Quesadilla Casserole

Colleen: "One of my girlfriends is having a baby in a few weeks so I decided to make her a casserole that would freeze well so she can thaw it out and eat whenever after those extremely exhausting days when they are adjusting to new baby. I made a few extra for my family too, I enjoyed this recipe. It's no secret that I love black beans & mexican flavors, but I think this recipe would be wonderful with ground turkey or no meat a all. I omitted the red pepper flakes & used minced fresh garlic instead of dried (because I couldn't find it). Hope you try this one out!"

Quesadilla Casserole

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried minced garlic

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

16 oz tomato sauce

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (8 3/4 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can (4 1/2 oz) green chilies, undrained

6 flour tortillas (8 inch size)

2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Brown beef and onion in a large skillet on medium-high. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chilies. Mix well. Stir in all of the spices except the red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat low and simmer 5 minutes. Add red pepper to taste if desired.

2. Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 9X13 pan (sprayed with pam). I like to use the foil pans for freezer meals. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef and cheese.

3. Double wrap with heavy duty foil and label. 

Cooking Instructions: Thaw and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe sourced from Joyful Momma's Kitchen Blog