Ground Beef Sandwich Casserole

Oh my WORD!!!! This was a little bit of heaven in ALL of our opinions.  It is one of those meals that is totally calorie loaded and completely unhealthy, but it is SOOO good.  We use alot of ground meat in our house-pork, beef, deer, moose, etc, so I am always trying to find new recipes to utilize these.  I would never have thought of doing this with any of the ground meet.  Now, it is for sure a keeper and a one we will repeat.  This recipe was originally from Grandma Loy's Kitchen but has been re-adapted several times.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (or whatever your ground meat preference is)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp oregano
• 10 slices of bread cut in half (I had to use 12 to cover my pan)
• 1 carton Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cooking Creme, Herb and Garlic (I couldn't find this particular flavor but I used the Herb and Cheese or something like that...it was great!)
• 3 cups shredded cheese, mozzarella or whatever is on hand
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 X 13 pan with parchment paper (I just sprayed my pan). Set aside.
2) In a sauce pan, cook and stir the ground beef, onion & garlic powder, and oregano until beef is cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
3) Toast all of the bread in a 350 oven till dry but not burnt - a cookie sheet works well for this (I did this while the meat was cooking).
4) Place 5 of the halved bread slices (10 halves total) on the bottom of the prepared 9 X 13 pan and cover with all of the cooking creme.
5) Then top as follows: cooked ground beef, 1/3 of the cheese, all the spaghetti sauce a 1/3 more cheese then top with remaining 5 of the halved bread slices (10 halves total).
6) Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes....then sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and the Parmesan.
7) Bake again for 15 to 20 minutes or till nice and brown.
8) Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Potato & Smoked Sausage Casserole

We ALL loved this one.  The little "big" 4-year old inhaled it.  I don't know if it was all the super yummy, yet so unhealthy cheese or if it was smoked sausage, but this casserole definitely disappeared and we will definitely be having it on the menu again.  Again, it is fairly easy to put together.  Please notice my "notes" at the bottom as I did make changes to this recipe. 

Here is what you will be needing:

• 3 cups Idaho potatoes, peeled, cubed
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, diced
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 lb skinless smoked sausage 
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

1) Boil peeled and cubed potatoes until just barely tender (in pasta cooking, they use the term al dente).  Drain off the water.
2) While they are cooking, cut the smoked sausage into half moon shapes (if you want-otherwise just slice them up) and then brown them in a skillet.
3) In a saucepan, melt butter.  Whisk in flour to form a roux.  Add in milk, salt, and pepper and whisk until it just starts to thicken.  Add in the cheese and stir until melted.
4) When everything is prepped, add the sausage and the potatoes to the a 2-quart casserole dish or pan.  Mix together a little.  Pour the cheese sauce mix over the top.  Sprinkle paprika over top. 
5) Bake 35-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Notes:
1-If you are using precooked smoked sausage, you can skip the browning part to save time and dishes.
2-I personally can NOT stand Velveeta.  So I used 1/2 pound of cheddar and probably about 1/4 pound of Swiss cheese-just because that is what I had in the fridge.  I also think that you could use whatever cheese or cheese blend that you wanted-as long as it melts good...Some cheeses just don't melt too well.
3-I forgot to set the oven timer and then I got busy talking to the hubby and paying bills.  Anyway, it did NOT burn but the paprika got a little dark. :)

Chicken Spaghetti

This one is from boomerbrief.com.  Another one that we ALL fell in love with.  The picture is not the best, but it tastes great!

Here is what you need:

• 8 ounces angel hair pasta
• 2 cups chopped, grilled chicken or 1 large can of chicken
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup (98% fat free or regular)
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of chicken soup (98% fat free or regular)
• 1 can (10 ounces) Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• 8 ounces sour cream
• Sprinkling of Parmesan or Mexican-blend cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Boil pasta as package directs and drain. Mix all other ingredients (except cheese), add to cooked pasta and put in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with your choice of cheese and return to oven to melt.

 

Enjoy with yummy bread or a salad!

