Guess What Was For Dinner

I couldn't find a picture to do it justice: you get limes and cilantro instead.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole! ahem. I made the recipe myself.

Sauce:

1 big can of red enchilada sauce (green's okay, but I like the red for this)

1 pinch of garlic powder

1/4 tsp of cumin

(optional) A packet of hot sauce from a taco joint. I used a DelTaco "inferno" packet.

Open the can and stir the spices right into it before dumping it out. 

Chicken:

2 cups-ish of cooked chicken, which you then soak in lime or lemon juice. 

I use diced chicken, but anything will work. Put chicken in a bowl, pour juice over it, and stir it every so often so it's evenly coated.The longer it soaks the better--try to let the juice absorb.

Filling:

3 1/2 cups-ish of corn tortillas chopped into squares. (2.5" of stacked tortillas)

1 frozen bag of corn 

1 can (drained) black beans

1 can of diced green chilies

1 can of diced tomatoes

Mix in whatever you want-- I don't always add the tomatoes, and once I added black olives and onions. Whatever. Add red pepper flakes for more spice if you don't have kids who need mellow food. :)

Mix it all together in a big bowl. Spread the goopy goodness into a casserole dish, two square pans, 13x9" pan, or larger pan if you've got it.  If I use a 13x9 I have to put extra-overflow in a bread pan (that I often freeze and make another time). You can put it all in a 13x9-- it'll just have to cook longer. 

Once it's in the pan, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese blend) over the top, making sure everything is mostly covered. Toppings protect casseroles from drying out in a super-hot oven, which incidentally is why every casserole has to have a topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and goopy goodness is bubbly. Garnish with cilantro-- oooh, it's good stuff-- and the green rounds out the color palette to make it look extra tasty. I recommend serving it with pineapple and a veggie, but meh.