Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken and Beans
Try this Layered Mexican Casserole Recipe with Chicken, Green Chiles, Pinto Beans, a recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Layered Mexican Casserole Recipe with Chicken, Green Chiles, Pinto Beans, a recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1 can (15 oz.) mild green chile enchilada sauce (if you one is la victoria.)
- 2 cans (15. oz) pinto beans
- 1 large onion diced in 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 large green bell pepper diced in 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles plus juice (not jalapeno
- 1-3 t green tabasco sauce (optional but nice if you want it a bit hotter; we used two tablespoons.)
- 3/4 cup light sour cream
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken1/2 cup thinly sliced green on
- 2 cups grated low-fat mozzarella
- Carbohydrate 2.42120000124266 g
- Cholesterol 7.35000000621333 mg
- Fat 3.27710000205308 g
- Fiber 0.348500009775162 g
- Protein 1.64630000124266 g
- Saturated Fat 1.87772500148232 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (42g)
- Sodium 15.3206250124177 mg
- Sugar 2.0726999914675 g
- Trans Fat 0.184226250129833 g
- Calories 45 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Put the green chile enchilada sauce in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to one cup.
- While sauce simmers, put the two cans of pinto beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears.
- Let beans drain well (or blot dry with paper towels if you're in a hurry.)
- Dice the onion and green bell pepper and slice the green onions.
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy frying pan, add onion and green bell pepper and saute until they're softened and starting to barely brown, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the ground cumin and drained beans and cook about 3-4 minutes more, or until the beans are hot.
- (You can mash the beans slightly at this point if you'd like a layer of beans that sticks together a bit more.)
- As soon as the green chile enchilada sauce has reduced to 1 cup (about 10-15 minutes), place it in a bowl to cool and stir in the diced green chiles with juice.
- Taste the mixture to see if you want to add the optional Green Tabasco Sauce.
- When the mixture no longer feels hot (it can be warm), stir in the sour cream, diced chicken, and sliced green onions.
- Spray a 9"x9"x3" casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick spray.
- (If your dish has lower sides than that, be sure it is slightly bigger.)
- Spread half the pinto bean mixture over the bottom of the dish, followed by a layer of half the sauce/chicken mixture.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of grated Mozzarella over the sauce/chicken mixture.
- Repeat with another layer of pinto beans, sauce/chicken mixture, and cheese.
- Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling and nicely browned on top.
- Let stand about 10-15 minutes before cutting, then serve.
- This freezes well, or will keep in the fridge in a covered container for several days.
- (I divided it up into single-serving portions and frozen some and put some in the fridge to eat.)
Mild green chile enchilada sauce does the heaviest lifting in this dish, carrying the primary aromatics and acidity that anchor every bite. Without proper handling, however, bottled sauces release too much liquid and water down the bake. Simmering the liquid down to exactly one cup concentrates those flavors and prevents structural collapse in the pan. Reducing volume also thickens the base so it clings to the chicken rather than pooling at the bottom of the dish.
Moisture Control in Assembly
Casseroles often fail because individual components bring excess water to the party. Rinsing canned pinto beans removes canning starches that foam during heating, but trapped rinse water ruins the texture. Blot the legumes with paper towels if time is short, ensuring they remain dry before hitting the skillet with cumin and olive oil. Onions and green bell peppers require a five-minute sweat over medium heat to drive off raw cellular water before layering. Combining dairy with hot liquids can cause separation. Cool the reduced sauce down until it no longer feels hot before folding in the sour cream.
Baking and Resting Mechanics
Set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure proper heat penetration through deep layers of poultry and beans. Bake the assembly uncovered for thirty minutes until the mozzarella turns golden brown and the edges bubble vigorously. Rest the finished dish on the counter for fifteen to twenty minutes before slicing. Cutting into hot cheese immediately releases structural integrity and causes portions to slide apart. Cooled portions store safely in covered refrigerator containers for several days or freeze well for later meals.
