Rachels Mexican Casserole Recipes

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Be sure to cook your rice if you haven't already (if you are just reading this and just now realized you don't have any cooked rice and don't want to wait, consider switching to quinoa, which cooks much more quickly than brown rice. Instant brown rice also works in a pinch).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large casserole dish (9x13 inch or similar) with nonstick spray and set aside.
• In a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high. Add the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper. Sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the beef, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Continue to sauté until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 additional minute.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the rice and Greek yogurt until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
• Assemble the casserole: Spread the beans into an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese over the beans.
• Scatter the tomatoes with green chilis over the top.
• Spoon the rice and ground beef mixture on top of the tomatoes, spreading it into an even layer.
• Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cupmozzarella.
• Bake the casserole, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot, about 15 minutes.
• Turn the oven to broil, then continue cooking until the cheese is lightly browned, about 3 to 4 additional minutes, watching carefully so that the cheese does not burn.
• Let rest 5 minutes, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and green onions, and serve.

MEXICAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.
• Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.

TURKEY, MUSHROOM AND CORN MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine the peppers with the stock, garlic, onions, cilantro and some salt and pepper, then puree. In a saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour. Add the milk and cream and raise the heat a bit. Add the poblano puree and simmer to thicken and cook the sauce, 20 to 25 minutes.
• For the casserole: Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the butter and melt into the oil. Brown the mushrooms, about 10 minutes. Then add the corn and shallots, and cook to lightly brown the corn and soften the shallots, about 5 minutes more. Add the turkey and stock and heat through.
• Char the tortillas over an open flame on a gas burner, or in dry skillet.
• Layer half the turkey, mushrooms and corn in a casserole dish, and top with half the sauce, cheese and a shingled layer of 3 tortillas. Top the tortillas with the remaining turkey, mushrooms and corn, tortillas, sauce and cheese. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal, or bake to serve. Bake at 400 degrees F from room temperature until heated through and brown and bubbly.

MEXICAN LASAGNA SUIZA

Steps:

• Preheat broiler to high with rack at center oven.
• Gather your ingredients.
• Halve, peel and chop onion, seed and chop jalapeno peppers and crush and chop garlic.
• In a large skillet, heat EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add onions, jalapenos, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir a few minutes to soften, then add 1/2 cup water and let it absorb. Add tomatillos, chop a small handful of cilantro and add, then stir in juice of 1 lime, agave or honey and stock.
• Remove the skin and bones from chicken, pull meat or chop into small pieces and add to sauce.
• Char the tortillas to blister and soften over open burners or in a dry stainless or cast-iron skillet on electric stovetop over high heat.
• In a bowl, stir up the crema with juice of 1 lime and shredded cheeses.
• Assemble lasagna in 8-by-8, 9-by-9 or 9-by-13 casserole (a 9-by-13 will be tighter and cook faster because the layers will be more spread out). Spray the casserole, then add some tortillas, half the chicken and sauce, tortillas, half the cream and cheese, tortillas, half the chicken and sauce, tortillas, half the cream and cheese. Place in oven and broil until brown and bubbly.
• Meanwhile, peel red onion and thinly slice on mandoline or by hand. Toast some pepitas in small skillet. Chop more cilantro.
• Top lasagna with toasted seeds, red onions and cilantro. Cut into 4 portions to serve.
• Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake with ice and strain into rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

ROAST CHICKEN ENCHILADA SUIZAS STACKED CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat the broiler to high. Arrange the poblanos on a sheet pan, put them under the hot broiler and char until blackened an all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Leave the door of the oven cracked to allow the steam to escape. Peppers can also be easily charred over and open stovetop flame if you have gas burners. Put the peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to sit until cool enough to handle. Peel and seed the peppers.
• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeno, onions, and garlic and cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Put the tomatillos and a small handful of cilantro in a food processor. Coarsely chop the poblanos and add them to the processor. Process until almost a smooth sauce forms, about 1 minute. Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir to combine. Stir in the cumin, honey and stock, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes, then add the lime juice and turn off the heat.
• Pour a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of a medium casserole. Layer in 3 flour tortillas or 4 corn tortillas then top with some shredded chicken, dot with some sauce and small spoonfuls of Mexican crema, creme fraiche or sour cream and sprinkle with a little Swiss and Jack cheeses. Repeat twice more. Cool and chill for a make-ahead meal.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the casserole on a baking sheet and bake until heated through and bubbly on top, about 40 to 50 minutes. The baking sheet will catch any drips of sauce or cheese. Garnish the stacked enchilada casserole with raw red onion rings and serve.

CALABACITAS CASSEROLE WITH POLENTA AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, corn, garlic and chiles. Saute 3 minutes, add zucchini and yellow squash and onions, season with salt and pepper, chili powder; cook 7 to 8 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes and heat through. Transfer to baking dish. Cut 1 tube of polenta in 1/2-inch slices lengthwise. Top vegetables with polenta and cheese. Place in hot oven to melt cheese and warm polenta, 8 to 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped scallions and cilantro or flat-leaf parsley.

RACHAEL RAY'S MEXICAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• TO COOK THE FILLING: Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat.
• Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan.
• Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion.
• Brown the meat, 5 minutes.
• Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes.
• Add black beans and corn.
• Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.
• ASSEMBLE LASAGNA: Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil.
• Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with.
• Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese.
• Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again.
• Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.
• Top with the scallions.
• *NOTE* - I omit the last step and offer the chopped scallions, chopped tomatoes, salsa and sour cream on the side as additional toppings.

RACHEL'S MEXICAN DISH

Steps:

• Brown ground beef with onion.
• Add soup, sauce, milk, and chilies; heat.
• Line casserole dish with a layer of chips, then layer of meat mixture. Repeat layers - ending with meat.
• Cover top with cheese.
• Bake for 40 minutes @ 350*.