Quesadilla Casserole

Quesadilla Casserole before cutting

My Piece ( I had two)  :)

So there is one thing I like as much as pasta. MEXICAN. I love Mexican food. My husband Toby makes fun of me because I could literally eat it at every meal and if we are out to breakfast and there is a breakfast burrito on the menu there is a 99.9%  chance I will be getting it. I don't know what I like most about Mexican Food- maybe its the gooey cheese, the spiciness of the meat or the crispness of the tortillas. Whatever it is I love it.



My sister Kellie made this for me a few weeks ago from a McCormick® Recipe Inspirations Card that you can buy at the supermarket. I had never used them before, but hers was so good that I had to try it myself. You can buy these easy spice packages with the actual recipe included in the spice isle at your local market. If you decide not to use the spice package just use Mexican spices like cumin,chili powder, or even a taco seasoning pack. Something else besides the sheer ease of this recipe is the opportunity it gives for the cook to use things in their pantry or even tailor it to their likings. The recipe uses ground beef, however my sister used lean ground turkey and I decided to go the vegetarian route because I had no meat defrosted and I love black beans. You can add whatever you want to the filling. I had no corn on hand so I used diced red bell pepper and so on. You get it- use what you like and what you have on hand. One of my favorite cooking personalities Rachael Ray got it right when she constantly says with recipes you are learning the method, not the exact recipe. So basically learn the layering method and add whatever you want. Make it your own. That is what I love about cooking! 

On a side note: I served this with bakes blue corn tortilla chips, but a nice side of guacamole or Mexican rice would be great also! You can also top with shredded lettuce, cilantro or scallions. Use your imagination!


So here is the recipe. You can find it on the McCormick Recipe Inspirations Card you buy at the market , or on their website here.

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Recipe-Inspirations-Quesadilla-Casserole.aspx

Makes 8 servings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 package McCormick® Recipe Inspirations Quesadilla Casserole (or 1tsp of each of chilli powder,cumin,garlic powder etc to taste)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (4 1/2 ounces) chopped green chiles, undrained
6 flour tortillas (8-inch)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brown beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chiles; mix well. Stir in all of the Spices except Red Pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Add Red Pepper to taste, if desired.

2. Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef mixture and cheese.

3. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Per serving

Calories: 391
Fat: 19 g
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Cholesterol: 63 mg
Sodium: 950 mg
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 24 g