This recipe brings back old memories for me. The first time I had this lasagna was when I was 18 years old working as a teller at Regions Bank in college. The head teller at the branch on Dauphin Island Parkway, Mary Jo, would make this for us on special occasions. We had a little oven in the break room that got lots of action! The Curry Chicken was one of the dishes she would make us too! I love how simple this is, and it is great for company. Its a great way to stretch a buck on the ground beef. It only takes 1 pound of ground meat, but could easily feed 6 people. We had my sister-in-law and her girls over last Tuesday for dinner and she makes a great lasagna. So, I thought I'd put a new spin on lasagna and make this for her! She loved it. We served it with some leftover Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf and were full and happy :) The Apple Dumplings I had planned for dessert got pushed to later in the week because we were just too full! Oh, and don't store your tortillas in the pantry next to Cinnamon Raisin Bagels. We got little bits of cinnamon taste throughout the lasagna because the tortillas smelled like cinnamon!
**Guys- don't laugh. I remembered the lasagna being creamier than it turned out. No big deal, it was still good. Well, when I was retyping the recipe, I realized I left out the Cream of Chicken soup!! I am going to make it again and do it right. It was still good, but would have been just like I remembered had I put the soup in. Another DUH moment!!
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, mined
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can Rotel
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1 can Cream of Chicken soup :)
12 (6-inch) fajita size tortillas
3 cups shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off excess fat. Add onion and garlic and cook 2-4 minutes until the onion softens. Add taco seasoning, Rotel, Ranch Style beans, and cream of chicken soup.
Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Tear tortillas into large chunks and set aside. Spoon about 1/2 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of prepared baking dish. Line the dish with 1/2 of the tortillas, 1/2 of the meat sauce and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat the layers ending with the shredded cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Mary Jo Brierly)
Once again, I have to say how much I enjoy Annie's Eats. That girl turns out some rockin' recipes. I really love the flavors of simple Mexican dishes. I'm a sucker for a packet of taco seasoning. Bring on the sodium! And not just any taco seasoning (I've tried them all). The best one, hands down, is the Old El Paso. I hope you've been printing the recent coupons on Coupons.com! I changed Annie's recipe up a bit and added some taco seasoning to the chicken. The random ingredient in this one is the Ranch dressing. Clay is not a fan of Ranch, so I didn't tell him it was in it. He didn't know the difference and loved it :) This is not your traditional enchiladas. This is quick, easy, creamy, cheesy, and delicious. The best part is its made from stockpile staples! Go ahead and put this one on the Menu this week. You know you want to!
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup Ranch dressing
flour tortillas (I used the fajita size, about 12)
salsa
4 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)
Trim chicken breasts of excess fat and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and saute the chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add in taco seasoning and a few tablespoons of water. Cook chicken until all of the water is absorbed. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm.
Meanwhile, mix up the sauce. In a large bowl, combine half of the sour cream with half of the Ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the remaining sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Add the chicken to the large bowl and mix until the chicken is well coated.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 teaspoon of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread it around the tortilla like you would sauce on a pizza. Line the center of the tortilla with a row of the chicken mixture. Top the chicken with salsa and shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down on the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the pan is full.
Spread some of the leftover sauce over the tops of the enchiladas and top with more cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until tortillas have reached desired crispness. Serve with Mexican rice and veggies if you like that kind of stuff.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Annie's Eats)
This is a very popular casserole. There are lots of different versions of it floating around out there. I liked this one because it came from Southern Living (they always have great recipes), and because I had picked up most of the ingredients last week at Publix! I substituted flour tortillas for the corn tortillas. Use whatever you have on hand. I got in too big of a hurry and didn't read all the directions as carefully as I should have. I added the Rotel without draining it! I have never drained Rotel in any other recipes, so I just assumed that you didn't drain them for this recipe. It still turned out good though! So, what I might suggest is just draining one of the cans. I actually liked the texture of the flour tortillas after they absorbed some of the extra liquid. This was on the spicy side. It wasn't something that Ella ate. Maybe if you use the mild Rotel. The leftovers were great wrapped up in flour tortillas too! Maybe wrap it up and serve it with some Spanish Rice the next night. This is a big casserole so feed a crowd or use it for a double-duty dinner!
**Remember, I forgot to drain my Rotel. Duh! Yours won't be quite this runny. It also thickened up the longer it sat. The leftovers were great!
