and add a layer of ground beef. On top of the beef you'll sprinkle a third of the green onions and a third of the olives and on top of that a third of the grated cheese. Liberally spoon some sauce onto the beef layer through the cheese. Cover the cheese with another layer of tortillas and repeat two more layers the same way. ( Note: on the second layer, add the slices of avocado for a creamy surprise in the middle). When you are finished assembling the casserole you may want to add a bit more grated cheese for the top. Again, liberally spoon the sauce over the top and put it in a preheated 350 degree oven for around 40 minutes. When it's done it should be hot and bubbly around the sides. Let it sit for 10 minutes to cool and it will cut better for you when you serve. It also makes fantastic leftovers! Any leftover sauce can be saved or frozen for later use. One more thing... The sauce will pool in the bottom of your baking dish once it is cooked so spoon some of the mixture over the top of each serving and dollop with a touch of sour cream. Delicious!

So there it is... A pretty basic casserole that yields a ton of big flavor.
I hope you enjoy this meal and you can send me a message if you have any questions that I can help you with. Enjoy!
Caseman