Easy Beef and Cheese Mexican Casserole

Casseroles are always easy to put together and also to freeze for use at a later date. This is one of my favorites and my daughter had quite a few helpings, so I know this will become a regular at our dinner table.

Easy Beef and Cheese Mexican Casserole Recipe

Sauce Ingredients

• 10-15 chile peppers, such as anaheim and poblano
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• salt to taste

Meat Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-4 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp taco seasoning

Casserole Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded raw cheese (colby or jack or any mild creamy grass fed cheese will do)
• 6-9 corn tortillas (organic/non-GMO)

Directions

Roast chiles until they are soft and the skin is blackened.  Cut off chile stems and leave the seeds and membranes if you like it spicy, otherwise you can remove them, too.
Blend all of the chile sauce ingredients in a blender.  Add the sauce to a sauce pot and cook on medium low until thickened.

Meanwhile, prepare the meat. Saute onions until soft – about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and saute another 5 minutes. Add ground beef and saute until dry and crumbly.  Add the garlic, ketchup and taco seasoning and saute until thickened and most of the juices have evaporated.

Assemble the Casserole

Layer the bottom of a glass casserole dish with the tortillas, broken into pieces so they all make a nice layer on the bottom.  Spread the meat on top of the first layer of corn tortillas.  Repeat with another layer and then finish it off with a final layer of tortillas and the shredded cheese.  Pour the chile sauce on top.

At this point you can stop and freeze to make at a later date or you can continue.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 min until bubbly and hot.  Serve with black beans, rice and lots of guacamole and some crème fraîche.