Really, truly we are not going to “churn” all our earlier recipe posts! I know Charlie’s Lite Layered Mexican Casserole is a “do-over” of Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole posted last year, but there’s a reason (or two) that I’m redoing it for the blog!
In honor of Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole being a major driver of traffic from Pinterest to our site (see Monthly Income Report – July 2013 and Monthly Income Report – June 2013), we decided to make it for our Blog-o-versary Party. But, I’ve been on a diet! And, I really want to see this diet through all the way to amazing success! If you didn’t know I was on a diet, you can read all about it so far here:
- Confessions of the Incredible Shrinking Woman
- Cankles and Zits
- Minding You P’s and Q’s (Portions and Quality)
This casserole is really easy to make for a crowd, plus you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate (or freeze) it, if you have the space in your refrigerator or freezer. So, with that decided, we ended up with a Mexican theme menu for our party on July 27th. But, I wanted to “lighten” all of recipes we were making to keep me on track. Secretly, I wanted to find out if our guests even noticed! Guess what? Until I told them, none of them knew any of the recipes were “lite”!
Here’s what you do:
Put one pound of ground turkey in a non-stick skillet. Using your wooden or plastic spoon, break up the meat and cook over medium heat. I was making 3 batches for the party, so I’d already cooked one batch before I remembered to take pictures! That’s why you see onion bits in the pan!
Next, peel and chop one yellow onion. Yes, I know this is 2 onions! Remember, I was making a total of 3 casseroles and had already cooked the meat for the first one before I remembered to start taking pictures!
Add the onions to the ground turkey and continue sautéing. Also, while you’re at it, chop a green bell pepper and add it to the meat mixture and sauté. I forgot to take a picture of that! I know – such a space cadet! I was having one of those “toot sweet” days trying to get as much done ahead of time for the party as I could. I couldn’t make 3 casseroles ahead of time, because I didn’t have the refrigerator or freezer space, but I could make the meat mixture ahead of time, so that’s what I did! Anyway, continue cooking the meat mixture until the ground turkey is no longer pink and the onions are translucent.
Next, pour 8 ounces of your favorite salsa in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan. I was making 3 casseroles, so I just divided my first jar of salsa among the 3 pans.
Next, add a layer of flour tortillas. You can use any size flour tortillas you like. If they are larger than mine (I like to use these small ones because then if I have any leftover tortillas and want a burrito or something, I don’t make myself a giant burrito – just a helpful dieting tip! Keep it small {grin}), just tear them up to fit in a single layer over your salsa layer.
Next, add the cooked ground turkey mixture. See! I did add green bell pepper to my ground turkey mixture! You can use any kind of meat you like: ground beef, ground turkey, shredded chicken, shredded beef, shredded pork. Charlie and I have tried them all and ground beef is our favorite, followed by ground turkey.
Next, add corn. You can use canned, frozen or fresh. If you use canned, drain the corn before adding it to the casserole. If you use frozen, defrost it first (you don’t have to cook it, just defrost it; if you add it frozen, it will make your casserole runnier). If you use fresh, shuck it and blanch it, then cut it from the cob. My favorite is frozen. It’s closer to fresh, but very easy to keep on hand in the off-season.
Next, add another 8 ounces of your favorite salsa.
Then, add about 4 ounces of sliced black olives.
Then, add 2 cups of reduced fat, shredded, Mexican-blend cheese.
Then, add about 16 ounces of canned kidney beans. Be sure to drain and rinse them first!
Next, add about a pint of sliced (in half) grape tomatoes. You could probably use a whole tomato that you chop, but I prefer the firmer texture of these small tomatoes. They kinda “pop” in your mouth!
Next, add 4 ounces of canned diced green chilies.
Then, add 9 1/2 slices of American cheese (save the other half for a snack!).
Add another layer of flour tortillas. Now, you need to take the palms of your hands (clean hands) and press down on the tortillas. Charlie says this is essential to help smush the air out of the pan and get all the ingredients to settle in the pan together!
Add another layer of 8 ounces of your favorite salsa. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Slice into 12 servings and serve (the first one out of the pan is always the hardest!). Garnish with fresh avocado slices, light sour cream and fresh cilantro sprigs. Yummy!
This casserole makes excellent leftovers. The flavors blend and you can either reheat it in the oven or in the microwave (I’ve done it both ways). In fact, a sliced cold casserole is easier to get out of the pan in one piece. Then place on a microwave safe dish and zap until reheated!
Here’s the recipe:
Charlie’s Lite Layered Mexican Casserole
Easy and delicious, this casserole is a family favorite.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 24 ounces of your favorite salsa (I use Safeway’s Select Garlic Lovers’ Salsa – it’s medium on the hot scale)
- 12 small flour tortillas
- 16 ounces frozen corn, defrosted
- 4 ounces black olives, drained and sliced
- 2 cups of shredded Lite Mexican-blend cheese
- 16 ounces of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 pint of grape tomatoes, washed and sliced in half
- 4 ounces of diced green chilies
- 9 1/2 slices of American cheese
- 1 to 2 avocados, peeled, seeded and sliced (optional; for garnish)
- 12 tablespoons of light sour cream (optional; for garnish; 1 tablespoon on each serving)
- 1/5 of a bunch of cilantro, washed, dried and leaves removed from stems (optional; for garnish)
Instructions
- Brown ground turkey, onion and green pepper in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until turkey is cooked through and onion is translucent. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour 8 ounces of salsa in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
- Layer 6 small flour tortillas over salsa.
- Add ground turkey mixture over tortillas.
- Next, layer the rest of the ingredients in this order: corn, 8 more ounces of salsa, black olives, shredded cheese, kidney beans, tomatoes, green chilies, American cheese, ending with a final layer of 8 ounces of salsa.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Slice into 12 equal slices and serve.
- Garnish with avocado slices, sour cream and cilantro.
This recipe is featured on All Free Recipes’ site! Check it out: Charlie’s Lite Layered Mexican Casserole.
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other Mexican recipes)
- Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole
- Easy Homemade Salsa
- GuacaMolly
- Hot Mexican Corn Dip
- Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing
- Shrimp Soft Tacos
(other posts about The Incredible Shrinking Woman)
- Cankles and Zits
- Confessions of the Incredible Shrinking Woman
- Minding Your P’s and Q’s (Portions and Quality)
(other “lite” recipes)
- Caprese Salad Roll-ups
- Chicken and Arugula Open-faced Sandwiches
- Coffee Banana Protein Smoothie
- Easy Peasy Caprese Salad
- Poached Chicken Breast Tenders
- Steel Cut Oats with Peanut Butter and Bananas
- Strawberry Protein Smoothie
- Summer Berry Chicken Salad
- Tri-color Roasted Potato Salad
(other posts about our Blog-o-versary Party)
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