Mexican Casserole

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration held on May 5 to commemorate the Mexican Army’s unlikely victory over French forces in 1862 during the Battle of Puebla. The holiday has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture and the delicious food.

Here’s a simple yet scrumptious dish to make – a Mexican “lasagna” of sorts. But the recipe doesn’t use pasta; flour tortillas are used instead! Also, it’s layered with cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese and sour cream instead of mozzarella and ricotta, and chunky salsa instead of tomato sauce.

Great for parties and a Cinco de Mayo celebration, this Mexican lasagna will be sure to wow your family or guests.

Cinco de Mayo Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 packet Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix

8-10 Old El Paso flour tortillas

1 cup sour cream

1 can diced tomatoes (you can find one made for chili)

1 red onion, chopped

10 mushrooms, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cup black beans (optional)

2 cups shredded cheese blend (cheddar, Monterrey Jack)

Juice of ½ lime

½ cup chopped cilantro, some to top

2 tablespoons Old El Paso salsa

Method

On medium heat, cook and crumble ground beef until no longer pink. Add in taco seasoning, onion, mushrooms, pepper until soft. Add cilantro and lime juice. Add beans if desired. Add a little water if too dry.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the two tablespoons of salsa along the bottom of a 9×12 inch roasting pan or casserole dish.

Line the bottom with tortillas. Add beef taco mix. Spoon some of the sour cream over beef and spread. Sprinkle some of the cheese mix.

Continue until you are done with all the layers. Cover with lid or tin foil. Bake for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Then slice and serve.

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This post is proudly sponsored by Old El Paso and Life Made Delicious.

Doesn’t it feel crazy that it’s November already? We’re weeks into a new school year, and a new hockey season, which means that our weekday schedules are jam packed with activity. Despite our hectic calendars, we are pretty good about making time to sit down together for dinners.

A great solution to our weeknight dinner woes is casseroles. A casserole is comfort food at its best; a simple, crowd pleasing meal that only requires one pan – with a little easy prep ahead of time.

When you don’t have time to make dinner every night of the week, a make-ahead casserole recipe is just the solution to a delicious, homemade dinner.

It’s always a good idea to have several food staples in your pantry, including Old El Paso Soft Bowl Tortillas, Old El Paso Thick N’ Chunky Salsa Mild, and Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix. Knowing you have these on hand for when the mood for Mexican strikes – which is often! – can be super convenient.

Also, have fresh ingredients in your fridge, including sour cream, salsa, lime, cilantro, and hard cheese like cheddar, Monterey Jack, or authentic Mexican cheeses like Asadero, or Oaxaca.

A hearty Mexican Casserole is versatile because you can stuff the deliciousness in your choice of Old El Paso Soft Bowl Tortillas, Old El Paso Crunchy Taco Shells, or Old El Paso Flour Tortillas.

You can all gather around the table, and make your own dinner using the Mexican Casserole as the base. A Mexican style dinner wouldn’t be the same without extra salsa, sour cream, avocado and other toppings on the side for a fun, interactive meal with friends and family!

Here’s my recipe for Mexican Casserole, which is packed with hearty beef, beans and veggies as well as other surprises inside!

Ingredients

300 grams rice

1 cup chicken stock

1 lb ground beef

1 red pepper, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

1 package Old El Paso™ Taco Seasoning Mix.

1 cup sour cream

1 can pinto beans (or beans of your choice)

1 cup Old El Paso Mild Chunky Salsa

1 ½ cup cheese (cheddar, Monterrey Jack or cheese or your choice)

Method

In a pot, boil rice with chicken stock and added water until almost cooked. Remove from burner.

In the meantime, in a separate cast iron or frying pan, cook the ground beef until pink is almost gone. Add the onions, garlic, carrot, pepper and cook until soft. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and taco seasoning. Remove from heat.

In a roasting pan, mix rice together with beef mixture. Add the beans, sour cream, salsa, 1 cup of the cheese, and stir together.

Scoop into a casserole pan, and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the top with remaining ½ cup cheese.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until top is bubbly. Serve with Old El Paso Soft Bowl Tortillas.

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Old El Paso and as such receive perks and compensation for my participation. As always, the opinions expressed herein are my own.