Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole

3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 can (14 1/2oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasonings
2 cups nacho tortilla chips, crushed

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add the cheese, salsa, tomatoes, and taco seasoning.  Drain pasta; stir in beef mixture.

2.  Transfer to a greased 11x7 baking dish.  Cover and bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with tortilla chips.  Bake 10 minutes longer or until heated through.

I was a little worried as I made this that there would be overwhelming amounts of tomato.  However, this came out perfect.  It wasn't saucy at all.  I sprinkled a little bit of cheese over the top and then put the chips on it and baked it.  This really helped the chips to stick to it instead of being "loose".  This makes quite a bit of casserole, and the leftovers are good, but the chips get soggy.  I just crumbled up a few fresh ones over the top, and it was just as good as it was the night before.  However, the next time that I make this, I'm only going to put chips on half, and the just crumble fresh chips over the leftovers the next day.

Enchilada Lasagna

Enchilada Lasagna

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz) fat free cream cheese
1 tsp chili powder
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
6 whole wheat flour tortillas
1 cup (4 oz) shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend
salsa and sour cream, optional

1.  In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion, and peppers over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in cream cheese and chili powder.

2.  Pour enchilada sauce in a shallow bowl.  Dip tortillas in sauce to coat.  Place two tortillas in a 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray; spread with half of the turkey mixture.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining tortillas and cheese.

3. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months or bake, uncovered, at 400* for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

4.  To use frozen lasagna: Thaw in refrigerator overnight.  Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Bake as directed.

Makes 8 servings; 1 piece (calculated without salsa and sour cream)
Cal 282; fat 11; fiber 2


This was really good.  The tortillas were kinda soggy, which made them have a weird consistency.  I think that the next time I make this I'm going to try corn tortillas, or lay my tortillas out and let them dry out a little.  I didn't freeze it, I made it and baked it up.

Zippy Turkey and Rice

Zippy Turkey and Rice



1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 lb. Lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 can (14 ½ oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
2/3 cup picante sauce
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (4oz) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese, divided


1. Cook rice according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes, picante sauce, chili powder, and cumin; heat through. Remove from the heat, stir in kidney beans, ½ cup cheese and cooked rice. Transfer to a 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Cover and bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Makes 8 servings; 1 ¼ cups
Cal 294; fat 9; fiber 5

 
I was pleasantly surprised by this dish.  It wasn't at all what I expected it to come out like.  I used ground turkey and added garlic, pepper, paprika and a little bit of salt.  Cumin just wasn't enough for me as far as seasonings go.  I didn't bake it.  These recipes that want you to cook it, then sprinkle cheese on it and throw it in the oven make me crazy.  I just let it simmer in a big skillet until most of the liquid was gone.  Then I sprinkled it with cheese, threw the lid on, turned the burner off, made a salad and fixed drinks and the voila dinner was done.  And no extra pan to wash; that's always a bonus.

Taco Pasta Shells

Taco Pasta Shells

18 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 bottle (16 oz) taco sauce, divided
3 oz fat free cream cheese, cubed
2 tsp chili powder
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend, divided
20 baked tortilla chip scoops, coarsely crushed

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef until no longer pink; drain.  Add 1/2 cup taco sauce, cream cheese and chili powder; cook and stir until blended.  Stir in 1/4 cup cheese blend.

2.  Drain pasta and rinse with cold water; stuff each shell with about 2 tbsp beef mixture.  Arrange in an baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Spoon remaining taco sauce over the top.

3.  Cover and bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese blend.  Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with chips.

Makes 18 shells, 3 per serving
Cal 384; fat 13; fiber 3

These things are fabulous.  We like them the best with Pace brand taco sauce.  I also use the ground turkey and I typically only use a 1 pound package and it's more than enough to stuff the shells with.

South of the Border Casserole

South of the Border Casserole

1 tsp olive oil
1 pound extra lean ground beef
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced sweet green peppers
2 seeded, fresh jalapeno peppers, minced
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes
2 cups nonfat sour cream
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz uncooked penne or macaroni pasta

1.  Add the olive oil to a nonstick pan and place over medium high heat.

2.  Add the ground beef, breaking it up, cook until no longer pink.  Drain any fat from the pan.

3.  Add the onions, green pepper, cooking until softened.  Stir in the jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, sour cream, honey, chili powder and salt.

4. Add the pasta. Stir, cover, lower the heat and gently simmer until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes.  Stir every five minutes, to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.


We love this stuff.  But I do things a whole lot differently than the recipe suggests.  I use ground turkey and add it, the onions, and green pepper to the pan at the same time.  Once that is finished up, I just dump.  I use diced tomatoes instead of whole, because otherwise you have to break up the tomatoes, and that just saves a step.  I don't use fresh jalapenos, I typically just use pickled, and depnding on how spicy we want it, depends on how much I add, but I don't add anywhere near 2 whole peppers.  If I actually have the fresh jalapeno, I typically only use half of one pepper.  Do it to your own liking.

Enchilada Casser-Ole!

Enchilada Casser-Ole!

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup reduced fat Italian dressing
2 tbsp reduced sodium taco seasoning
1/4 tsp ground cumin
6 flour tortillas (8 inch)
3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup (4 oz) shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1.  In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, taco seasoning and cumin.  Place three tortillas in a 2 qt baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Layer with half of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese.  Repeat layers.

2.  Cover and bake at 400* for 25 minutes.  Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through.  Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce tomato and cilantro.

makes 8 servings; 1 piece each
Cal 357; fat 12; fiber 3

I was really worried about this, I'm not much of a fan of black beans, but it came out really good.  I don't use taco seasoning, I have enough spices in my cabinet that I just throw in garlic, chili powder, paprika, a little bit of cayenne, cumin and oregano.  I do not, under any circumstances recommend making this ahead of time.  The tortillas get really, really soggy and it's kind awful.  It also doesn't make good leftovers for the same reason.  I had thought about trying corn tortillas, so that it would perhaps work out better leftover.

Swiss Enchiladas

Swiss Enchiladas


1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (4.5 oz) cans diced green chilies, undrained
1 (14.5 oz) can petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups 2% reduced fat milk
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
6 (8 inch) fat free flour tortillas
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Swiss cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken, garlic, chilies and tomatoes. Reduce heat, and simmer 7 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Set aside.

3. Combine milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook 5 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in salt.

4. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture and about 2 1/2 tbsp cheese down center of each tortilla, roll up. Arrange filled tortillas in the bottom of a 13x9 inch-baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour milk mixture over tortillas, and top evenly with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake at 350* for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven.

5. Preheat broiler.

6. Broil Casserole for 3 minutes or until cheese begins to brown.

Makes 6 servings; 1 enchilada and about 1/3 cup sauce
Cal 419; fat 13.2; fiber 4.3

I know that this sounds a little weird. Swiss cheese with enchilada's, but it works. It is definitely something different. There is a little spice, but not much, however, if you want to increase your spicy factor, use a can of Rotel in place of the tomatoes and 1 can of the green chilies. Although doing this, depending on your preferences can make this go from a 2 to a 9 on the spicy chart. I also don't make the sauce. It's bland, it tastes like warm milk. When I was making it I was adding garlic and cayenne pepper and other stuff to make it taste not so milky. We just didn't care for the sauce. I have substituted sour cream sauce, canned enchilada sauce, and the sauce that I use on another enchildada recipe. They all work great, especially the sour cream sauce and the sauce that I make on spinach enchiladas. But, we never make sauce anymore. I used the sliced Swiss cheese, because it is usually cheaper than a block, and we just lay a slice on top, let the cheese melt and have at it. I guess that would make it more burritos than enchiladas.