Recipe: Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Spray vegetable oil
FOR COOKING SAUCE:
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup half & half, milk or evaporated milk
1/2 cup sour cream
FIRST LAYER:
1 1/2 to 2 cups prepared enchilada sauce, divided
12 corn tortillas, divided
SECOND LAYER:
4 cups of shredded California Mexican cheese blend*
1 cup roasted skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces tossed with about 2 teaspoons enchilada seasoning
THIRD LAYER:
1 cup canned pinto beans, drained well
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
FOURTH LAYER:
1/3 cup canned kernel corn, well drained
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup each of canned mild green chilies, well drained
TO SERVE:
2 tablespoons of cilantro
2 green onions, sliced

Spray casserole dish with vegetable oil.

COOKING SAUCE:
Place all cooking sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside for use.

ASSEMBLE FIRST LAYER:
Spread about 6 tablespoons of enchilada sauce on bottom of casserole. Top with 4 tortillas, overlapping them. Cover tortillas with 6 more tablespoons of enchilada sauce.

ASSEMBLE SECOND LAYER:
Mix chicken with 3 cups of the shredded California cheese, reserving the one-cup of cheese for later use. Layer half this mixture over the tortillas. Set aside the other half of cheese-chicken mixture for another layer.

ASSEMBLE THIRD LAYER:
Combine the drained beans with cumin and garlic powder. Spread the seasoned beans over the cheese-chicken layer.

ASSEMBLE FOURTH LAYER:
Overlap 4 tortillas and cover with 6-8 more tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Cover with corn, olives and chilies. Top with remaining cheese-chicken mixture.

ASSEMBLE FIFTH LAYER:
For final layer, cover filling with 4 overlapping tortillas, then spread 6 tablespoons of enchilada sauce over them. Pour cooking sauce over casserole. Top these with remaining cup of shredded cheeses. Let rest for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake casserole for 50-60 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove and rest for 10 minutes before cutting. If baking after setting in the refrigerator, allow an extra 10-15 minutes cooking time.

Sprinkle with cilantro and green onions and serve with lime wedges and sour cream.

*Instead of California Mexican cheese blend you may use 1 cup each of shredded California Monterey Jack, California Cheddar, California Jalapeno Jack and crumbled California Cotija cheeses (Note: if you can't find Cotija, just increase by 1 cup the amount of other cheeses used)

Yields 6-8 Main Course Servings
Adapted from: California Milk Advisory Board