Casseroles are one of the easiest things to throw together – if you don’t make them regularly, you need to start! I think some people avoid them because traditionally they are made using lots of canned soup and cheese, BUT that doesn’t have to be the case! This one is loaded with veggies and tastes amazing!

Mexican food/flavors are something I make often – this dish was a great combination of those flavors with the simplicity of a casserole technique. I layered the ingredients similarly to how you’d make a lasagna (using corn tortillas as the “noodles”) and the end result is delicious, colorful and SO flavorful. You have to try this one!

Here’s how you make it (8-10 servings):

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/375F
2. Throw chicken breasts on a baking tray, coated with taco seasoning – bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through
3. While chicken is cooking, throw together the “filling” in a large bowl – 2 cans black beans, 2 cans corn, 2 small bell peppers, 1 can jalapenos, 1 can enchilada sauce, 3 cups red onion and 1 cup cilantro – set aside
4. Once the chicken is done cooking, set aside to cool and shred into bite-sized pieces
5. Now comes the fun part, assembly!
   1. Coat the bottom of a 9×12 pan with enchilada sauce, about 1/2 cup
   2. Layer 2 corn tortillas over the sauce and top with 1/3 of the bean mixture, 1/3 of the shredded chicken and 1/3 cup monterey jack cheese
   3. Repeat step #2, 2 more times until you have 3 layers
6. Bake the casserole for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted – top with sliced green onions and hot sauce
7. Serve warm – I love it with avocado or guac!

You are going to love this one, I think it’ll get you hooked on casseroles! I plan to do a bunch more over the coming months. They are great to feed a crowd if you are having company over and are very cost effective as well – that’s a win in my book!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breasts (or 1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans corn, rinsed and drained
• 2 small bell peppers, finely diced
• 1 can jalapenos, finely diced
• 2 cans enchilada sauce, 1 for the mixture and one for coating the bottom of the pan when assembling
• 3 cups chopped red onion
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 6 corn tortillas
• optional toppings -chopped green onions, hot sauce, avocado/guac

Let me know what you think of this one – I think the entire family will love it! Of course, dial down/up the jalapenos if you aren’t a fan of heat!

Cheers!

CHH