TORTILLA-CASS(M)         USENET Cookbook         TORTILLA-CASS(M)

BEEFY TORTILLA CASSEROLE

     TORTILLA-CASS - A simple Mexican-style casserole with beef
     and cheese

     This a conglomeration of several of my favorite Mexican
     casserole recipes.  I took what I liked best from each one
     and this is what it turned out to be.  My family devoured it
     instantly and completely, and it has become one of our
     favorites.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4-6)
     1 1/2 lbs ground beef
     1         large onion, chopped
     3-4       cloves garlic, chopped
     1         green bell pepper (capsicum), chopped
     1 Tbsp    chili powder
     1 tsp     cumin
     3-6 sprigs
               cilantro
     1 cup     chopped olives
     1 lb      tomatoes
     1 1/4 cups
               enchilada sauce
     6-8       corn tortillas
     1/2 lb    cheddar cheese, grated
     1/2 lb    Monterey jack cheese, grated
     1 cup     crushed corn chips

PROCEDURE
          (1)  Brown ground chuck; drain any excess fat.

          (2)  Add (chopped) onion, garlic, and bell pepper; cook
               until soft.

          (3)  Cut tomatoes into chunks and add to beef mixture
               (including liquid).  Add enchilada sauce, chili
               powder, cumin, and cilantro.  Add salt and pepper
               to taste.

          (4)  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered
               for 20 minutes.

          (5)  Grease a 3-quart casserole.  Steam (or fry) tor-
               tillas.  Put approx. 1/3 of the meat mixture in
               the casserole dish followed by a layer of tortil-
               las, cheese, and olives.  Repeat twice.  Sprinkle
               crushed corn chips around the edges and bake at
               350 deg. F for 20 minutes or until heated through.
               Cut into wedges.

NOTES
     You can adjust the seasonings to suit your own tastes; I
     listed conservative amounts (for me, anyway!).  You can also
     add salsa (homemade is best) to the casserole, if desired.
     Serve with fried rice (plain or flavored) and green salad.

RATING
     Difficulty: easy.  Time: 15 minutes preparation, 20 minutes
     cooking.  Precision: approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR
     Victoria Cheadle
     Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, Palo Alto, California, USA
     cheadle@spar-20.arpa     decwrl!spar!cheadle

     Path: decwrl!recipes
     From: oday@hplabs (Vicki O'Day)
     Newsgroups: mod.recipes
     Subject: RECIPE: Tortilla Soup
     Message-ID: 
     Date: 20 Jun 86 03:39:31 GMT
     Sender: recipes@decwrl.DEC.COM
     Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto CA
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