Beef enchilada casserole

Sorry for the unplanned hiatus this week, folks. I have no excuse really. The election gets me all sorts of wound up and I can think of nothing but articles on the economy, what each candidate will do for the country, and watching election coverage until my eyeballs pop out. Yeah, I'm one of those people. I'm the passionate, opinionated, loudmouth chick that posts political articles and arguments all over my facebook page and will argue debate anyone with differing opinions than my own. It's tiring. And I'm sure my friends are happy the election is over.

Anywho...there was no room in my head to write witty blog posts while I was coming up with witty arguments for or against the candidates. Sooooo, you had to wait a couple days for this...

This is good stuff. This was a wonderful accident. This was a lazy attempt at making something mexican themed with what I had in my house so I wouldn't have to run to the store. This was what I brought to the table to serve my three most pickiest girlfriends when visiting the Anthony household to meet their new little bundle of love muffin, Ava Marie. And this turned out to be a hit.

2 lbs hamburger (or ground turkey)
2 (15 oz) cans mild enchilada sauce
1 can corn, drained
2 bags Spanish rice (microwave bags...see here)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
6 large tortillas
3 cups mexican cheese (I used 2%)

Brown the hamburger in a large skillet. Once brown, drain and add back to skillet. Add corn and tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Add rice and enchilada sauce until warm throughout. Set mixture aside.

Layer two ripped up tortillas in a 9x13 casserole dish (sprayed with nonstick Pam) and then top it with 1/3 of the beef mixture. Layer two more ripped up tortillas on top of that, top with one cup of cheese. Layer 1/3 more of the beef mixture on top of that, top with last two tortillas and one cup of cheese. Layer the last 1/3 of the beef mixture, cover with the last two tortillas, and top with the last cup of cheese.

 

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees if cooking immediately. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes of bake time. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or whatever other toppings you enjoy.

Nothing too spicy for the new, breastfeeding mama. Nothing with too much taste for Brandy and Cynthia, who have very sensitive palates. But still enough for me to give an audible (and surprised since I knew there was a lack of seasoning) MMMMMMMMM after my first bite. It was filling too. That's a checkmark in every column, people....easy, filling, fast, uses pantry staples, yummy. Can't even come up with a criteria that this doesn't fit.

This would freeze wonderfully too, in fact, that was my original intention. I also brought Mama Anthony a couple freezer meals that have been tested my other mommies and approved. The smothered pork chops is one of my go-to recipes (and one of my first blog posts, don't judge the photos), and the baked tortelini is a standard easy freezer meal so I went with those. They are both simple, don't require too many ingredients, reheat easily, and don't have too much spice for nursing mommies so they are perfect for new baby meals.

Welp...I shall leave you with the best pictures of the post...a little mama love for munchkin Ava. She is the smallest baby I've ever held, and literally feels like you're holding a doll! Have a great Thursday, people!