Deconstructed Enchiladas

    Weeks ago my daughter, Robin, who lives in the Northwest, told me about this recipe. It sounded delicious but the weather has been so warm that I wanted to wait until it got cooler before I tried it.
    My granddaughter, Lexi, has been working many hours, saving her money for her Pacific Crest Trail hike-through. In a few weeks she will start at the California/Mexico border and hike through California, Oregon, and Washington arriving at the U.S./ Canada border in October. (I knew I shouldn’t have given her that book, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed!) So far our living room looks like a warehouse for Costco with all the trail food she is amassing.

Looks like a lot of food but it will go fast on the trail

She will fill boxes with extra food, money, socks and boots, and address them for us to mail to her at intervals throughout the hike. Thank heavens her boyfriend, Spencer, is going with her. Originally, she planned to go it alone which filled my heart with dread. But, bless his heart, Spencer has stepped up and offered to accompany her on this adventure. Lexi has been backpacking since she was six so this won’t be her “first rodeo.” I think she is very brave and I hope the trail will be all she hopes it will be.
    Also she has been singing and playing at more gigs in San Jose and Saratoga and recording in Santa Cruz lately. What I’m getting at is that it has been only me for dinner most of the time lately. But tonight she is home and wants to try this recipe with me.
    It’s uncanny how many canned ingredients this takes. Get it? Uncanny, canned. Haha. Sorry about that. Of course, if one is ambitious, homemade enchilada sauce could be used; or fresh handmade tortillas would be a treat. For most of us, however, that would be above and beyond.  This is another of those recipes that you can bake and eat from for days. Or, you can bake it and freeze half for a later date. Either way it’s tasty, goes together in a jiffy and only takes one pound of ground beef. I wonder I could dehydrate it for Lexi to take on the trail!

Ingredients for Deconstructed Enchiladas

Colorful filling ready to be layered.

First layer

Into the oven

Ready to eat

Deconstructed Enchiladas

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tbls.garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground oregano
1/2 can red enchilada sauce
1 8 oz. can El Pato salsa de chile fresco
 (or plain tomato sauce if you want a milder casserole.)
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 16 oz.pkg. corn tortillas
8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese
Cooking spray (Pam)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up into small chunks. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the ground beef no longer has any pink. Add the next nine ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes.

Spray a 9”x14” baking pan with cooking spray. Layer corn tortillas on bottom of pan, overlapping if necessary. Ladle enough of the cooked filling (about 1 cup) over the tortillas and spread. Sprinkle with cheese. Continue layering tortillas, cooked filling, and cheese, ending with shredded cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8