Friday, September 23, 2011

Family recipe: Mexican casserole

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A few of you commented on my menu this week that you would love for me to share the recipes of the dishes I prepared.    I think you will enjoy this one!

This recipe is one I grew up eating, then learning to help my mom preparet, and now serving it to my family. :)  We all love it and it is a fairly simple casserole.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

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This casserole has 4 layers and those 4 layers are repeated twice.

Layer 1- tortilla chips


Start with crunching up tortilla chips (or just used the crunched up pieces in the bottom of the bag :)  They can even be a little stale (good way to use up stale chips).

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Layer 2 - meat

Brown your sausage.  

I use a food processor to combine the next part but you could improvise and mix by hand or even pulse for a second in a blender.  Mix the sausage, the small can of tomato paste, 1/2 cup of water, and 1-2 garlic cloves (to your taste, we like a lot of garlic!)

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Let the food processor do its thing (or mix by hand).  You will have a thick sauce or meat mixture.

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Spoon on 1/2 of meat mixture

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Layer 3 - cream cheese

I cut 1/2 of my cream cheese block into squares and then sort of "smoosh" them into flat pieces.  Layer on top of meat mixture.

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Layer 4 - cheese! :)

Use 1/2 bag of cheese (Mexican style, Cheddar, whatever you prefer.)

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Then repeat layers again - chips, meat, cream cheese, cheese.  At this point, if you are following my make-ahead menu plan, you can cover and put in the refrigerator for later.

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When you are ready to eat it, you can either heat it 2 ways
-in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until heated through
-or in microwave at 50% power for 10 minutes until heated through

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Serve with some veggies and enjoy!  I think your family will like it!
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