Easy Enchilada Casserole
Serving size: 7
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
FREE OF: gluten, dairy, tomato, coconut, seeds, fish, soy, cauliflower, nut, bean, vegan (option in "alternatives")
Ingredients:
2 boxes Zatar's Spanish Rice
1 box carnitas
Corn tortillas
1 can green enchilada sauce
2 small cans mild green chiles
Half bag vegan cheese
1 bag shredded lettuce
1 can black olives
Corn salsa
Cilantro
Instructions:
Set oven to 425
Follow the instructions for the rice only don't add tomatoes and instead add one small can green chiles
In a small nonstick pan cook the carnitas with 1 cup of water on low/medium heat with the lid on
After a couple minutes shred the meat and mix in 1 small can green chiles then cover back up for a few minutes then turn off
When rice is done, pour into a large casserole pan (we used a glass Pyrex) and spread evenly on bottom
6.Get the corn tortillas, fill the middle with a medium amount (you can see our picture for reference) and fold the sides over
7. Place the folded side down over the rice, make sure that you gently squish them in next to each other so you fit as many as possible
8. SLOWLY pour the enchilada sauce over the top, you can gently nudge the sides of the tortillas so the sauce can seep into the sides (make sure the tortillas are as covered in sauce as much as possible)
9. Sprinkle half a bag of cheese over the top
10. Bake in oven for 20 minutes
11. Take out of the oven, use a spatula to scoop out 2 enchiladas worth at a time with the rice
12. Garnish with as much cilantro, olives, lettuce, and salsa as you would like
13. Enjoy!
Alternatives:
If you're vegan you can just replace the carnitas with shredded jack fruit that's cooked in some taco seasoning or your seasoning of choice. You could use any kind of vegan meat alternative or mushrooms or whatever you'd like but if you're going for the carnitas feel the jack fruit is the best alternative.
Add Options:
Dairy Free Sour Cream
Beans/Re fried beans
Jalapenos
Onions
Cheese
Story behind the recipe:
This is something Allergy Girl came up with on the fly. It's easy, delicious, and pretty fast. Enchiladas can sometimes seem daunting because some recipes have a lot of steps and it just sounds daunting. This one is none of that. It's a throw together kind of thing but it doesn't taste like you put minimal effort.
It's a great recipe for a large family night, a party, or just to meal prep for the week. What's handy about this recipe is that there's nothing in the actual casserole that people won't like and they get to choose their toppings for the picky stuff. Don't like beans? They're not in there. Don't like cilantro? It's on the side. Don't like spicy? Nothing in there is spicy, but you can add toppings that will make it spicy. Don't like sour cream? Not in there either, but you can add it. Worried about too much cheese? There's not much on there to begin with, but you could add more if you're a cheese-o-holic. Fit's for everyone. Easy crowed Pleaser.
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