3-4 cooked chicken breasts (or 1 rotisserie chicken)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 Cream of Mushroom soup
1 Cream of Chicken soup
2 cans Rotel, drained (I FORGOT to drain them!)
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)
12 (6-inch) fajita-size tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips
If you're using chicken breasts, trim them of excess fat, season with salt and pepper, pound slightly with a meat tenderizer and saute over medium heat in a splash of olive oil. Cook for 6 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside. While the chicken is cooking, chop your veggies.
In a separate large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute 6-7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, saute 3-4 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, cream of chicken and mushroom soup, Rotel and taco seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.
Shred chicken into bite-size pieces. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13 X 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture and 1 cup shredded cheese. Cover with half of the tortilla strips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Southern Living)
Last weekend we went to the beach with some friends and stopped by LuLu's on the way home. I don't eat out a whole lot, because unless its one of the expensive restaurants (hum... the Wash House!) then I feel like I could just cook it better at home and save the money. I've been disappointed the last few times I've been out to dinner. But take me to the Wash House and I'm a happy girl! I need to recreate their Key Lime Bread Pudding. Its to die for! But I digress. When we were at LuLu's the Fish Tacos stood out to me. I've seen lots of recipes and I've been wanting to try them. But as soon as I saw you could substitute chicken, I was sucked in. Fish is not something I eat a lot of, and I was afraid once it was in front of me I wouldn't like it. I didn't want another bad eating out experience. So, I substituted chicken. They were fabulous! They had black beans, chipotle cream sauce and cabbage instead of lettuce. I was in Heaven. Publix had a lot of the key ingredients on sale this week making it a great time to recreate it at home! These were not easy to eat. If you make them for a guy or a girl that you're trying to impress, you might want to hold off until the third or fourth date. I've been married long enough, so Clay didn't care that I was eating like a child!
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I used 3)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup salsa
2/3 cup water
1 packet taco seasoning (use Old El Paso) (Coupon Here)
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (Coupon Here)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped (plus 1/2 teaspoon of the sauce)
8 small flour tortillas (I used fajita-size)
shredded cabbage (could substitute lettuce)
shredded cheese
avocados (optional...added mine after the picture)
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil. Saute chicken until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add black beans, taco seasoning and water (the Old El Pasa taco seasoning is worth the little bit of extra it costs. The McCormick taco seasoning was yucky. I've put the ones I bought in my donation bin!). Cook uncovered over medium heat about 5 minutes until thickened. Add salsa. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer over low heat about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise and sour cream. Remove the seeds from one pepper and finely chop. Add to the bowl. Add in about 1/2 teaspoon of the sauce from the can of peppers. This stuff is HOT! You could add more to your taste. Be sure to wash your hands after handling the peppers. Put the sauce in the fridge until you're ready to use.
Now its time to assemble the tacos. Put about 1/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of the tortilla, top with the chipotle cream sauce, cabbage and shredded cheese. I also added avocado to mine after I took the picture. YUM! You can also add more salsa if you'd like. Mine was hot enough from the chipotle cream sauce! Dig in!
Enjoy!
(inspired by the Fish Tacos at LuLu's)
Ella playing on the beach before heading to LuLu's. I am devastated about the oil situation out in the Gulf! There are so many ways to get involved. Check with your local organizations to see how you can get involved if needed!
I made this right before Easter, but forgot to post it! I love taco salads, as you know, and this is a lot like one. Only this one is served with noodles instead of chips. My husband wasn't sure if he was going to like it. He loved it! Put this one in the dinner rotation!
1 box penne noodles (preferably whole wheat)
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 packet taco seasoning (I only had fajita seasoning)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded cheese
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and shopped
1/4 head iceberg lettuce or chopped romaine lettuce
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to pot.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet and brown the beef over medium heat. Cook until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat. Add three-quarters of the onion, garlic and taco seasoning. Cook until the onion of softened, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then stir in the chicken broth.
Add the meat sauce to the pasta and toss. Spoon into a serving dish, top with the cheese and tent with foil to melt the cheese, about 1 minute. Top with the remaining onion, the tomatoes and lettuce. Add sour cream and olives like I did!
The only thing I regret is forgetting to put away the leftovers. I woke up to the pot still sitting on the stove! I was SO mad! UGH
Enjoy!
(adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine)
I love making soups because they're easy (one pot) and the leftovers always taste better the next day. Totally true with this soup. My Mom shared this recipe with me several years ago. I love it because most of the ingredients are pantry staples. Brown some meat, throw in some beans and seasonings and you're done! The flavors really come together the longer it simmers, but it can be ready in as little as 30 minutes. I got a late start tonight, so once it came together I simmered it for 20 minutes. And, boy was it good! I did change up the beans this time and just used what I had on hand from the Italian Sale at Publix a few weeks ago. Feel free to use what you have. You'll notice that this recipe calls for the beans not to be drained. So I added the beans and all of their juice. I also do not salt the soup because of the sodium in the beans. My sister-in-law makes this and she drains her beans. If you do drain them, add more chicken stock or water to get to the desired consistency. Either way, this soup is going to be great!
2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz. can pinto beans
1 16-oz. can black beans
2 16-oz. can kidney beans
2 16-oz. can corn
2 cans Rotel
2 packages Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1 package Taco Seasoning
2 cups water (I used chicken broth)
**Drain corn- NOT beans
Brown beef and onion in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Drain off excess fat. Add seasoning packets and stir. Add beans (do not drain), add corn (drained), add Rotel (do not drain), add water (or chicken stock). Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer at least 20 minutes.
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and Tostitos.
**I used 2 16-oz. cans black beans, 1 19-oz. can garbanzo beans, and 1 19-oz. can white beans
Enjoy!
(adapted from Sandy Sumlin)
Dawn Hoover, the columnist from Spice of Life, sent this recipe to me a couple of weeks ago. I knew it was definitely something that I wanted to make. Anything stuffed in a pasta shell has to be good! I think if I made this again, though, I would add more cream cheese. If your in the mood to try something different for dinner, give this one a try. I'll be warming up leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Filling Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4-oz. cream cheese
1 box jumbo pasta shells (you'll only use about 16)
Additional Ingredients:
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheese
1-1/2 cups crushed Tostitos (I omitted these)
1 cup sour cream (I ran out!)
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink; drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning, water, salsa and beans; cook over medium heat until thickened and most of the liquid has evaporated (about 10 minutes). Add the 4-oz. of cream cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain. Toss with a little olive oil or butter to keep from sticking together.
Fill each pasta shell with a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture (I just used the one from my silverware drawer). You should be able to fill about 16. Spoon 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish. Top with filled shells. Pour the other 1/2 cup salsa over the top, cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheeses. Bake uncovered 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Sprinkle with crushed chips. Serve with sour cream and extra salsa. Throw on some shredded lettuce or green onions if you feel like you need some green :) Serve with some rice, corn or beans.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Taste of Home- originally sent to me by Dawn Hoover)
I know we all stocked up on the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing while it was B1G1 this week. I also stocked up on the Pillsbury Biscuits, so when I saw this recipe in Taste of Home I knew I had to give it a whirl. Its the same basic concept as my other "taco" dishes, but I LOVED the idea of using the biscuits to make flatbread. It was so yummy!
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
1 lb. ground beef
1 15-oz can black beans (or pinto beans)
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup salsa (or one can diced tomatoes, undrained)
1 tube large refrigerated biscuits (8)
Toppings:
Shredded Cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Extra Salsa
Sliced Olives
Avacado with Lime (Yum)
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and ranch dressing. Chill until ready to serve.
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain off any excess fat. Add the beans (drained) salsa and taco seasoning. Heat through. Cover and simmer over low.
Meanwhile, roll out each biscuit into a 6-inch circle. In a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook each biscuit for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven. Work with these one at a time. Roll one out and put in the skillet. While that one is cooking roll the other one out. Roll them out as thin as you can. You want them to cover the bottom of your small skillet.
Yes, you are looking at that picture right. I, for some reason, do not own a rolling pin. I deconstruct my paper towel holder when I need to roll something out! It gets the job done!
To serve, spread each flatbread with 1 tablespoon ranch sour cream; top with 1/4 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle with desired toppings. You can even leave them flat and build almost like a pizza.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Taste of Home)
Wowzers! What a nice combination this dish delivers! I wanted seconds, but I was so full from eating Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies all afternoon, I couldn't swallow another bite. I don't know why I haven't made this sooner. I've been carrying it around for no telling how long in my binder. My Mimi serves her chili over macaroni noodles, so I thought it would be nice to do the same here. This gives a Mexican twist to the original Chili Mac, and oh what a nice twist it is! This week Publix has their carrots, onions, ground beef and salsa on sale. Winn Dixie had their Old El Paso taco seasoning and Ronzoni Smart Taste B1G1 last week. This is warm and comforting and a nice change for your regular dinner menu. You have GOT to try this one!
