Mexican Tortilla Casserole {Foodie Friday}

Since I started eating black beans I have tried to find a couple different ways to make them. This one is fun because it is essentially Mexican lasagna. It’s flexible. Don’t have corn?
Oh well. Don’t like spinach? Leave it out (I did) Want extra beans? Ok. Top it with salsa? Right on. It’s really perfect for everyone. It looks somewhat tedious to make, but it’s really very easy. It was a lot faster than I expected, and coming from a former black bean hater, it tasted good too.

One Year Ago: Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Mexican Tortilla Casserole

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

1 tablespoon olive, vegetable, or canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1⁄2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 can (14 ounces) chopped tomatoes, drained, with 1⁄3 cup juice reserved

1⁄4 cup tomato paste

2 cans (15.5 ounces each) white, black, or kidney beans (or a mixture of any two), rinsed and drained

Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 can (15 ounces) sweet corn kernels, drained, or 1 1⁄2 cups frozen corn, thawed

3 cups coarsely chopped spinach

4 medium-size (8-inch) flour tortillas

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

Chopped fresh cilantro (optional), for garnish

Sour cream (optional), for serving

Salsa (optional), for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan, springform pan, or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cumin, chili powder, and garlic and cook until you can smell the spices and the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with the 1⁄3 cup of reserved juice and the tomato paste, then stir in the beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the bean mixture simmer until everything is hot, about 3 minutes. Add the corn and spinach and stir until the spinach has wilted and everything is well blended and hot, about 3 minutes. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt and/or pepper as necessary.

Place 1 tortilla in the prepared cake pan. Spread one fourth of the bean and vegetable mixture evenly over the tortilla, then sprinkle 1⁄2 cup of the shredded cheese evenly over the top. Repeat with 3 more layers, ending with the last quarter of the bean mixture and then the last 1⁄2 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake the tortilla casserole until it is hot throughout and the top is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let the casserole sit for about 5 minutes, then cut it into wedges using a sharp knife and serve it with a spatula or better yet a pie server. Sprinkle the top with cilantro, if desired, and serve with sour cream and/or salsa on the side, if you like.

Source: Katie Workman's Mom 100 Cookbook