topic Re: Making Mexican casseroles in Recipes

Making Mexican casseroles

drizzellla — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 19:25:33 GMT

I am always looking for new recipes to try.

Many times I find recipes for Mexican Casseroles that sound interesting. BUT the recipe frequently call for tortillas. The recipe says to cut the tortillas and line them in the bottom for the dish.

And all I can think of, is after cooking with all the others ingredients on top of the tortillas that it would just be a soggy lump of flour or corn. It just doesn't sound like it would be worth adding the tortillas.

Am I wrong? Do you end up with a bunch of soggy pieces of tortillas?

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

ciao_bella — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 19:51:27 GMT

@drizzellla Personally, I do not care for tortillas that are lined on the bottom of casseroles. I agree, they are not crisp nor are they appealing, in my opinion.

I prefer my tortillas crisp. Here's a recipe I use to make Tostadas and the tortillas are nice and crisp.

BEEF TOSTADAS AKA MEXICAN CHALUPAS

(You can change up the protein and use chicken, shrimp, ground turkey, etc)

1 pound ground beef

1 ounce TACO seasoning (1 pkg premade)

1/2 cup salsa

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chop

8 corn tortillas

Kosher salt to taste

1 cup refried beans

Toppings of your choice: more salsa, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, queso fresco

INSTRUCTIONS

In a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef. Drain any excess fat or water off and add the taco seasoning, salsa, and fresh cilantro, mix until combined and cook 2 additional minutes stirring occasionally. Keep warm.

Oven bake the corn tortillas 450 degree oven (brush lightly with olive oil place on cookie sheet and bake 5 minutes, then turn the tortillas over, brush the other side with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, if desired and bake for another 5 minutes.

While the tortillas are browning lightly in the oven, heat the refried beans until warm, set aside until ready to assemble the tostadas.

To serve, add 2 tablespoons of the beans on the chalupa and smear it so it covers evenly. Top with the ground beef mixture and toppings of your choice! I like to add more salsa, fresh cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, and shredded cheese to ours.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

haddon9 — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 19:56:32 GMT

@ciao_bella Sounds so delicious!! My son would love this and I'm going to try making this for him when he comes over. I do make tacos in a similar way but I add cheese and don't add extra salsa to the mix.

BTW, I forgot to mention to you that I tried the pumpkin cake mix and added pumpkin puree using a keto boxed mix that I had mentioned to you some weeks ago. It was a dud. Wasn't really very good at all. A disappointment! I'm sure it would have been better if I used the regular flour mix.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

ciao_bella — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 21:05:04 GMT

@haddon9 I use a large cookie sheet for the corn tortillas that have a very light coating of olive on them to crisp up in the oven. Keep a close eye on them b/c they're not in the oven long for them to get crisp.

I think I had mentioned to you that I was very unsure if the keto mix would work with the recipe for the pumpkin cake. It really needs real flour to work correctly.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

Kachina624 — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 22:54:50 GMT

Rather than cut up and toas tortillas, just go buy and heat some Tostitas. I like tortillas in casseroles and find they get soft but I wouldn't call them soggy.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

haddon9 — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 23:08:16 GMT

@ciao_bella You were right but I just had to try it out! LOL!

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

msgb — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:59:34 GMT

I make a chicken enchillada casserole and instead of the tortillas or the chips I use rice.

It is something that makes a lot and then I put half of it in the freezer and when I don't know what to make or don't have the time for dinner then I pull the frozen ones out.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

drizzellla — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 01:58:07 GMT

@msgb wrote:
I make a chicken enchillada casserole and instead of the tortillas or the chips I use rice.
It is something that makes a lot and then I put half of it in the freezer and when I don't know what to make or don't have the time for dinner then I pull the frozen ones out.

What a great idea. Never thought of that but makes LOTS of sense. Will give it a try. Thanks

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

drizzellla — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 02:01:37 GMT

@ciao_bella Your recipe sounds better than any recipe that I have read lately. Thanks for sharing. Will have to give it a try.

Thanks.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

Imaoldhippie — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:50:32 GMT

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

Imaoldhippie — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:55:44 GMT

@drizzellla ................If you google Pioneer Woman, she has an excellent mexican casserole recipe. I have fixed it many times. It was a recipe she got from her pastor.

The tortilla's do get soft. I have browned them before use and that helps. Also when I was out of tortilla's I used dorito's, they got soft but it was still good.

I dont like chicken so I replace the chicken with hamburger.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

beckyb1012 — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:04:46 GMT

I started making Mexican casseroles back in the early '80's when I married. Never once were my flour tortillas soggy. Not sure how corn tortillas would do since I have never tried them as a casserole base.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

ciao_bella — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:09:30 GMT

UPDATE: Adding a picture of what the Beef Tostada's look like when finished.

@ciao_bella wrote:
@drizzellla Personally, I do not care for tortillas that are lined on the bottom of casseroles. I agree, they are not crisp nor are they appealing, in my opinion.

I prefer my tortillas crisp. Here's a recipe I use to make Tostadas and the tortillas are nice and crisp.

BEEF TOSTADAS AKA MEXICAN CHALUPAS
(You can change up the protein and use chicken, shrimp, ground turkey, etc)

1 pound ground beef
▢
1 ounce TACO seasoning (1 pkg premade)
▢
1/2 cup salsa
▢
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chop
▢
8 corn tortillas
▢
Kosher salt to taste
▢
1 cup refried beans
▢
Toppings of your choice: more salsa, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, queso fresco
▢

INSTRUCTIONS
In a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef. Drain any excess fat or water off and add the taco seasoning, salsa, and fresh cilantro, mix until combined and cook 2 additional minutes stirring occasionally. Keep warm.

Oven bake the corn tortillas 450 degree oven (brush lightly with olive oil place on cookie sheet and bake 5 minutes, then turn the tortillas over, brush the other side with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, if desired and bake for another 5 minutes.

While the tortillas are browning lightly in the oven, heat the refried beans until warm, set aside until ready to assemble the tostadas.

To serve, add 2 tablespoons of the beans on the chalupa and smear it so it covers evenly. Top with the ground beef mixture and toppings of your choice! I like to add more salsa, fresh cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, and shredded cheese to ours.

Re: Making Mexican casseroles

AuntG — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 00:16:59 GMT

Don't know how to prevent them from getting soggy in a casserole.