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup corn kernels
1 can black beans, drained
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce (see below for my substitution)
1-1/2 cups salsa
1 packet taco seasoning
1 box pasta (I used elbow noodles)
Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain excess fat. Add onions, carrots and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Stir in tomato sauce, salsa, corn, beans and taco seasoning packet. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occassionally. (**I did not have any tomato sauce, so I used the leftover tomato paste I used for the Italian Sausage Penne Bake. Use 3/4 cup tomato paste and mix with 1 cup water).
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.
On a plate or bowl, lay down a bed of noodles. Ladle chili over pasta. Place a dollop of sour cream in the center and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediatley.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Taste of Home)
My Mom and Dad got me started on these. This dinner is a staple in their house. It is so quick to pull together for a weeknight meal, and you only have the one pot to clean. It uses my recipe for Taco Meat that I used in the Corn and Black Bean Burritos. And don't forget to make a little extra to use for Taco Puffs another night! This week Publix has their Tostitos chips B1G1. I have the beans, meat and cheese leftover from previous weeks' sales. The corn I put in the meat was what I had leftover from the Corn Muffins last night. Buy ground beef when it is on sale and put it in the freezer in 1 lb. portions. I take mine out the freezer when I'm ready to cook. Place it in a skillet frozen, cover it with a lid and cook over medium. Flip occassionally and scrape off the meat as it browns. Crumble with the back of a wooden spoon. Works every time!
Taco Meat: (for 4-6 taco salads)
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can corn, drained (optional)
3/4 cup salsa
Taco Salad:
Taco Meat
Tostitos Corn Chips
Shredded Cheese
Iceburg Lettuce, chopped
Sour Cream
Salsa
Avacado+ Lime (optional)
Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and return to pan. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Cook over medium heat about 3-5 minutes. Add in the beans, corn and salsa. Cook for another 3-5 minutes over medium heat, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 15 minutes. This really allows the flavors to combine.
Take a handful of chips and put in the bottom of a plate or large pasta bowl and crush with your fingers. This makes the "bed" for the salad. Top with taco meat, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and then salsa. If you have avocado on hand, chop it up with a squeeze of lime juice and put on top of the salad. So good!
Enjoy!
Thanks Mom!
I have been looking forward to this all day! The taco meat that I used for the burritos is going to do double-duty tomorrow night for the Taco Puffs. I also use this same meat base when I make taco salads. A great recipe to have, for sure. Right now Publix has their Ground Round $2.99 lb., but Winn Dixie has their Ground Beef $1.99 lb. Publix has the flour tortillas B1G1 and avocados for $.99, so its the perfect week to do burritos. I did get a can of corn at Publix also because they had canned Green Giant Veggies B1G1. Alright...enough about the sale. Here's the recipe:
Taco Meat:
1-1/2 lb. ground beef (remember, this is for two dinners)
1/3 cup taco seasoning (or 1-1/2 packets)
3/4 cup water
1 cup salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and return to pan. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Cook over medium heat about 3-5 minutes. Add in the beans, corn and salsa. Cook for another 3-5 minutes over medium heat, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 15 minutes. This really allows the flavors to combine.
Corn and Black Bean Burritos:
Taco Meat from above recipe
1 package Mexican rice (I used Rice Pilaf Knorr Sides- its all I had)
4 flour tortillas- burrito size
Shredded Cheese
Lettuce
Avocado + Lime
Olives
Sour Cream
Extra Salsa
Cook the rice according to package directions. I only had the Rice Pilaf flavor tonight, and I think I actually liked it better than the Mexican rice. But, use whatever you have on hand.
Warm the flour tortillas on a plate under a damp paper towel in the microwave for 45 seconds. Put one on a plate and begin to assemble. Put 1/3 cup rice in center near the bottom (the tortilla package at Publix has a picture on the back that shows you how to roll it). Put 1/2 cup taco meat on the rice and top with shredded cheese. Fold the sides over and starting at the bottom, roll up. If you have a hard time, you can probably google "how to roll a burrito"!
Once its rolled you can top it with whatever toppings you like. My favorites- lettuce, diced avocado with a squeeze of lime juice and salt, sliced olives, sour cream, and salsa.
This totally hit the spot tonight. Save your leftovers for Taco Puffs tomorrow night!
Enjoy!
