Hola!  This morning I woke up in the mood for a Mexican dinner.  My mother is from Mexico and enchiladas are her specialty (and my favorite!).  They were on my mind for dinner, but I decided to venture out for a healthier option.  Where I’m from in Texas “King Ranch Casserole” is pretty popular.  It’s basically an enchilada casserole.  I found the recipe and tailored it for a healthier version.  Here’s what it included:

• 1  large onion, chopped
• 1  large green bell pepper, chopped
• olive oil
• 3 cups  chopped cooked chicken ( I boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts)
• 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can red. fat, low sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can red. fat, low sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1  (10-ounce) can diced tomato and green chiles (undrained)
• 3 tablespoons  chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  garlic powder ( or crushed clove of garlic)
• 1/4  teaspoon  pepper
• 16  (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2  cups  (8 ounces) reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Sauté onion and bell pepper 5 minutes or until tender (add garlic if using fresh clove). Stir in chicken and all other ingredients except for the tortillas; remove from heat.

Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces; layer one-third of tortilla pieces in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of chicken mixture and 2/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes.

The great thing about this dish is that you can freeze the casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, and bake as directed.

This casserole was super easy to make.  The best part is we have plenty of leftovers for the week!  I forgot to take a picture of the end result… here’s a picture courtesy of google pictures!  

What Mexican dishes have you tailored and made healthy?