I made this up one night, and we love it!
- Carbohydrate 103.168400064254 g
- Cholesterol 55.7062500094785 mg
- Fat 72.3813562740187 g
- Fiber 20.0809994312917 g
- Protein 24.5918187571753 g
- Saturated Fat 18.5257068794285 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (447g)
- Sodium 615.801250280631 mg
- Sugar 83.0874006329619 g
- Trans Fat 5.03962812704858 g
- Calories 1127 calories
Step-by-step
- Brown ground beef.
- Add chopped onion and minced garlic and saute.
- Add a can of rotel and corn and heat until warm.
- Pour into a casserole dish and top with the broken chips.
- Top with the grated cheese.
- Cover and bake @ 350? for 15min.
- Remove and serve with sour cream garnish and sliced avocado.
Crisp corn tortilla fragments yield structurally under a blanket of bubbling, melted cheddar cheese, sealing in a savory stratum of spiced beef, sweet kernels of corn, and acidic tomatoes. Casserole formats adapted from Tex-Mex bar snacks emerged as home cooks sought efficient ways to feed crowds without standing over individual plates of sheet-pan nachos. Transforming layered snacks into a cohesive baked dinner requires balancing moisture levels so the base components soften appropriately while retaining distinct textures.
- Drain excess rendered fat thoroughly after browning the ground beef to prevent the casserole from pooling excess grease at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Crush the tortilla chips into uniform pieces roughly one inch across to ensure even structural support throughout the dish.
- Bake the casserole covered tightly with aluminum foil for the first 10 minutes to melt the 1.5 cups of cheddar evenly before uncovering it for the final 5 minutes to set the cheese surface.
- Assemble the entire unbaked dish up to 24 hours in advance and store it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator, adding an extra 10 minutes to the initial covered baking time if entering the oven cold.
- Reserve the fresh avocado slices and sour cream until immediately before plating to prevent discoloration and temperature degradation from the hot beef mixture.
Freezing this assembled unbaked casserole is not recommended because the high moisture content in the canned tomatoes and thawed vegetables will cause the tortilla chips to disintegrate into a mushy texture upon reheating. Utilizing a ceramic baking dish helps retain thermal stability during the 15-minute bake time, ensuring the interior ingredients reach serving temperature simultaneously.
