Money-saving tips for this recipe: I shred my own cheese. The warehouse club I use has very reasonable prices on dairy – sometimes it’s about half the price of what I would pay at the grocery store. Also, ground turkey can easily replace the ground beef. I try to purchase my ground beef when it is on sale and freeze it in 1-pound and half-pound packages.
1 pkg. corn tortillas
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 ½ lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning*
½ lb. (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 small can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 large can sliced black olives, drained
*Don’t want to use the packaged taco seasoning? Make your own! Taco seasoning is made up of chili pepper, cumin, oregano, red pepper, granulated onion, salt, paprika, and granulated garlic. Mix these spices together and come up with your own “custom” blend!
Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning. When beef has been cooked and seasoned, add the chopped onion and green chilies; mix well. In a 9x13 glass baking dish, spoon a small amount (about ¼ cup) of enchilada sauce in the dish to coat the bottom. Layer the corn tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the ground beef mixture over the tortillas. (If you are adding black olives, spread half of the can over the beef mixture.) Sprinkle one third of the cheese over the ground beef, then pour the remaining enchilada sauce from the open can over the cheese. Put another layer of tortillas down, then add the remaining meat and another one third of the cheese. Pour about half of the second can of enchilada sauce over this layer. Cover with another layer of tortillas. On top of the tortillas, spread the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another five minutes.
Serve with sour cream and guacamole . Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