Beef and Bean Taco Casserole

This recipe is stolen from sixsistersstuff.com.  I LOVE their site.  A LOT of my cooking ideas come from these incredible ladies.  On their site, they introduce this casserole as "all the goodness of a taco in an easy to make casserole."  I agreed and Dale actually hates the crunchy tacos, so this was a WIN for us because I finally got the "crunchy" taco :)

Here is what you need:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 can (16 ounce) refried beans
• 1 jar (16 ounce) salsa
• 1 package (1 ounce) taco seasoning mix
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 medium green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• see savings
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
• 1 cup shredded lettuce

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in refried beans, salsa, and taco seasoning mix. Reduce heat to medium. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
2) In greased/sprayed 2-quart casserole or 9x13, place 2 cups of the broken tortilla chips. Top evenly with beef mixture. Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions, 1 cup of the tomato, the cheese, and olives.
3) Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Top baked casserole with lettuce, remaining 1/2 cup tomato, and remaining 1/2 cup tortilla chips.

Very basic and very easy and very tasty!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Like my post on chili rellenos, I LOVE chicken cordon bleu but I never want to take the time or effort to make it.  So, I came across this recipe from organizeyourstuffnow.com and thought sure! If this works out, I will have all the super awesome greatness of chicken cordon bleu in an easy casserole.  So I HAD to try it.  Everyone loved this one, including the picky little man.

Here is what you need:

• 2 cups COOKED rice
• 3 cups COOKED chicken, cubed
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 10 slices of ham
• 2 Cans cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 1/2 Cup sour cream
• 1/2 Cup crushed saltines (I used Ritz)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp parsley

Directions:
1) In a bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soups, milk, and sour cream.  Set aside.
2) In a small bowl or bag, mix together the crushed crackers, paprika, garlic, and parsley.  Set aside.
3) Preheat oven to 350.  Grease/spray 9x13 dish.  Layer 1: Spread cooked rice in dish.  Layer 2: Put chicken on top of rice. Layer 3: Layer the Swiss cheese on top of chicken. Layer 4: Place the ham on top of Swiss cheese. Layer 5: Pour the soup mixture over the other layers. Layer 6: Spread the cracker mixture over the soup mixture.
4) Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chili Rellenos Casserole

I love Mexican Food.  I know I have mentioned that at least 100 times before.  I have never attempted to make chili rellenos before but I have ordered them/it (not sure if it is singular or plural) at restaurants before.  The main reason why I have never attempted chili rellenos at home is because I am a lazy cook.  I love cooking, but things that I perceive hard or taking alot of time, just don't happen.  So, I cam across this recipe from the Green Cattle Blog and thought, what the heck?  If I can get all the chili rellenos flavor and taste in a casserole, great! A further bonus is that I still had some super awesome large Anaheim Green Chili peppers frozen from last year's garden, so I figured that I could swap them in for the canned whole chili peppers.  Fabulous!

Here is what you need:

• 1 lb. beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cans whole green chilies
• 1 can green chilies, chopped
• longhorn cheese (I just used plain cheddar)
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup flour
• red pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375. Brown meat and onion. Add salt and pepper and about 1 T. of red pepper (use less if you like a more mild "zing"). In a casserole dish, place whole green chilies on the bottom (cut open so they lay flat-at least that is what I did).

2) Top the chilies with cheese.  Then top the cheese with meat. Then top the meat with another layer of cheese. Then top with chopped green chilies (I personally think that the green chilies can be mixed in with the beef while it is cooking).

3) In a bowl, beat the eggs.  Add in the milk and flour and beat until well mixed.  Pour over the casserole.

4) Bake for 50 minutes-25 uncovered and 25 covered. 

 

Enjoy!

Wild Rice Hamburger Casserole

This is just one of those comfort foods.  It probably really isn't too healthy with the cream soup, sour cream, and cheese, but all the fresh veggies make it full of flavor.  We enjoyed this dish even though it is very basic.  One side note though...Wild rice takes a while to cook and this recipe is supposed to bake an hour, so if you don't have a rice cooker, you can except to be "cooking" for a couple hours.  I cooked my rice on the stove top during lunch and then just added it to the casserole precooked and cold.  Saved me some time on the preparation side.  Anyway, this recipe is from grouprecipes.com.  It was not one that RJ liked because of the mushrooms and celery and jalapeno.  But we liked it :)

Here is what you need:

3/4 c. wild rice

1 lb. hamburger

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. celery, chopped fine                                                 

1 jalapeno pepper (optional)                                                 

1 cup sour cream

1/2-1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 can cream of mushroom

1/2 - 3/4 can milk (I did use the mushrooms and since they had liquid, I choose not to add the milk)

1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms, undrained (optional)                                                 

1/2 c. grated Swiss cheese

1/2 - 1 tsp seasoned salt (or any spices you prefer)

Directions:
1) Cook rice in salted water until grains pop or how you prefer your wild rice. (We like ours kind of chewy.) Drain and rinse. Put in strainer.--Again, I did this before hand.
2) Saute hamburger until brown. Add remaining ingredients. Stir in wild rice.
3) Spray casserole dish with canola or olive oil. Add rice and hamburger mixture. Sprinkle cheese over top. (I am actually going to add cheese into the actual casserole while it is in the skillet cooking)
4) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cover for half the time so it does not dry out. (I actually kept it covered 45 minutes.)

