Lightened Up Mexican Casserole

I found a recipe for vegitarian mexican casserole, which uses tofu or veggie crumbles instead of meat. However, my household is full of carnivores, so instead I used ground turkey. This way it was still a lightened up version of the greasy, cheesy, fried-and-fried-again bean filled casserole dish. This is a simple weeknight meal, do not let the long list of ingredients fool you!

Mexican Casserole


Ingredients:

• 4 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 20-oz. package of meatless crumbles (or in my case, browned ground lean turkey meat)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 48 baked tortilla chips
• cooking spray
• 1 15-oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 cups chopped plum tomato
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 tbsp. fat free sour cream
• 2 tbsp. chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and jalapeno; cook 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin, pepper, cooked turkey, and corn; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Arrange half of the tortilla chips in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top evenly with turkey mixture.

Heat remianing 2 tsp. olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add beans, mashing with the back of a wooden spoon until chunky and thick; cook 2 minutes or until heated, stirring constantly. Stir in lime juice.

Combine tomato and cilantro. Layer beans and tomato mixture over turkey mixture in dish. Top with remaining tortilla chips, pressing yo slightly crush. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake for 13 minutes or unitl cheese is bubbly. Cut into 6 even slices and top each slice with 1 tsp. sour cream, 1 tsp. onions, and 2 tsp. olives.