Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole

Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make ground beef seasoning, combine 1 teaspoon each of chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

Stem, seed, and finely dice two jalapeño peppers. Dice one yellow onion. Heat a tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced jalapeños and onion, and sauté for about 5-6 minutes until the vegetables soften.

Add 1 pound of ground beef to the skillet, cook until it is no longer pink, and drain any grease.

Add the seasoning and 1/2 cup of water, stirring and cooking until the liquid has evaporated.

Drain and rinse 1 can of black beans, then add them to the skillet. Stir in 1 cup of drained, canned fire-roasted corn, mixing until everything is well combined. Remove from heat.

To prevent sogginess, corn tortillas are naturally absorbent, and if used raw, they can soak up too much enchilada sauce while baking, leaving your casserole mushy. Toast the tortillas in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, cooking each one for 30–45 seconds per side until soft and lightly browned. We have an amazing tortilla recipe with step-by-step instructions and photos, perfect for anyone interested in learning how to make tortillas.

Warm your enchilada sauce before putting together the casserole to eliminate clumps and achieve a smooth, even texture. We also have a fantastic red enchilada sauce recipe for anyone who's interested.

Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce evenly across the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Line the bottom of the dish with 5 corn tortillas, using two whole ones and 3 cut in half and trimmed to fit the dish.

Spread the entire meat filling evenly over the layer of tortillas.

Layer half of the pepper jack cheese over the meat filling, followed by half of the cheddar cheese.

Layer the remaining tortillas over the cheese layers, placing two whole tortillas in the center and three halved tortillas trimmed to fit around them.

Spread the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the tortillas.

Sprinkle all the remaining pepper jack cheese and cheddar cheese evenly over the top of the casserole and add half of the black olives on top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is thoroughly heated. While it bakes, slice the remaining two jalapeños, crumble half a cup of queso fresco, chop one cup of cilantro, dice two tomatoes and one avocado, and prepare some chopped lettuce for serving

Once the Enchilada Casserole is baked, let it cool for 15 minutes before cutting it into your preferred portions. Top it off with fresh cilantro, jalapeño slices, diced avocado, chopped tomatoes, crumbled queso fresco, and the remaining black olives.

Serve with a salad and chips. Enjoy!