Pizza Casserole

This casserole was quite a yummy twist on pizza.  I like the fact that it had all the pizza flavor with without the usual "pizza."  It is hard to describe, but the important thing is that we all LOVED it.

Here is what you need:
1 Bag Egg Noodles, cooked
1 large can/bottle Spaghetti Sauce (maybe slightly more
3 Cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 lb sausage or hamburger
1 package pepperoni

1) Preheat oven to 350 and grease/spray 2 qt casserole or 9x13 pan.
2) Layer 1: Just enough sauce to cover the bottom.  Layer 2: 1/2 of cooked noodles.  Layer 3: 1/2 of ground meat.  Layer 4: 1/2 of remaining sauce.  Layer 5: 1/2 of cheese.  Layer 6: Rest of ground meat. Layer 7: Rest of sauce.  Layer 8: Rest of cheese.  Layer 9: Top with pepperoni.
3) Cover and bake for 30.  Remove the cover and back for 15 additional minutes.
4) Let sit for 10 minutes and serve and enjoy!

Cheesy Cracker Barrel Brunch Casserole

Another "breakfast for dinner" meal that was super easy and super fast and super yummy! Again, I can take zero credit for this recipe as I am stealing it from Pinterest. We LOVE egg casseroles at our house, but we just don't have time to do actual breakfast meals for breakfast, so we do a LOT of breakfast for dinners. I have also tried a LOT of egg casseroles. This one, for its simplicity, has been the best. RJ had 2 servings!!!! (huge for my non-egg eating boy!)

Here are the basic and simple ingredients:

4 Cups Croutons (your pick on kind)

1/2 Cup diced ham (I honestly eyeballed it)

12 oz sharp Cheddar Cracker Barrel Cheese, shredded (I didn't use...I don't like sharp)

8 Eggs (I used 10)

4 Cups Milk (I used 3 since I used more egg)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion salt or powder

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp pepper (I never measure my spices either)

1) Heat oven to 325. Spread croutons in the bottom of a greased 9x13.

2) Evenly scatter diced ham and shredded cheese on top of croutons (which is why I eyeballed the "1/2 cup" stated above)

3) In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and the spices and mix. Pour over the croutons, ham, and cheese in pan.

4) Bake for 40-45 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes.

5) Serve and enjoy with Salsa and/or additional cheese, if desired.

Makes 8-10 servings

Note: I also think that it would be super easy and yummy to substitute sausage or crumbled bacon in for the ham, or if you are feeling "meaty" do a mix.

Additional Note: I have discovered when I start a blog post on my phone and then finish it on the computer that the formatting does weird things. I have yet to discover if there is a fix for this. I apologize for any oddness in the format of the post.

Spicy Shrimp and Pasta Casserole

So, if you don't like shrimp or seafood, don't stop reading! We love shrimp and seafood and I am always looking for new ways and ideas to prepare it, AND most of them you can totally substitute chicken in for the shrimp. This is one of those...therefore, be happy you kept reading.

If you like spice, shrimp (chicken), and pasta, this is a VERY delicious meal. We LOVED it, and it was VERY filling. It is one of the few casseroles that when made in a 9x13, we actually had enough for an entire second meal.

Here is what you need:
2 lbs shrimp, cleaned, peeled and deveined (frozen "preready" shrimp works too)
16 oz of salsa
9 oz Angel hair pasta (about 3/4 of box)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp red pepper
1/3 Cup chopped parsley
1/3 Cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 cup Swiss cheese (I used mozzarella)
1 Cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 Cup half & half
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Monterrey Jack cheese, grated (I used a Colby jack blend)

1) Preheat oven to 350. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions and drain. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, half & half, yogurt, Swiss, feta, parsley, basil, and oregano. Mix until well blended. Set aside.
2)Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Spread half of pasta in the bottom. Cover the pasta with the salsa, 1/2 the shrimp, and then cover it with the Monterrey Jack cheese.
3) Add the remaining pasta and then the remaining shrimp. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes.

