Charlie's Layered Mexican Casserole with a Salsa-licious Twist

Step 1

Prepare all the ingredients, except ground beef, in the list above, i.e., peel, chop, slice, drain, etc.

Step 2

Saute’ ground beef until browned and crumbled; drain any accumulated grease from the pan leaving the ground beef in the pan.

Step 3

Add the chopped onion to ground beef in the frying pan and saute until onions are translucent.

Step 4

Add 1 1/2 cups of salsa to ground beef mixture and stir to combine; remove from heat and set aside.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 6

Spray bottom and sides of 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Step 7

Coat bottom of baking pan with 1 1/2 cups of salsa, using the back of a spoon to spread around.

Step 8

Next, layer five or six 5″ tortillas in the pan over the salsa (if using a large tortilla that you’ve torn into pieces, place them in a single layer over the salsa).

Step 9

Layer the following ingredients on top of the tortillas: ground beef, corn, beans, another 1 1/2 cups of salsa, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, canned diced green chilies, sliced olives, and sliced tomatoes.

Step 10

Layer American cheese on top of all.

Step 11

Cover with the remaining five or six 5″ tortillas.

Step 12

Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups of salsa over all and spread around.

Step 13

Place casserole in preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Step 14

Remove casserole from the oven, add the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, place back in the oven, and tent the casserole with aluminum foil.  Continue baking until the cheese is melted (about 5 to 8 minutes).

Step 15

Remove from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 16

Cut into 8 generous squares to serve.

Step 17

Top with a dollop of sour cream and sprig cilantro.

Step 18

Pass additional sour cream, cilantro, avocado, salsa, green onions, jalapeno, and guacamole.