Quesadilla Casserole

We really like quesadillas, but for me they don’t hold enough food or variety of food to feel like I’ve eaten a whole meal, To remedy that situation I combined some typical foods found in TexMex dishes with south-western seasonings and flour tortillas into a casserole and baked it. That provided us with a satisfying, filling meal with all the flavor and cheesiness you would expect. I got the idea for this from a recipe on the back of a package of McCormick seasonings. This is what we had for dinner on Super Bowl Sunday. My husband commented that he hoped I would make it often because it contained every thing he likes into one casserole dish.

The product I used for the seasoning is one put out by McCormick Spices. It is a little card with small amounts of different spices needed for a recipe. The recipe is printed on the back so that you can pick up any other ingredients you made need while you are at the grocery store. The spices used here are pretty commonly found in most kitchens so you may already have them. I know I did but I wanted to try the recipe so I bought the card.

The casserole turned out to be quick to make and really good!

You just need a few cans of vegetables; black beans, corn and green chilies, and a large can of tomato sauce.

Add a pound of ground beef, flour tortillas and some cheddar cheese and you will be all set to make an ooey, gooey, cheesy dish of yumminess.

QUESADILLA CASSEROLE

Ingredients probably already in your pantry

YIELD: Serves 6

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. crushed pepper (optional)
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 1 can ( 15 oz. ) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can ( 8 3/4 oz. ) whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 can ( 4 1/2 oz. ) green chilies, undrained
• 6 flour tortillas ( 8 -inch size)
• 2 cups shredded cheese; cheddar, Monterey jack, or pepper jack

1. Brown beef and onion in a large skillet on medium high. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chilies. Mix well. Stir in all of the spices except the red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Add red pepper if desired.

Combine meat, vegetables, and spices in a large skillet.

2. Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on the bottom of a 13 x 9″ pan, previously sprayed with non-stick 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 an cheese.

Layer in baking dish with tortillas and cheese.

Top with more cheese.

3. Bake at 350*F. for 15 – 20 minutes till heated through and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream and guacamole if desired.

Serve it up, fragrant, cheesy and delicious.

SOURCE: McCormick Seasonings