What's for Dinner? Our Favorite Enchilada Casserole

Enchiladas. I looooooooove me some enchiladas. Every time I go to a Mexican restaurant I order the cheese enchilada plate. I know, I know, how boring and unadventurous. What can I say? I love enchiladas! When I'm at home, however, I don't want to be standing over a hot stove dunking hot tortillas in oil and sauce, tediously rolling them up while trying to keep the filling inside and the tortillas from breaking and MY SANITY FORM FLYING OUT THE WINDOW! (deep breaths) So, I make Our Favorite Enchilada Casserole instead.

Our Favorite Enchilada Casserole is how I do enchiladas at my house.

This casserole is cheesy and meaty and jam-packed with flavor. It's everything I love about enchiladas, without all the fuss.





The key to this casserole is lots and lots o' sauce. (I also have a couple of secret ingredients that add loads of flavor. More on that in a bit.) I learned the hard way, over years and years of enchilada casserole making, that too little sauce will leave your casserole high and dry. So, I use a whole 28 ounces.



I also cut my tortillas in half so there's less tortilla overlap. I'm trying to avoid sauceless cheeseless layers of corn tortilla that heighten the dryness factor.

Okay, so, my secret ingredients. First, I use a packet of taco seasoning to season my ground beef. I'm going for layers of flavor with this dish. Btw, I don't follow the instructions on the packet. I sprinkle it right over the beef like I would sprinkle on salt and pepper. The beef gets coated with flavor. So delish. Second, I add Cotija along with Monterey Jack to each cheesy layer. Cotija is a salty Mexican cheese packed with flavor. Can you tell I like flavor - and salt? 😉

I start the process by lightly spraying a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with oil and laying down a layer of sauce. Then, a layer of corn tortillas goes down with more sauce on top of that to completely cover the tortillas. I add plenty of Monterey Jack and Cotija, and then a sprinkling of meaty beefy goodness. Then, I repeat the layers two more times ending with a final layer of corn tortillas, over which I pour all the rest of the sauce and a final topping of cheese.




After 35 to 45 minutes in the oven, my bubbly, melty, flavor-packed casserole is ready for a sprinkling of green onions. I serve this casserole with sour cream and a great big smile.

Our Favorite Enchilada Casserole

INGREDIENTS
olive oil spray
1 lb ground beef
1 1.25 oz packet taco seasoning
About 20 corn tortillas, cut in half
28 oz enchilada sauce
5 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Cotija cheese
1/3 cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS
1. Spray a medium skillet with oil spray and heat over medium high heat.
2. Add ground beef, sprinkle with taco seasoning, and brown. Drain any excess grease.
3. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Lay down a layer of sauce.
4. Lay down a layer of tortillas being careful not to overlap them too much. Completely cover the tortilla layer with sauce.
5. Sprinkle on a healthy cup of Monterey Jack and a healthy 1/3 cup of Cotija.
7. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the taco meat.
8. Repeat the layers two more times.
9. Cover with a final layer of corn tortillas, all the rest of the sauce (even if it seems like too much), and the rest of the cheese.
10. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until bubbly and brown.
11. Sprinkle with green onions.