Chapter 2 page 271 - dinner, anyone?

Thanks to everyone who has been encouraging me about my diet - especially Holly @ Rustbeltrunner. 

How often do you ask "what are we going to have for dinner?"  How often are you completely stumped?  Well - it's a daily occurrence in our household.  So, last night when "C" was telling me about what she has made recently - I knew exactly what was going to be served at the Wells L household tonight - Quesadilla Casserole.

 Step 1:  Buy this thing in the spice aisle. 

The beauty of this product is that the recipe card complete with ingredients, directions, nutrition information, and a photo of the dish are all included:

2.  Gather (or buy) the rest of the ingredients

 2 cans of tomato sauce
1 small can diced chiles
1 can sweet corn (undrained)
1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 tortilla sheels
1 pound hamburger ( used ground round)
2 cups shredded cheddar (I used 2%)



Step 3:  Brown hamburger with the onion.  Then add the canned ingredients, stir, add 5 of the spices from the card, stir, bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes.


 

Step 4:  Chase your puppy around the house after you discover she stole the recipe card and has taken it hostage in a desperate attempt to gain your attention.









Step 5:  With recipe securely back in your possession, assemble the casserole.   
A.  Start with spreading 1/2 cup of the hamburger mixture on the bottom of a sprayed 9X13 pan (ANYONE KNOW WHY YOU HAVE TO DO THIS - IT'S SUCH A LITTLE AMOUNT - IT MAKES NO SENSE TO THIS ROOKIE CHEF)

B.  Place 3 (I used 2) tortillas - overlap them.

C.  Spread half of the hamburger mixture on top of the tortillas.

D.  Top with a cup of shredded cheese.

E.  Layer 3 (again, I used 2) tortillas 

F.  Layer the rest of the hamburger mixture on top of the tortillas and top with remaining cheese.

G.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

H.  Serve it up and enjoy

When I make it the next time, I think these are some of the things I will do differently:
1.  Top it with salsa, shredded lettuce, sliced olives, and a dollop of sour cream.
2.  Serve it with tortilla chips (I served it with corn bread and spanish rice - the rice was a nice touch and could easily be added into the casserole as another layer. 
3.  Use the Mexican variety of shredded cheese rather than just plain cheddar.

What's your easy peasy "go to" recipe?