Serve and Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Pasta

We are huge fans of pasta and casseroles at our house. They may not be the healthiest food option, but they are cheap, fast, easy, and make more than one meal. In addition to these advantages, my 3 year old LOVES pasta and casserole, so making them ensures that he eats.

This one is a fast and simple dish. According to the cookbook that I took it out of, it serves 6 to 8. I doubled the sauce and pasta part of the recipe and filled a 9x13 casserole dish, so I am not sure what the book constitutes a serving. Just an FYI.

This casserole is a variation of homemade Hamburger Helper, so even if it is unhealthy, I know that it has a TON less salt then the store bought kind and probably a lot more flavor. This is just my rant. I have actually never bought or used a Hamburger Helper, so I don't really know if it is healthy at all or not. I will just be quiet and post the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground hamburger, or turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 oz dried bow tie pasta (or your favorite of choice)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1-8 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped tomato (optional)
pickles (optional)

1) Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and Rinse.
2) While the pasta cooks, brown the meat and onion in a skillet. When done, drain any excess fat. Add the cheese soup, tomato sauce, and mustard to the beef. Mix over heat until the mixture is creamy.
3) Mix together the sauce and the drained pasta and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish.
4) Bake, covered, at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove and top with shredded cheese. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes until cheese melts.
5) Serve, topped with tomato and pickles if desired.

Yum!

Chicken with black beans and rice

Lately, I have been going through one of my cookbooks. All the recipes are supposed to be one-dish meals and able to be made in 30 minutes or less with the exception of the crockpot recipes. I have had fun trying new things from a new cookbook again.

This recipe was extremely simple but extremely delicious. Though we did not eat it this way, I think that it would be fabulous served on tortillas making it a chicken, rice, and bean taco.

Here's is what you need.
1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
2 tbsp oil
1 package Spanish rice mix (I think if you have a homemade version, it would be great too)
1 3/4 Cup Water
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-14.5 oz can diced tomato, undrained
Sour cream (optional)
Sliced green onion (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)

1) Brown the chicken in 1 Tbsp of oil. Remove chicken from skillet.
2) Add the last 1 tbsp oil and rice mix. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in rice seasoning mix, water, beans, and tomatoes. Add the chicken. Bring to boil. Simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is done.
3) If desired, serve with sour cream, green onion, and lime wedges.

We also served ours with cheese on top.

Lazy Day Casserole

This is a great one for breakfast or for dinner. We enjoyed it for dinner. I admit that when I preview some recipes, I sometimes crinkle my nose at either the ingredients or method of preparation. THIS was one such recipe. The ingredients were fine, but I couldn't fathom using bread the way they called for it. That being said, I am glad I gave it it a try. This yummy breakfast/dinner dish will definitely be a keeper at our house (sorry no pics again).

Here is what you need:
1/2 pound day old French Bread, sliced (I got mine off the "discount" rack at walmart)
1 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled
8 Eggs
2 Cups milk
1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz sliced Swiss cheese (I used cheddar)
1/4 Cup fresh parsley (I used dried)

1) Preheat oven to 350. Spray down a 9x13 pan. Line the bottom of the pan with the bread slices.
2) Sprinkle cooked sausage over the bread.
3) Beat eggs, milk, and pepper together in a bowl. Pour over the sausage and bread. Using a spatula, press down the bread to absorb the egg mixture.
4) Top with cheese and parsley.
5) Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. (I think mine was about 40 minutes.)

Appx. 8 servings

Deviled Chicken Divan Casserole

Like Chicken? Like Broccoli? Like Mustard sauces? Then this is a GREAT recipe! My family (even my 2 year old) LOVED it.

