Enchilada Casserole

I made this for the first time a year or two ago. We enjoyed it, but it was one of those recipes that got shoved into the recipe pile and hasn't been revisited since. I'm not even sure where the recipe came from. It's something I jotted down on a couple of post-it notes!

Earlier this week, when I was trying to come up with a meal that could be prepared ahead and would travel well, this popped into my mind. We wanted to bring dinner and dessert to Michael's sister and her family when we drove down to meet our newest baby nephew. This enchilada casserole was the perfect solution.

I didn't get any good pictures of it after it was baked, so the ones I snapped last night after we assembled it will have to suffice. It's super easy and didn't take long at all to prepare. We stored it overnight in the fridge, then baked it at my sister-in-law's today. The result was a tasty meal with just the slightest amount of kick to it. It is a bit "soupy," however. It doesn't hold together well like other casseroles and lasagnas. We like to serve it topped with lettuce, and just eat it as is. Maybe it could also even be served over rice? Give it a try and see what you think.

Enchilada Casserole
(Source: Unknown)

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 cans enchilada sauce
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans refried beans
6-8 tortillas (8-10" ones are best)
10-12 oz. cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Brown ground beef and drain if necessary. Add enchilada sauce and cream of chicken soup into the beef.

2. In a 9" x 13" pan, begin by tearing tortillas to fit on the bottom of the pan. On top of the tortillas, spread one of the cans of refried beans. Top that with half of the beef/sauce mixture. Sprinkle liberally with cheese. Add another layer of tortillas, the other can of refried beans, the rest of the sauce mixture, then more cheese. Top the casserole with one more layer of tortillas and a bit more cheese.

3. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.