Beefy Enchilada Casserole

Enchilada Sauce

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp chili powder
10 oz. Diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 cups water
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. cumin
pepper tot aste

Heat oil over med-high heat in a large pot.  Add flour and chili powder.  Whisk for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and green chilies, water and remaining spices.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to summer ad cook about 10 minutes.

Enchiladas

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
Enchilada sauce from above
6 medium corn tortilla
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While enchilada sauce is cooking, brown ground beef, crumbling well,  drain and add to enchilada sauce.   Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.  (Dish should be long and wide enough to hold 4 tortillas with very little overlap.)  Place enough sauce in the bottom of the pan to lightly cover.  Add 4 tortilla.  Top with 1/2 of the sauce and 1 cup of cheese.  Make another layer of 4 tortillas, other half of the sauce and remaining 1 cup of cheese.  Bake 20-30 minutes uncovered or until bubbly and cheese has melted.  Serves 6-8.  (If serving 6, approx. 400 cals. per serving)

Comment:  This is simply DELICIOUS!  For my diet I went with the 1/8 serving so the calories would be down just a bit more.  And the sauce - It's worth making from scratch and doesn't really take that long but if you don't want to bother you can always buy a jar.  I'm sure this would be good if made with chicken and even less calories.  This is a must try recipe that you can't help but love.

Tex-Mex Lasagna

16 tortilla shells
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. Taco seasoning
1 can Garbanzo beans, with juice
1 carton (16 oz.) sour cream
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 jar (15.5 oz.) salsa
1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

Crumble and brown ground beef.  Add Taco seasoning and Garbanzo beans with juice.  Heat until beans are hot.  Mash with a potato masher to partially crush beans.  In a bowl combine sour cream, flour and garlic powder.  In a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray place 8 shells evenly.  Top with 1/2 of the ground beef mixture.  Top with 1/2 of the sour cream mixture.  Top with 1/2 of the salsa.  Repeat with remaining shells, ground beef, sour cream and salsa.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2-3 hours, over night is even better.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Comment:  The original recipe called for 1/2 lb. ground beef, onions, chili powder and cumin.  I increased the ground beef and used a package of taco seasoning instead of the spices and left out the onion.  It also called for an 8 oz. carton of sour cream which I increased to 16 oz.  I changed the enchilada sauce to salsa and added the cheese.  Came out simply delicious!  I really don't think I would have enjoyed it as much with less meat, sour cream and no cheese.  This worked perfectly.

Taco Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1 can Ranch Style beans
8 oz. macaroni, cooked and drained
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
sour cream and salsa for serving

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet, brown meat and drain off fat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, onion, taco seasoning, soup and water. Simmer over medium-low heat until everything is well combined and heated through.

Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Pour cooked macaroni into dish.  Top with 1 cup of cheese.  Pour meat mixture over noodles.  Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream and salsa

Comment:  This is so easy to make yet so delicious!  This dish actually came from a 1980's cookbook.  I wasn't sure about a can of cream of chicken soup but it actually added to the dish by creaming it out some and keeping it from being too harsh.  I made no changes in this recipe.

Comments from Carol:  Ground beef, beans, taco sauce (slightly hot) mixed with macaroni and topped with cheese melted in the oven make this recipe a popular one for a variety of ages.  We toyed with the idea of chopping some tomatoes and putting sour cream on top of the serving but decided that the dish was good just as it is and we didn't want to mess with the balance of flavors in this recipe.  This is a great dish for making a lot so that you can have multiple meals out of it.

Tex-Mex Ground Beef Casserole

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup, uncooked rice (I use brown and wild rice mix)
1/2 red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 jar salsa, about 1 cup
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup cheese shredded (I used Provolone)
French fried onion rings.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook rice according to package.  Brown ground beef and drain.  Add bell pepper and cook over medium high heat until tender.  Add salsa, tomato sauce, olives, chili powder, oregano, salt and cumin.  Let simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes allowing the ingredients to blend.  Stir in rice.  Pour into a 3 quart baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Top with cheese and add crushed onion rings around the outside of the cheese.  Bake another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Comment:  The recipe that brought on this dish came form a 1981 Creamettes booklet.  I've made other dishes from this book and they have all been delicious.  This recipe was called Mexican Beef Casserole and called for noodles, onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, corn and cheddar cheese.  As you can see, I didn't include those ingredients.  I used the salsa in place of the canned tomatoes, onions and garlic, which are ingredients within the salsa.  A friend had given me a jar of brown and wild rice that I wanted to use instead of the macaroni.  This turned out to be a great change.  The cheese I changed to Provolone instead of cheddar and I sprinkled the onion rings around the edge instead of corn chips.  This dish had so much flavor and texture that I could have eaten a lot more than I allowed myself.  It is simply delicious!

Comment from Food Tester Carol:  This dish has several layers, each of which is tasty in itself, yet together they are surprising and exciting to eat.  The blended rice (made up of a variety of rices and grains) mixed with the ground beef, tomato and spices is delicious but with the melted provolone layer, it's double delicious an then you find the crispy fried onions on top and it's super delicious!

Taco Spaghetti

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg Taco seasoning, dry
3/4 cup water
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, undrained
1/2 lb. spaghetti
salsa
lettuce
cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Brown ground beef and drain.  Add Taco seasoning and water.  Cook about 5 minutes to blend well.  Add black beans.  Cook another 5 minutes on med. high to blend and heat completely.  Serves serve place a serving of spaghetti on the plate.  Top with taco mixture.  sprinkle with cheese, lettuce and salsa.

Comments:  I love spaghetti and I love tacos so why not eat them together.  I've actually had chili spaghetti but this is just a little different.  The addition of the salsa and lettuce on top were great!  You can also add sour cream if you want.  Anything you might want on your taco can be added to this dish.

Comment from Food Tester Carol:  This dish caught me by surprise.  I'd always liked tacos because of the filling but not because of the taco itself.  Why didn't I ever think to put this zingy, familiar "stuffing" into a sauce with the familiar spices, black beans, ground meat, bits of lettuce and place them on a favorite pasta and - presto! -- a winner.  I think almost any kind of pasta would be a good match.  AND top with a touch of tangy red pepper salsa and whatever other toppings you love.  When I make this I will add some chopped avocado.  The variations are endless.  Martha has given us a perfectly delicious dish that will inspire us to add our own touches.