Beef Enchilada Casserole

I know it is hard to believe that the words "I cooked!" are coming out of my mouth (or in typed format so to speak). 

All the people who know me personally know that it is a challenge just to boil water in the kitchen. (Three burned pots last Easter to prove it).  I am seriously surprised my children have lasted as long as they have with the meager offerings of attempted meals at dinner time.

This happens to be one of my family’s favorite meals for dinner.
It is also one of the easiest ones I have.  It can be changed up very easily with other ingredients that you like and your family loves.

This was one of my first recipes I ever tried to make on my own.  While it is very simple, being a horrible cook in the kitchen made it a challenge for me and my dishwasher.  This recipe was one of my Mothers favorites and she requested for me to make this at least once a month for her.

You will find that I don’t use exact measurements when I cook.  What I have listed in the recipe is just a guideline and can be adjusted to suit your tastes. Go for it. Change it. Enjoy it.

(Please excuse the horrible photos!) 

For a printable copy in Word and PDF format, click the Download link at the end of this post.

BEEF ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

2 pounds ground beef

24 white corn tortillas

2 large cans of red enchilada sauce (1 cup set aside)

1 large bag of shredded Colby cheese

1 can of sliced olives

2 tablespoons of chopped dried onion

Salt and pepper

Step One

Preheat oven to 400F. Start by browning your ground beef. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add the chopped onion. Continue browning until no longer pink. Drain and return to pan. Stir in 1 cup of enchilada sauce to give some extra flavor to the meat. Set aside.

Step Two

Pour some sauce in the bottom of a pan.  (foil lined is easier for cleaning) Not a lot of sauce, but just enough to give a good cover to the bottom of your casserole.

Add eight tortillas to the bottom of the pan and coat with a little more sauce.

Step Three

Now the layering begins! Adjust your layers to what you like, but this is how I did it for the basic recipe.

Cheese, Olives, Meat, Cheese

Add some more sauce if you like your enchiladas to have lots of sauce in them. In this batch I didn’t because my youngest daughter is not a fan of the saucy kind.

Step Four

Add another layer of tortillas. Cover them in sauce. Be sure to coat all edges of the tortillas to avoid crispy, burnt edges. Then another layer of cheese and olives.

Step Five

Lightly cover with foil and cook at 400F for 30 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil cover the last five minutes to lightly brown the cheese. Let stand five to ten minutes. 

If your family likes sour cream, then top it off with a spoonful of sour cream. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD RECIPE