4 Chicken Breast
1 Tbsp Thyme
1 Juice from Lemon
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 Cup chicken broth or stock
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I used stone ground)
3 Tbsp sour cream
20 oz frozen broccoli (I think fresh would work too)
Lemon peel
2 tsp Hot Sauce (more or less--suit your taste buds)
2 Cups shredded cheese (more or less if you want)

1) Cook Broccoli in boiling water with lemon peel until heated through...don't over cook. Drain when finished. Preheat broiler.
2) Season the chicken with thyme, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. (I just placed them on in my skillet together). Cook until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet and place in baking pan.
3) Turn up the heat on the skillet and chicken broth and mustard. Whisk well. Bring to a boil and then simmer. While simmering, add the sour cream and hot sauce and whisk. Cook about 2 minutes until sauce is blended and slightly thickened.
4) Place drained broccoli over the chicken in baking dish. Pour sauce over it. Spread with cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

Family Favorite Casserole

...That is the official title anyway. I would have personally named it something like "homemade hamburger helper". But whatever, I don't pick the names; I just cook them and eat them. As usual Sundays and Thursdays are crockpot cooking days for our family due to our crazy schedules on those days. So, I found this recipe and gave it a try this past Thursday.


Here is what you need.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I used 3/4 to 1 lb since we have a small family)
1 onion (I used minced)
1 1/2 Cups diced potatoes (I used 3 medium)
1 1/2 Cups sliced carrots
1 1/2 Cups peas
1 1/2 Cups maccarroni (added at the end before serving)
1 Can cream of celery, chicken, OR mushroom soup
1/2 lb shredded cheese
2 Cups milk
-Seasonings to taste

1) Cook ground beef on stove until brown. Drain off grease.
2) Line or spray slow cooker. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker except maccaroni.
3) Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4 hours. (I cooked mine on low for 1.5 hour and then high 2.5 hours--but I am home during the day and realized the carrots and potatoes were still crunchy)
4) 10 or 15 minutes before serving, cook maccaroni. Drain. Add it to the slow cooker and mix it in.
5) Serve with additional cheese, if desired.

We really really enjoyed this meal and I guarantee we will be having it again. I also love that it is a recipe that you can swap things...for example, don't like peas? throw in corn! or whatever:) I did use fresh carrots but I think that any frozen vegetable will work too.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Sorry, I don't have a picture for this one...We ate it all before I even had a chance to think about taking a picture. It really was super yummy though. Here is what you need:

4 medium potatoes, chicken breasts-(I used 3 small ones), 1 ham steak, cut into strips or cubes OR 1/2 package of cubed ham, salt, pepper, parsley, other seasonings you may want

1) Peel and dice potatoes. Place in pot and boil them until tender. Preheat oven broiler to High. 2) While potatoes are boiling, cook chicken. Once chicken is cooked, cut it into strips or cubes. 3) Add ham to the chicken and heat all together. Season with salt, pepper, parsley, or whatever your taste buds are. 4) Once the potatoes are tender, drain and mash. (I mashed mine with a mushroom sauce, but you can use milk, butter, sour cream, half and half, heavy cream---whatever or however you normally mash them.) 5)Place potatoes in a medium casserole. Top with ham and chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Place in oven 2 or 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. 6) Enjoy!

Serves 4.

Ok, I have tried edited this 20 different times and it still reverts to paragraph form instead of a list. I am so sorry it is hard to read.

Baked Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Tonight for dinner I made this yummy chicken enchilada casserole. I posted it A LONG time ago on my personal blog, but I thought I would share it again. This is my ALL TIME favorite recipe.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 small bag of taco/nacho Doritos
1 small chicken, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup (if you don't like mushroom, use 2 chicken soups)
1 Cup chicken broth
1 can green chilies
shredded cheese

#1) Spray a 9 x 13 pan. And preheat oven to 350.
#2) Crush chips and spread in the bottom of the pan.
#3) Spread shredded chicken over chips.
#4) Spread chilies over the chicken.
#5) Combine soups and broth in a bowl. Mix together. Pour over the chicken and chilies in the pan.
#6) Sprinkle cheese (desired amount) evenly over the soup mixture.
#7) Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

TWEAKS...I did not have Doritos. I used regular tortilla chips. I also did not crush them; I just layered them in the bottom of the pan. I also used 2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded instead of a whole chicken. You can also use 2 cans of canned chicken breast. When combining the soups and broth, I added about a 1/4 cup taco seasoning (making up for not having Doritos). Add more or less depending on your families "spicy" taste.

Additional note--I also double the recipe and make 2 layers in the pan (like a lasagna). I have never had it this way, but I am POSITIVE that you can use cooked ground beef in place of the chicken and make a Beef Enchilada Casserole instead.

I served this with nice huge healthy salads and corn. Dale chose to use his casserole as a dip for additional tortilla chips. Either way, it was SOOO GOOD!