Taco Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1

lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1

can (16 oz) Old El Paso® refried beans

1

jar (16 oz) Old El Paso® Thick ‘n Chunky salsa

1

package (1 oz) Old El Paso® 40% less-sodium taco seasoning mix

2 1/2

cups coarsely broken tortilla chips

1/2

medium green bell pepper, chopped (3/4 cup)

4

medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

2

medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

1

cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

1/4

cup sliced ripe olives (opt)

1

cup shredded lettuce

• Heat oven to 350°F. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in refried beans, salsa and taco seasoning mix. Reduce heat to medium. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
• In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place 2 cups of the broken tortilla chips. Top evenly with beef mixture. Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions, 1 cup of the tomato, the cheese and olives.
• Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Top baked casserole with lettuce, remaining 1/2 cup tomato and remaining 1/2 cup tortilla chips.  Makes 5 servings.

  1 Serving (1 1/2 Cups)

   

  Calories

  510

   ( 

  Calories from Fat

  220),

   

  Total Fat

  24g

   

  (Saturated Fat

  10g,

   

  Trans Fat

  1g

   ),

  Cholesterol

  85mg

   

  Sodium

  1720mg

   

  Total Carbohydrate

  44g

   

  (Dietary Fiber

  7g

   

    Sugars

  6g

   ), 

  Protein

  29g

   ; 

  % Daily Value*:

   

  Vitamin A

  35%;

   

  Vitamin C

  25%;

   

  Calcium

  20%;

   

  Iron

  25%;

   

  Exchanges:

  2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 1 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat;

  Carbohydrate Choices:

  3 
  *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Mexican Chicken Manicotti

I tried this tonight on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. My kids even liked it! It's kind of a fun twist on Manicotti.

Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 small onion, diced, divided
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, divided
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup salsa
2/3 cup milk

Directions:

Cook manicotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, 1-1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, half of the onion and 6 tablespoons chilies. In another bowl, combine the soup, salsa, milk and remaining onion and chilies. Spread 1/2 cup in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drain manicotti and rinse in cold water; stuff each with about 1/4 cupful chicken mixture. Arrange over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 7 servings.

Sweet Pork for Burritos

Okay, I know that this one didn't go over too well over the summer, but I think I made a couple worthwhile improvements that turned out great! (Anyway, the Elders and Sisters liked it. But since they like everything, my roommates and Nancy also liked it.) Goes great with the creamy tomatillo dip!

3 lb. Pork Roast

16 oz. salsa

12 oz. NON-diet cola

2 cups brown sugar

1 packet taco seasoning

6 oz. can green chilies

Okay, so here's the gist. Put the thawed pork roast in the crock pot and cover with water. Cook on high for 5 hours. (I like to salt the water a little. It cooks hotter and adds a little more flavor.) Drain the water after 5 hours. Cut pork into smaller pieces. (I find just chopping with a plastic spoon works great.) Puree salsa (I like to do a little more). Add cola and brown sugar. Mix and pour over roast. Cook on high another 3 hours. During the last hour, add green chiles and taco seasoning. (I want to experiment with also adding onions and bell peppers.) Shred with a fork and serve on burritos.

Creamy Tomatillo Dip

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1 cup mayo

1 cup cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tomatillos-peed off paper, chop

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Put all ingredients in blender and puree. Make sure garlic, tomatillos, and cilantro are sufficiently chopped. More buttermilk can be added to achieve a more runny consistency.

This recipe is great for dipping tortilla chips, crackers, or vegetables. I also really like it on tacos and burritos instead of sour cream.

Enchilada Casserole

I saw that Katrina wanted this recipe, so I thought I'd post it. It's pretty easy and the kids like to help do the layering. I'll put down the recipe that I have but I seldom to never use corn. I frequently add refried beans or kidney beans though. Sometimes I'll add a little taco seasoning with the hamburger too. That's good. Enjoy!

Brown:
1lb. hamburger
1 small onion
taco seasoning (opt.)

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup salsa

Also needed:
tortilla chips
lots of cheese
1 can corn, drained
refried beans (opt.)
kidney beans (opt.)

Layer in 9X13 pan: 1/4 of sauce, tortilla chips to cover bottom of pan, all of hamburger, some cheese, more sauce, corn (drained), (add your beans here if you want), more tortilla chips to cover, rest of sauce, and more grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, or whatever else suits you.