Mexican Food

If you're a fan of Mexican food, today's post is sure to make you happy. Here are six recipes from South of the Border, including Beef and Bean Burritos and Chicken Enchiladas Verde. Enjoy!

TEX-MEX MACARONI AND GROUND BEEF CASSEROLE

This comes from Diana Rattray, Southern Food expert at About.com. Diana wrote, “Taco seasoning and nacho cheese soup help to flavor this easy, tasty casserole. Serve this casserole with cornbread or biscuits.This is a great casserole to make for a family meal or potluck dinner.” Serves 6 to 8.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni or mini ziti

1 cup chopped onion

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 package (1 ounce) taco seasoning

1 can (about 10 1/2 ounces) nacho cheese soup

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups shredded Mexican blend of cheeses, such as Cheddar Jack

Preparation

Cook macaroni or mini ziti in boiling water as directed on the package. Drain and rinse with hot water; set aside.

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2 1/2 to 3-quart baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, stirring and breaking up, with the onion until onion is softened. Add the bell pepper and continue cooking, stirring, until beef is no longer pink. Add the garlic and taco seasoning and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add soup, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and half of the cheese. Cook, stirring, until blended and bubbly. Add the drained macaroni and spoon into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and cheese topping has melted.

Note: If you cover and refrigerate earlier in the day, allow more time for warming the casserole.

BEEF AND BEAN BURRITOS

This comes from Ree Drummond of The Food Network's The Pioneer Woman. Total time: 55 min; Prep: 35 min; Cook: 20 min; Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/beef-and-bean-burritos-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

1 medium onion, diced

2 pounds ground beef

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

Three 7-ounce cans Mexican tomato sauce (I use El Patobrand) or enchilada sauce

One 28-ounce can refried beans

3/4 cup grated Cheddar, plus extra for sprinkling

12 burrito-size flour tortillas

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170 to 180 degrees F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onions until softened. Then add the ground beef and cook until the beef is cooked through. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano and salt and stir to combine. Pour 2 cans of the Mexican tomato sauce into the meat and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add a little water if the mixture gets too dry.

Meanwhile, heat the refried beans in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the cheese, and stir it in till it's melted. Remove from the heat.

Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 1 minute, and then spread a small amount of beans on each tortilla. Add a small amount of the meat. Fold over the ends of the tortilla, and then roll them up. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Then place them in a large baking dish, cover with foil and keep warm in the oven.

When ready to serve, drizzle the remaining can of tomato sauce over all of the burritos and sprinkle with more grated Cheddar. Return to the oven for a couple of minutes just to melt the cheese.

Sprinkle the tops with the cilantro leaves and serve immediately to the fork-bangers in your life. They'll kiss you and hug you. Repeatedly.

VEGETARIAN TORTILLA SOUP

This is from Alison Roman in The New York Times cooking email. Alison wrote, “This vegetarian version of tortilla soup is no less complex than its chicken counterpart, thanks to plenty of vegetables, spices and a secret ingredient: canned chipotles in adobo. Smoked and dried jalapeños softened in a vinegar-tomato mixture, these little powerhouses do much of the heavy lifting in this vegetarian soup, offering depth and a certain meatiness to an otherwise light and tangy broth.”

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 1 1/4 hours

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Soup:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder

2 chipotles in adobo, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed

For the Tortillas and Assembly:

2 cups vegetable oil

8 small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips

Kosher salt

1 avocado, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or shredded Cheddar or Monterey jack

3/4 cup sour cream or crema

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 red or yellow onion, finely chopped

Lime wedges, for serving

Preparation

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeño and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chile powder and stir to coat. Cook a minute or two to toast the spices, then add chipotles and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to caramelize a bit on the bottom of the pot, concentrating their flavor.

Add vegetable broth, corn and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer until flavors meld and broth tastes rich and flavorful, 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet or heavy-bottomed pot. Bring oil to 375 degrees and working in batches, fry tortilla strips until light golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.

Place about 3/4 of the tortilla strips into broth and stir to submerge and soften for a few minutes. Divide soup among bowls and top with avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, onion and remaining fried tortilla strips. Serve lime alongside for squeezing.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS VERDE

This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “What to do with leftover chicken or turkey? These baked chicken enchiladas are the perfect solution...and they're so good, you'll want to make them again and again.”

Serves: 6 servings (1 enchilada each); Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/3 cup water

1 can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chiles, drained

1 teaspoon Dried oregano leaves, crushed

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (about 2 ounces)

6 corn tortilla (6-inch), warmed

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the soup, water, chiles, oregano and chili powder in a medium bowl.

Stir 1 cup soup mixture, chicken and 1/4 cup cheese in a medium bowl.

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side down in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover the baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas Verde: For a creamier version, reduce the water to 1/4 cup and stir 1/4 cup sour cream into the soup mixture.

Flavor Variation: Top the baked enchiladas with chopped tomatoes, sliced green onion, sliced pitted ripe olives and/or salsa.

Easy Substitution: You may substitute flour tortillas for the corn tortillas in this recipe.

MEXICAN LASAGNA

This is from tbsp., and begins, “A delicious twist on lasagna!”

Prep: 30 minutes; Total: 1 hour 10 minutes; Servings: 10

View this online here.

Ingredients

6-8 large tortillas

1 lb ground beef

1 packet Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix

1/3 medium onion, diced

1 can (19 oz) Old El Paso™ mild red enchilada sauce

1 can (16 oz) Old El Paso™ refried beans, any type

1 1/2 cup cheddar or mexican blend cheese

3 small or medium tomatoes, diced

Cilantro, as desired

Black olives, as desired

Sour cream, for topping

Shredded lettuce, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large non-stick skillet on stove, cook onions and beef until cooked through. Remove skillet from heat, drain off grease and stir in taco seasoning. Set aside.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with a thin coat of enchilada sauce. Layer tortilla halves in the bottom of the pan with the cut (straight) sides facing outward toward edges of pan. Cut pieces of another tortilla as needed to fill in any gaps and create a solid tortilla layer in the bottom of the pan.

Continue layering ingredients in the following order, making sure to save enough of each ingredient to form a second layer: refried beans, enchilada sauce, beef and onion mixture, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro and black olives (if desired).

Using equal amounts of ingredients as the first layer, form your second layer in the following order: tortillas, beans, enchilada sauce, meat and onions, cheese, tomatoes, cilantro and olives.

Top with a final layer of tortillas, and cover with a thin coating of enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake lasagna for 30-45 minutes until cheese is melted and tortillas start to crisp. Serve with sour cream, lettuce and additional toppings as desired.

CHICKEN FAJITA PASTA

This is from tbsp.com, and begins, “Tex-Mex meets Italian in this awesomely easy weeknight dinner dish.”

Prep: 20 minutes; Total: 40 minutes; Servings: 4

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. chicken breast, sliced thin

1 packet Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix chicken

1/4 cup water

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

1/2 lb. spaghetti (1/2 of a 16 oz. box)

4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring regularly, until chicken is cooked through, around 8 minutes.

Add chicken seasoning to the skillet along with 1/4 cup water and stir together. Add sliced bell peppers and onion and cook until they are softened a bit.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package until al dente. When pasta is cooked through, use tongs to move it directly from the cooking water to the chicken fajita skillet. Stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top the skillet with grated cheddar cheese and reduce heat to low until cheese is melted. Serve hot.