Mexican Casserole

Submitted by Papagayita

"Comfort food at its best. Delicious, filling, and overflowing with good for you ingredients. Freezes wonderfully. Easily made vegetarian by omitting ground beef, vegan by using coconut milk and omitting cheese & sour cream. Perfect for work week lunches-reheats great. A nutritional powerhouse-each serving provides 15% of your RDA of iron, 31% of your Vitamin C, and 10% Calcium among others."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 24
• Yields: 1 9x11 pan
• Serves: 16

ingredients

• 1 cup creamed corn
• 2 eggs
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt (or tony C's cajun salt)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1⁄2 cup milk (I use coconut)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 8 ounces mushrooms, washed & chopped in a food processor until almost a paste
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 (15 ounce) can low sodium black beans
• 10 ounces rotel
• 1 (15 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (make your own or use a packet of store bought)
• 4 tablespoons cilantro, diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup zucchini, diced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated (optional, add to taste)
• 1⁄2 cup carrot, finely diced (optional)
• 1 -2 jalapeno, diced (to taste)
• 8 -10 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch strips
• 1 (10 ounce) jar salsa
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream (optional)

directions

1. Make the cornbread crust first: preheat the oven to 400F and grease a 9x11 or 9x9 pan.
2. Combine cornmeal, baking soda, eggs, milk, creamed corn (or regular corn), salt and sugar. Mix to combine and pour into greased pan. Bake for 12 minutes until set and slightly browned. Remove from oven and leave crust in pan.
3. Heat a large pan over medium high heat and add ground beef. Brown, stirring and breaking into small pieces until almost cooked through. Add mushrooms, taco seasoning and onions. Stir to combine and cook until onions are softened and mushrooms have melted into ground beef ~5 minutes.
4. Add remaining vegetables (corn, zucchini, bell peppers, jalapenos, carrots if using), beans, rotel, tomatoes, and cilantro. Stir and let simmer until vegetables are softened, about 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste adding more cumin, garlic, etc.
5. Combine salsa and sour cream in a separate bowl.
6. Spoon the ground beef/bean/vegetable mixture over the cornbread crust until pan is nearly full. Top with corn tortillas and spoon sour cream/salsa mixture over it. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake at 350 until heated through and cheese is browned on top.
7. Serve with pico de gallo, green onions, cilantro, and a green salad.