In our home, we are all about comfort food. And when cool weather rolls around, Erik brings out his satisfying beef enchilada casserole. It is a dish that he has been whipping up for our family for years and is really quite simple to prepare. This is a universally pleasing dish in our household that even the kids gobble up. Don’t let the photos fool you either. It looks fancy, because Erik, being the trained chef that he is, is all about presentation. Normally when we eat this, it is cut straight out of the baking dish in a square and is dribbling in all its gooey cheese-i-ness all over the plate. But for this “official” presentation, Erik used a large round, scalloped edged cookie cutter to achieve this more elegant look. He then finished it off by placing it in a roasted red pepper coulis. (Which is optional here, but quite tasty).
So really, the way you serve it just depends on the occasion. It works well for a quick, minimal fuss, weeknight dinner for your family. Or, if serving it up for weekend guests you can certainly dress it up as seen here. Either way, you are in for a comforting, delicious and satisfying meal!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 Lb.’s lean ground beef (I prefer ground round)
- salt
- pepper
- garlic granules
- 1 28oz can La Victoria Enchilada Sauce
- 1 12oz bottle La Victoria Taco Sauce
- 1 can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup
- 1 8oz package Pepper Jack cheese
- 1 8oz package Mild Cheddar cheese
- 1 Large package of corn tortillas
- 3 red bell peppers
- 2 TBLS Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in batches over high heat in heavy bottomed pot and set aside. Season each batch with a little salt, pepper and garlic as it cooks. Not too much. Just sprinkle a little over the top. Cook until most of the moisture has evaporated and the meat looks a little bit dry. When the last batch is complete return the cooked meat to the pot.
- Add the Enchilada sauce, taco sauce, and can of cream of chicken soup to the pot. Stir until it’s all well combined, bring it to a boil, and then turn off the heat.
- Next grate both packages of cheese and combine in a large bowl, set aside.
- Grab a manageable stack of the corn tortillas and cut them in half, set aside. Arrange a single layer of tortillas in the bottom of a large baking dish. (We use a large glass pyrex dish.) If you mess around with it for a while you’ll come up with a way that works. I put the straight edges against the sides of the dish and then fill in the middle. Spoon in enough of the meat mixture to cover the tortillas and sprinkle a layer of cheese over that. Add another layer of tortillas, meat mixture and cheese. If all goes well you should have enough for 3 layers ending with a layer of cheese on top.
- Bake uncovered in the oven at 375 degrees until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly. About 20-30 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it cool uncovered until you are ready to eat. It can be served immediately but if you let it cool for 15-20 minutes it will solidify a little bit and tends to be easier to serve.
- Roast the red peppers under the broiler until all sides are blackened. Place them in a bowl and cover in plastic wrap until cool enough to touch.
- Remove blackened skin, stems and seeds and place red peppers in a blender and puree till smooth. Add 2 TBLS olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt and pulse until blended.
- Serve with the casserole immediately.
This sounds amazing!! We love enchiladas in my house, so I’m sure we’d gobble this right up!! 🙂
Thank you Jocelyn. It is a staple in our home! (I love your blog by the way!)