new-recipe-week: Recipe #37 Easy Mexican Casserole Recipe

I was looking for a simple recipe to fix for a debate watching party. I had invited my new neighbors and of course, my fellow politico Susie. I needed a recipe that I could at least partially make ahead of time so that it was ready to eat by debate time and I was not spending all my time in the kitchen. I found another casserole recipe; normally I would have spiced it up but I didn't know how my neighbors would feel about that. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it is from Allrecipes.com. I also combined some features from a different recipe. I used Fritos instead of tortilla chips, greek yogurt instead of sour cream and roasted tomatoes instead of salsa. Also, I didn't realize it but my black olives were not sliced they were chopped; I had forgot to layer them so put them on top of the casserole, giving the "ant like" quality to the appearance of the dish. I prepared a home-made cilantro dressing also found on Pinterest to compliment the green salad. I apologize for the finished-product photos, when entertaining it is hard to remember sometimes to take the final pictures; somewhere on this plate next to the salad is the casserole covered in salsa. Happy Cooking!

Easy Mexican Casserole

Rated:

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Ready In: 50 Minutes

Submitted By: ANDREALF63

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef (added chopped onion and garlic and a little Mrs. Dash)

2 cups salsa (Hunts Chopped Tomatoes in Garlic)

1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, drained (used Ranch Style jalapeno beans undrained)

3 cups tortilla chips, crushed (Fritos)

2 cups sour cream (Greek Yogurt)

1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives,

drained

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (Three-Cheese)

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans, and heat through.
3.	Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread crushed tortilla chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onion, and tomato over the sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.