Best Corn Tortilla Casserole Inspired By Zaar Chefs Recipes

DOUBLE CORN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Grease a 2-quart square baking dish.
• Tear tortillas into bite-size pieces (pizza cutter works well).
• Arrange HALF the tortillas in the baking dish.
• Top with HALF of the cheese, HALF of the corn, HALF of the green onions.
• Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, cheese, corn and onions.
• Stir together eggs buttermilk, and green chilies.
• Gently pour over tortilla mixture.
• Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Serve warm with salsa or picante sauce.

CORN TORTILLA CASSEROLE INSPIRED BY ZAAR CHEFS

Steps:

• Note for Canadians: I used the following to prepare this dish: 1 796-mL tin of tomatoes, 1 398-mL tin of refried beans and 1 430-mL jar of picante sauce.
• Also, the cheese I used was a prepackaged shredded mix called"Casserole Mix"; it's a mixture of cheddar, colby and monterey jack.
• Feel free to spice this up as you please; I deliberately kept this lowkey and mild to please my husband, who would not have liked it if I had added the"firepower" I would have liked to add; also note that the omission of salt is not an error--I didn't think the recipe needed salt at all.
• Preheat oven to 325F; have ready an ungreased 13x9 pan.
• Take 1 tortilla, lightly spread a bit of margarine on both sides (going right to the edges), and place on a microwave-safe plate; I used a small piece of wax paper wadded up into a ball to do the spreading.
• Place the next tortilla on top, lightly spread margarine on it (on the top side only), get the next tortilla, repeat process, and so on and so on, until you have a stack of 18 tortillas; this may take more than the 2 tbsp of margarine, depending on how thinly you've spread it.
• Place plate in microwave and cook, on High, for 5 minutes; when time is up, set tortillas aside.
• Meanwhile, crumble beef into a large skillet and saute.
• When brown, place beef in a mixing bowl, discarding any fat.
• Stir chili powder into beef, then add 1 cup shredded cheese and the tin of tomatoes; combine well.
• Place 6 corn tortillas into the bottom of 13x9 pan; top with half the ground beef mixture.
• Place 6 tortillas on top of beef.
• Spread the refried beans across these 6 tortillas, distributing as evenly as possible.
• Top refried beans with remaining beef mixture.
• Place the last 6 tortillas on top of beef mixture.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the entire jar of picante sauce with the sour cream.
• Spread this mixture across the top of casserole, making sure to cover all exposed areas of the corn tortillas.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of casserole.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
• Serve with sour cream on the side, if you wish, and a green salad.

ZUCCHINI-TORTILLA CASSEROLE (PASTEL AZTECA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large heavy saute pan, add enough oil to come 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil on medium-high heat. When hot, work in batches and quickly fry the tortillas for about 10 seconds on each side (they should still be pliable). Remove the tortillas from the heat and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
• In a medium saute pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and add the garlic and onion. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree. Cook for 10 minutes and turn the heat off.
• In a separate large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the zucchini and corn. Cook for 2 minutes, and then add the chopped poblano chiles. Add 1/2 cup water to the mixture and cook for 4 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bottom with about 4 tortillas. Add 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture on top of the tortillas. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the zucchini mixture. Add 1 cup of the cheese. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of Mexican crema. Sprinkle the first layer with some salt and pepper. Start on the second layer with the tortillas, then the tomato, zucchini, cheese and Mexican crema. Again sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Repeat for a third time, to finish off a third layer. Place the casserole into the oven until the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

MEXICAN TORTILLA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic, stir and cook for a minute or two to soften the onion. Add 2 teaspoons of the chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the paprika and 1 teaspoon of the cumin. Stir and cook the mixture for another minute or two to release the flavors of the spices. Remove the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chicken along with the remaining 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute the chicken until it's deep golden brown and done in the middle, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and stir to make a sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until it's reduced by half, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the beans and set aside.
• To assemble the casserole, pour half a jar (about 1 cup) of salsa verde into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish or disposable foil baking pan. Add a layer of half the tortillas on top of the salsa verde, overlapping the edges. Spoon the rice over the tortillas, spread the tomato mixture over the rice, then sprinkle the corn over the tomatoes. Next, add the chicken and bean mixture, then sprinkle on half the cheese and pour over half the enchilada sauce. Next, add the rest of the tortillas, then pour on the rest of the salsa verde and the rest of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
• If you're baking the casserole right away, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and cilantro.
• Find this recipe and more in Ree's new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime ($30, William Morrow Cookbooks).

CHEESY TORN CORN TORTILLA CASSEROLE (MEATLESS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
• Tear 6 tortillas into bite-sized pieces and cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top and then evenly spoon green chilies on top of cheese. Tear rest of tortillas and put over chili-cheese layer. Sprinkle rest of cheese on top.
• Beat the eggs, salt and buttermilk in a bowl and pour over tortillas and cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

CHEF JOHN'S CORN TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Add masa harina to a large bowl. Sprinkle in salt and add hot tap water. Stir mixture with your fingers until dough starts to pull together.
• Knead for a few minutes to smooth it out until texture resembles modeling clay or putty. Add more water if dough is too dry and more flour if too wet.
• Place a damp towel and over the dough to keep it from drying out. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Cut a zip-top bag into 2 rounds the same size as your tortilla press. Place 1 round on the bottom of the press.
• Place a clean kitchen towel over a pie dish for holding the cooked tortillas later.
• Pull off a little piece of the dough, enough to roll into a 1 1/2-inch or 1-ounce ball. Remove the top round of plastic, place dough ball in the center of the bottom round, and press down lightly. Cover dough with the top piece of plastic.
• Fold the tortilla press over, apply pressure to the lever arm until tortilla flattens to your desired thinness.
• Peel off the top piece of plastic. Line up the index finger of your dominant hand with the edge of the tortilla; flip it over into your other hand. Carefully peel off the plastic.
• Gently slide tortilla, palm-up, into a hot, dry pan over medium- to medium-high heat. Cook first side for 30 to 45 seconds. Turn over and cook second side for 1 minute. Flip and press once or twice with a spatula until tortilla puffs up slightly. Cook for 30 seconds more. Flip one last time and cook for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Quickly transfer tortilla to the pie dish and fold the towel over to wrap it up. Repeat pressing and cooking the rest of the tortilla dough, stacking and wrapping as you go.
• Leave the stack of tortillas wrapped until soft and supple, at least 15 minutes.