Mexican Casserole #Recipe

Growing up I can recall my mother making a great variety of casseroles. One of the main reasons was because we were a large family but another reason was because casseroles are easy to prepare. By simply placing a mess of ingredients in a casserole dish together to create a wonderful one dish meal.

4  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
1  cup  chopped onion
1 cup chopped red/green bell pepper
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  jalapeño pepper, minced (optional)
1  teaspoon  chili powder
1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1  lb. leanest ground beef
48  baked tortilla chips
Cooking spray
2 cups white rice, cooked
1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
2  tablespoons  minced fresh cilantro
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2  tablespoons  fat-free sour cream
2  tablespoons  chopped green onions
1/4  cup  sliced ripe olives
salsa

Preheat oven to 375°.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and jalapeño (if you want more heat); cook 1 minute. Add ground beef and break up into crumbs – until nicely browned.  Stir in chili powder, cumin, black pepper; cook 3 minutes. Arrange half of tortilla chips in an 9 x 9 –inch (or 11 X 7 inch) baking dish coated with cooking spray; top evenly with ground beef mixture.
Mix rice with cilantro, lime juice and salt.
Layer rice mixture on top of the beef mixture, then top with the tomatoes and chiles. Top with remaining tortilla chips, pressing to slightly crush. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 375° for 13 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Cut casserole into 6 equal pieces; top each serving with 1 teaspoon sour cream, 1 teaspoon onions, and 2 teaspoons olives.  Serve with salsa

recipe resource here

Retweet post here

shared at these blog hops, linkups and parties
inspire me tuesday

shared at these facebook group linkups
blog and social click thru=== 3/23--- 3/24 ==== 3 ct