Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole

As I was looking for a recipe for beef and bean enchiladas, I couldn't find one that used the ingredients I had on hand, so I created my own recipe.  The extra step of roasting the peppers really adds good flavor to this dish. The poblano peppers are mild and the jalapeno peppers add a bit of heat.  If you prefer, you could use two (4 oz.) cans of diced green chilies in place of the roasted peppers.

1 lb ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 TBS taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

2 (15 oz) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

2 roasted poblano peppers, chopped

1 large (or 2 small) roasted jalapeno peppers, chopped

1 1/2 cup sour cream

3 TBS flour

1/2 tsp garlic powder

12 (6 inch) tortillas, cut in pieces (see below pictures)

2 (10 oz) cans enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Sour cream and chopped cilantro for garnish

To roast the poblano and jalapeno peppers, preheat the oven to 425 F.  Wash peppers and rub with a little oil.  Place peppers on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally until the skin has charred and blistered.  Remove peppers from the oven and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Leave in bowl for about 10 minutes.  Then peel off the skin of the roasted peppers and remove seeds.  Chop peppers into small pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Lightly grease a 9" x 13" baking dish; set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion until meat is cooked through.  Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks. Drain off the fat.  Add taco seasoning and water to meat mixture, cook and stir for two minutes.  Stir black beans, roasted poblano and jalapeno peppers into meat mixture; set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, flour and garlic powder; set aside.

Cut tortillas in pieces as shown in the below picture.

Arrange half of the tortillas to make one single layer in the pan.  Overlap the tortilla pieces, as shown in the below picture.

Top the tortillas with half of the meat mixture, half of the enchilada sauce and half of the sour cream mixture.  Repeat layers once more.

Bake, covered, for 35-45 minutes or until heated through.  Uncover and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.  Bake, uncovered, for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.

If desired, garnish with sour cream and cilantro.

Serves 10-12

Kimberly