Quick South of the Border Casserole

By Paula Todora
@ptodora

My mom used to make this for our large family back in the 1970s, and we loved it! It is easy, fun to make and yummy to eat! You can make it mild by adding mild green chiles or spice it up a bit by substituting pickled jalapenos.

This recipe is close to my heart, bringing back memories of me and my 3 sisters at the dinner table, fighting over seconds! I hope you enjoy it as much as we all used to!

Rating:

★★★★★ 2 votes

Comments:

11 Comments

Serves:

Prep:

15 Min

Cook:

30 Min

Method:

Bake

Ingredients

1 Tbsp: vegetable oil
1 lb: 93% lean ground beef
1 tsp: salt
1/2 tsp: garlic powder
1 Tbsp: dried onion
10 oz: can mild enchilada sauce
16 oz: can refried beans
2 Tbsp: canned chopped mild green chiles (or pickled jalapeno peppers)
1 c: 2% cottage cheese
2 c: shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
6 oz: crunchy tortilla chips, crushed by hand (2 handfuls)

How to Make Quick South of the Border Casserole

Step-by-Step

1Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 1/2 quart or 9x13" casserole dish with nonstick spray; Set aside.
2Heat large skillet on medium high and add oil; Add ground beef, salt, garlic powder and dried onion. Stir and cook until beef is cooked, about 5 minutes.
3Don't drain meat; Add the enchilada sauce, beans and chiles (or jalapeno peppers for a hotter dish); Stir and cook 2 minutes on medium low, then remove from heat and set aside.
4In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese and 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
5Layer 1/3 of the meat mixture to the bottom of the casserole; Top with half of the cheese mixture and half of the crushed chips.
6Repeat this one more time, ending with the last third of the meat mixture. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.
7Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Serves 8