Tasty Tuesday

Today for a Relief Society activity we had a potluck luncheon, and each of us were to bring a dish that we create using normal pantry items. After we ate we talked about the standard pantry items we always keep on hand, which spices we use most often, how we organize our pantry, tips on meal planning and shopping lists and dishes we create using pantry items that are quick and easy! It was a great activity :)

This recipe is an easy, quick meal and it's one that I just toss together, so writing down exact measurements is always difficult. I thought I would just show the process instead of writing it down.

Sous Chefs: Amelia and Riley (pre-school friend)

Recipe: Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:

tortillas

refried beans

enchilada sauce

rice, cooked

cheese, shredded

tortilla chips

cooking spray

Layer tortillas after the pan has been sprayed with cooking spray (something I forgot to do today, and would have helped a lot!) NOTE: a 9x9 pan works great for this because 1 tortilla fits perfectly and you don't have to overlap like I did; however, if you need a large amount this works good...

Mix refried beans and 1/4 can of Enchilada Sauce, which makes the beans easier to spread and gives them a bit of extra flavor. Spread 1/3 of the beans onto the tortilla layer...

Light layer of cheese and repeat the layering process about 3 or 4 times...

Mix 1-2 cups cooked rice with 3/4 can Enchilada Sauce....

Layer rice mixture on top...

Tortilla chip layer, which could be crushed or whole...I usually will layer small pieces like this...

Ready to go into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes...I usually use foil on top until the cheese melts, remove the foil and continue cooking for a few more minutes, but not too long because the chips can get really dark and the cheese will crisp...unless you like that :)

Critiques ~

Since I brought this dish to a potluck, the only comments you are going to get are positive because nobody wants to say, "This is awful!" :)

However, my own personal critique is: I thought it turned out drier than normal...I think I usually add a bit more sauce to the rice, and a bit more cheese to the top. Other than that, I liked it...beans and rice, yum! :)