Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

Who doesn't love enchiladas and casseroles? Why not combine them into one dish? To be honest, I was feeling a bit lazy, so I thought I'd attempt this route so that I didn't need to fill and roll each enchilada separately. My tortillas were also on the smaller side, and didn't fit the pan as well. That all being said, this is a great alternative to your original enchiladas if you're looking to spice it up (no pun intended)! This will also make great leftovers as the flavors sit together and marinate for a day or two. Give it a shot and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (I generally use 93/7)

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp smoked red jalapeno powder (or cayenne)

dash of garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

4-5 flour tortillas

1/4 cup salsa

8 oz enchilada sauce (I used Frontera green chile enchilada sauce, but you could use red if you prefer)

2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 tomato, diced

cilantro, diced, for garnish (optional; I was out so this isn't pictured)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, add 1 tb olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the ground beef and separate as well as you can. Cook over medium-high heat until browned, approximately 5 minutes. Add in the chili powder, smoked jalapeno or cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir together to combine and turn off the heat.

NOTE: If you add the seasonings before it's browned, it'll be hard to tell when it's actually browned.

Spray a 8x8 Pyrex dish or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the salsa on the bottom of the dish (or extra enchilada sauce if you have more than 8 ounces). Layer the bottom with 2 tortillas. You may need to tear the tortillas to fit correctly, or add smaller pieces of an extra tortilla. Layer half of the ground beef, followed by half of the enchilada sauce, and half of the shredded cheese. Add another layer of tortillas, ground beef, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Mix the sour cream with the lime juice and place in a condiment bottle (or use a ziploc bag with the bottom corner cut), if you have it. Drizzle the sour cream mixture over the casserole and top with the diced tomatoes. Add the cilantro if you're using that as garnish. Enjoy!