"TACO-LASAGNA" OR NACHO CASSEROLE

Categories turkey

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

1/2 cup - cooked taco seasoned meat (ground beef or turkey, grilled chicken, vegetarian chorizo, or skip this if you're vegetarian)
1 cup - shredded cheddar cheese (I use spicy cheddar)
1/2 cup - chopped fresh spinach or cilantro
1/2 cup of fresh tomato, diced
1/2 cup salsa (I like Primavera chipotle salsa)
1 can beans, rinsed and drained (black beans or pinto)
10 corn tortillas, cut into large-bite-size pieces (or substitute with corn tortilla chips or whatever you have on hand--tonight I used 4 corn tortillas and a package of prepared polenta)

Steps:

-Pour 1 tsp canola or olive oil into a 9x9 baking pan. Spread it around to grease the bottom and sides. -Cover bottom of pan with one layer of tortilla pieces. -Sprinkle salsa on the tortilla pieces In the pan. -Sprinkle a layer of 1/2 of the beans. Layer 1/2 of the meat, then 1/2 of the spinach, 1/2 the tomatoes, 1/3 of the salsa, 1/3 of the cheese, 1/3 of the tortilla pieces. -Layer the rest of the beans, meat, spinach and tomatoes. -Layer 1/2 of the remaining salsa, tortilla pieces, and cheese. -Top with the remaining tortilla pieces, salsa, and cheese. -Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Notes: It's a great way to use leftovers from "taco night" or steak that you brought home from a restaurant. Make it work for you--try shortcuts. For instance, you could substitute chili for all the ingredients except tortillas and cheese. Go ahead and add/remove/substitute ingredients with things you prefer. If you like it spicy, dice 1-3 jalapenos and toss them in. We usually put two jalapenos in our taco meat. This recipe is very flexible. I usually use ground beef (seasoned with chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper), chopped fresh spinach (Erik doesn't like cilantro), pinto beans, and the other ingredients I listed. Funny, I made a casserole tonight in order to make tomorrow's supper easier. We had no beef so I simply made it with beans. You could throw in anything you like in your burritos or enchiladas. I think this casserole tastes just like enchiladas.