New category

I'm going to be posting a series of fast, easy, relatively healthy, and tasty recipes that my family and I commonly eat, all under the label "Mother's Little Helper." (I swear, there aren't any drugs involved, just a lack of sleep causing a bit of a feeling of disassociation from reality.)

First up: Beef enchilada casserole

1 lb extra lean ground beef (90/10 is adequate, 93/7 or higher is better--don't have to drain it)
1 packet taco or enchilada seasoning
1 8-10 oz can of re-fried beans
1 10 oz can of enchilada sauce
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I use the 96% fat free)
1 can condensed fiesta nacho cheese or cheddar cheese soup
1 can corn, drained
1 can ro-tel (any variety)
2 or more cups cheese (cheddar works, as does Mexican blend)
4 cups of crushed tortilla chips

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef in large pot. Mix in seasoning according to directions, then re-fried beans. Mix thoroughly.
3. Remove from heat. Add enchilada sauce, soups, corn, and ro-tel. Mix well.
4. Layer chips, filling mixture, and cheese in a 9x13" baking dish (or a disposable steamer tray pan for less cleanup).
5. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Edit: my husband pointed out that I didn't specify that we do two layers of each ingredient, or that it's as easy to make two as it is to make one, or that they freeze well. If you want to freeze them, though, you need to more than double the cook time--we've found that it takes two hours to bring one from frozen solid to piping hot.