Try this Mom's Enchilada Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 can mexicorn {corn with peppers}
- 2 drops rosemary essential oil
- 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 19 ounce can las palmas enchilada sauce
- 12 corn tortillas
- Carbohydrate 105.828954416649 g
- Cholesterol 89.40856232 mg
- Fat 28.953844349998 g
- Fiber 15.0057929525895 g
- Protein 36.8835928165964 g
- Saturated Fat 11.9458437931732 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -12 (376g)
- Sodium 328.636842839978 mg
- Sugar 90.8231614640597 g
- Trans Fat 3.06766473677967 g
- Calories 815 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Brown the meat and the onion together in a large skillet
- Drain fat and add Mexicorn, rosemary essential oil, oregano, marjoram, salt and pepper
- In a medium bowl, combine tomato sauce and enchilada sauce together
- Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture and simmer for 5 minutes
- Add ¼ cup of the remaining sauce mixture to the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan, spreading evenly
- Lay six tortillas in the pan, overlapping slightly, to cover the bottom
- On tortillas, spread half of meat mixture, half of remaining sauce and 1 cup of cheese
- Repeat layer with remaining ingredients - tortillas, meat, sauce and cheese
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until middle is hot and bubbly
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving
Enchilada sauce drives the structural integrity of layered bakes by softening corn tortillas into distinct, tender strata without dissolving them into paste. Ground beef renders significant rendered fat during initial browning; drain this completely before adding aromatics or moisture to prevent greasy pooling during baking. Letting the assembled casserole rest for five minutes after the 350-degree oven time allows starches to set, yielding clean squares rather than collapsing portions.
Second-Day Transformations
Refrigerated portions undergo starch retrogradation, firming the corn tortillas and binding the cheddar cheese more cohesively than on initial service. Reheating works best in a covered 350-degree oven for twenty minutes, shielding the surface with foil to prevent the remaining cheese from scorching before the center reaches serving temperature. Microwave reheating is viable if covered with a damp paper towel to maintain moisture across the corn solids.
- Skipping the initial meat drain leaves excess grease that breaks down the structural integrity of the base tortillas.
- Overlapping tortillas too densely prevents the tomato and enchilada sauce blend from penetrating uniformly.
