Southwest Potato Casserole

Engrossed's Note:

Ready, Set, Cook! Special Edition Contest Entry: Try this yummy cheesy zesty potato casserole! It has all of the southwest flavors I love. It's very comforting and satisfying too. It is super easy to throw together, and uses pantry staples most of us have on hand. I really enjoyed it with tuna, but I think it would be just as good Vegetarian or with cooked chicken, cooked ground beef or cooked sausage. I made this pretty mild, but it can easily be spiced up with fresh or canned jalapenos or added red pepper flakes or hot sauce. Feel free to use reduced-fat cheese.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 (20 ounce) bag Simply Potatoes Diced Potatoes with Onion
• 1 (12 ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked (You could make this Vegetarian or use cooked chicken, cooked ground beef, or cooked sausage)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno pepper, chopped (to make it spicier, you can use fresh jalapenos or canned chopped jalapenos)
• 3 cups colby-monterey jack cheese, shredded (2 for filling, 1 to top)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup salsa, drained (I used Pace chunky mild salsa)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2-1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1/2-1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• 6 green onions, sliced
• sour cream, to serve
• hot sauce, to serve (we like Tapatio)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Grease a 13x9 baking dish.
2. Mix together the first 8 ingredients through the first 2 cups of shredded cheese.
3. Mix together the sour cream, salsa, cilantro, garlic, cumin and salt and stir into the potato mixture until it's well coated.
4. Spread mix into prepared baking dish and top with remaining cup of cheese.
5. Bake for 60 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and top with fresh chopped tomatoes and sliced green onions.
7. Can serve right away, but sauce will thicken more if you let it sit 10-15 minutes.
8. Serve with sour cream and hot sauce. This is really good served alongside a crisp salad.