Enchilada Lasagna

Lately I haven't been motivated to take nice photos of our dinners. After working all day then coming home and cooking, I'm too drained to think of a cute, creative way to capture my plate on camera. And, the dark nights are now arriving earlier, so any hope of taking a picture in natural lighting is gone.

So, please, do not let my photos scare you away from making these recipes. I know how you are looking at this enchilada mix right now thinking...I'm not sure that looks so good. But, you will miss out if you do not make this meal! I've only made it a few times, but only because I've forgotten about it. It's super simple, yet soo soo soo tasty!This recipe comes from my best friend's aunt...(thanks Aunt Deb!) She has never made it for me, but she made it for my mom two years ago and my mom called me telling me all about it. She couldn't shut up about it, so I knew I had to make it! Luckily, before she left Aunt Deb's house, she was able to get her to jot down the recipe. I think Aunt Deb called it Enchilada Casserole.

There are probably a few differences in the recipe compared to Aunt Deb's, but only because some of the steps she wrote were not extremely clear...leaving me to guess. My guessing served well, though, because this dish is a treat!

Enchilada Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 lb hamburger
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
garlic salt
salt
1 16-oz can chili beans
1 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 small jar picante sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
2-3 cups shredded Mexican flavored cheese
8-10 10-inch tortillas

To Top the Casserole

lettuce
sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Brown hamburg, green pepper, onion, garlic salt, salt. Drain grease. Add chili beans, tomato sauce and ground cumin. Simmer 15 minutes. Stir in half of the jar of picante sauce.

3. Layer as follows in a 9x13 pan:
Small amount of mixture on bottom of pan
4-5 tortillas (loosely folded/rolled next to each other)
1/2 hamburg mixture
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Repeat layers

4. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 5 more minutes. Let set 5 minutes then serve with sour cream, lettuce and remaining picante sauce.