One of my absolute favorite things is to make a new meal out of leftovers. I have always loved a good challenge!
Last week I made Barbacoa Tacos. (See original recipe here.)
This casserole dish allowed me to use up the Barbacoa beef, the leftover tortilla shells, and some leftover bean dip. And it tasted amazing!
Side note: never in my life have I ever bought & used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Now that I have, I think it’s super weird that this was the first time.
Another side note (AKA Note To Self): they get spicier as they sit.
This casserole was crazy easy. I sprayed my dish with oil spray & then spread the bean dip on the bottom. If you’ve ever made a lasagna & spread the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan, that’s what the bean dip was like. Then I added the Barbacoa evenly over the dip.
Next layer: tortilla shells. I cut them to fit. Keep in mind they don’t have to be perfect. Overlapping is okay. Little gaps are okay. It’s going to be covered with cheese. Cheese fixes everything.
Next layer: shredded cheese. I used a combo of Tillamook medium cheddar & pepper jack cheeses. Another side note: I buy block cheese & shred it at home for 2 reasons. 1) Store bought shredded cheese has strange additives that prevent clumping. 2) You get so much more cheese when you shred your own block.
Next step: repeat layers of Barbacoa, shells, & cheese. Top with fresh cilantro & black olives.
Then bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly & yummy. I topped it with fresh avocado. So so good!
Barbacoa Tortilla Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup bean dip or refried beans
- 2.5 – 3 cups cooked barbacoa beef (or cooked chicken)
- 6-8 whole corn tortillas
- 2-3 cups shredded cheese
- chopped cilantro (optional)
- chopped black olives (optional)
- sliced avocado (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375.Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread beans evenly on the bottom of the dish using the back of a large spoon. Crumble & spread 1/2 of the meat mixture evenly on top of the beans. Lay corn tortillas over the meat mixture, cutting to fit if necessary. (Mine were lightly fried in avocado oil but you can use tortillas that haven’t been cooked. The fried ones give a little more texture to the dish.)Spread 1/2 the cheese evenly over the tortillas. Repeat the layers of meat, tortillas & cheese.Top the cheese with fresh chopped cilantro & some black olives, if you’d like. Bake 30-40 minutes or until it’s bubbly & slightly browned on the top. Serve with sliced avocado on the top.
