Quesadilla Casserole

I definitely have a sequential personality. I like organization; a place for everything and everything in it's place. I'm Monica. So when I happened across McCormick's new "Recipe Inspirations," the clouds parted and a ray of sunshine brightened the supermarket aisle. Not only are all the spices needed for the dish pre-portioned in teeny-tiny, cute little plastic containers, but there is also a full color, detachable recipe card on the back -- complete with a picture! These little things rock my world. I purchased three of them. This recipe is the first to grace our plates. The caloric value of the recipe as it is written is quite high, so if you're wanting to make this more healthful, you could substitute extra lean ground beef, whole wheat tortillas, and low-fat or non-fat cheese. It's even a good idea to rinse canned corn to remove some of the sodium. You could replace its juice with plain water in the recipe, as well. I served this casserole with corn muffins, tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream. =)

Quesadilla Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 (10 oz.) can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, undrained

2 t. chili powder

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. minced garlic

1/2 t. oregano

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas

2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn, and green chilies; mix well. Stir in all of the spices except red pepper flakes. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Add red pepper. Spread 1/2 c. of the beef mixture on bottom of 9x13x2" baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef mixture, and cheese. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings (10 P+ as written)