Weeknight Chicken Tortilla Casserole

This is another recipe that I did some make-ahead before having my kids - it is super easy to make during a weeknight but I froze them so during the newborn phase all I had to do was put it in the oven! It is a healthy casserole version of chicken enchiladas and it really is delicious. Both of my boys enjoy it and I feel good about serving it to them. You basically just gather all your ingredients, layer them into a casserole dish, and BAKE!

INGREDIENTS: (for a 9x9 casserole, you can use a 13x9 casserole but you will need more cheese)

• Tortillas (I use flour but you can use corn to make these gluten-free)

• 2 cups shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken makes an easy shortcut)

• 1 can black beans, WELL DRAINED

• 1 can mexi-corn, WELL DRAINED (you could also use regular corn with some rotel tomatoes added)

• 2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend

• 1 can red enchilada sauce

As toppings:

• sour cream

• salsa

optional: cilantro, guacamole, queso!

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a well-greased casserole dish, make a layer of tortillas.

Next add your drained beans and drained corn (if you don’t drain the beans and corn, the tortillas will get soggy).

Sprinkle 1/3 cheese onto the beans/corn.

Now add another layer of tortillas.

Layer your shredded chicken.

Top chicken with the can of enchilada sauce

Finish it off with the rest of the cheese.

Bake covered with foil in a 350 degree F over for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil the last 5 minutes to make the cheese bubble.

*To freeze - use a disposable aluminum pan and wrap well with foil. This casserole freezes HARD so set it out to thaw in the fridge 24-48 hours before baking or it will take forever to bake… from experience it took me 2 hours once to bake from a completely frozen state! *

Happy Eating!