Easy Stove-Top Enchilada Casserole

Here is my latest offering for easy, inexpensive, and tasty meal ideas. Today I'll give you a recipe for an easy and quick stove-top enchilada casserole. My sons loved this growing up, and I still make it often. But because it uses several canned items, if you are planning on feeding just one or two people, there's no real way to cut down on the recipe and make just a little. So plan on serving it to a group or you'll be eating the same thing 'til kingdom come!

Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound (more or less) ground beef
1/2 cup (more or less to taste) chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel is a great choice if you like a bit of spice)
1 can enchilada sauce (you can use tomato sauce if you don't have enchilada sauce, and you may want to add a bit of chili powder or red pepper flakes for heat)
1 package (at least 20 count) corn tortillas
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
olives (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot brown the ground beef and chopped onion. Drain off the grease and place the meat mixture back in the pot and return to the stove. Add the cream of chicken soup, the diced tomatoes, and enchilada sauce. Stir together and heat to bubbling. Tear the tortillas into large bite-sized pieces, a few at a time, and push them into the meat sauce. Keep tearing and pushing the pieces into the meat sauce until you can't get any more in. You'll probably use somewhere around 20-25 tortillas.

Let the enchilada casserole continue to cook for several minutes at least.

You can serve it as is, topped with cheese, sour cream, and olives if using (which I highly recommend!), or you can spread the casserole into a baking dish, sprinkle on the shredded cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until bubbly throughout and the cheese is melted.

You could also make it ahead of time, spread the casserole into a baking dish and refrigerate, covered, until ready to eat. Place the refrigerated enchilada casserole into the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until it's completely heated through and bubbly. You may want to cover it for part of the baking time so it doesn't get too dried out, but it's not necessary.

Serve this with a tossed green salad and you've got a great meal in a hurry. Especially if you choose to forego oven baking the casserole, you can get a homemade delicious dinner on the table quickly--even on a busy weeknight.

Enjoy!

Georgia