A Go-To Menu

This is a great meal to share or make on a night when you don't want to fuss. A warm, satisfying casserole and a crisp, fruity salad. Kent and I loved this one right away. I passed the recipe around. A friend recently told me it was a real hit with her family, too. Last night I took it to my brother's and again it was well-received. It travels well, it reheats well, and it's ready in a snap.

Photo from Tasteofhome.com

The original recipe is from Taste of Home magazine. Around here we subscribe to a few select magazines and Taste of Home has made the cut at my house for over a decade. I find multiple items in every issue and at least one usually makes it into our regular repeating line-up. I have made several modifications to the recipe, so I feel comfortable sharing my version here.

Enchilada Lasagna

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-15 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 egg
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 1% cottage cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
4 flour tortillas (8-10 inches)

Directions
Grease a large, round casserole that is approximately the same size as your tortillas. Your dish should be at least 4 inches deep to accommodate the layers.
In a large skillet, cook the beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; add garlic and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese and beat together; set aside.
Spread thin layer of the meat sauce into the bottom of your casserole. Top with one tortilla. Spoon 1/4 of remaining meat sauce onto the tortilla. Spread with 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Place 2nd tortilla. Spoon another 1/4 of meat sauce onto the tortilla. Spread another 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Place 3rd tortilla. Spoon another 1/4 of meat sauce onto the tortilla. Spread remaining cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Place 4th tortilla. Spread with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with last 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
Bake, uncovered at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 8 servings

Salad
I believe that a salad should incorporate whatever is seasonal and/or in your fridge that day. This time of year our salad will likely be:

Lettuce, broken into fork-manageable pieces
Thinly sliced cucumber
Thinly sliced crisp apple quarters
Clementine segments
Scallions

And here's a delicious dressing to put over that:

Balsamic Dressing
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Dash of hot sauce

Place all ingredients in a small contaner with tight-fitting lid and shake well.


And seriously folks, if you enjoy cooking real food every day and you don't want to be overwhelmed with feeling like you need to be a gourmet chef or buy lots of expensive ingredients, Taste of Home should be on your reading list. My library even carries a subscription.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll post my own, original Enchilada Sauce recipe...

Bon Appetit!