Pace-Setting Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

• 1½ lb lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1½ cup picante sauce
• 10 oz 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 8 oz 1 can tomato sauce
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1½ tsp salt
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 cup dairy sour cream
• ¾ cup 3 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• ¾ cup 3 ounces shredded cheddar cheese or additional Monterey Jack
• optional shredded lettuce
• ½ cup sliced ripe olives

Method

1. Brown the meat with the onion and garlic; drain. Add the picante sauce, spinach, tomato sauce, tomatoes, bell pepper, lime juice and salt. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Arrange 6 tortillas on the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish, overlapping as necessary. Top with half the meat mixture. Arrange the remaining tortillas over, overlapping as necessary. Spread the sour cream evenly over the tortillas. Top with the remaining meat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
3. Remove from the oven; sprinkle with the cheeses. Let stand 10 minutes; cut into squares to serve. Garnish with lettuce, if desired, and olives. Serve with additional picante sauce.
4. Microwave Method: Prepare the casserole in a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish or shallow 3-quart casserole. Cook uncovered at 100 percent power (HIGH) for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly, rotating the dish once after 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheeses; cover with wax paper and let stand 10 minutes.

Notes

Yield: 8 servings. Entry in the Pillsbury Bake-Off 1990.

Original card

The recipe above was transcribed from this scan of Vera’s original card.

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