Beef & Rice Enchilada Bake

I'm pretty sure my family could eat Tex-Mex just about every night of the week. I was trying to think of something to make the other evening that didn't use tortillas, because I didn't have any in the pantry. We had just come off of our busy weeks of cooking and going to the grocery store was not something I felt like doing. Thinking about my Enchilada Casserole I wondered if I could do something with rice. I make a Cheesy White Mexican Rice, which I'll have to share with you sometime, and I thought it might be tasty to combine the elements of these dishes into a layered Tex-Mex "lasagna" type dish. This is what I came up with, and we found it pretty tasty.

I kept the "base" recipe very basic, made with ingredients that are very kid friendly, and with items usually found in my pantry. The garnishes are where you can go crazy. Just pull out what you happen to have on hand and serve them on the side so everyone can personalize the dish to their liking. What if you don't have all of those ingredients and you don't want to go to the store? Well, that's the beauty of this dish, the "base" recipe is great just how it is. 

Beef & Rice Enchilada Bake

2  cups converted rice (Uncle Ben's recommended)
4 1/2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 pounds ground beef 
1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon) 
1  package taco seasoning, or 3-4 tablespoons of homemade, find our recipe here.
2  cans (10 ounces) Enchilada Sauce
1  cup cottage cheese
1  cup sour cream
2  cups (8 ounces) Colby/Jack cheese
2  cups (4 ounces) Fritos, crushed

Optional Garnish:
Green Onions
Black Olives
Tomatoes
Minced Cilanto
Sour Cream
Salsa

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth and the rice to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes until cooked. When cooked, remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, brown the ground beef over medium heat with the onion and garlic. When finished, drain off any grease. Reduce the heat to low and sprinkle with the taco seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes to allow the spices to "bloom". Add the enchilada sauce and continue cooking a few minutes for flavors to blend.

When the rice is done resting, fluff with a fork. Stir the cottage cheese and sour cream into the rice.

In a greased 9 x 13" dish, put 1/2 of the rice mixture in the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/2 of the beef sauce and 1/2 of the Colby/Jack cheese. Repeat layers using the remaining rice mixture, beef mixture and shredded cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the crushed Fritos. Return to the oven and continue baking for 10 minutes until bubbly and the topping is lightly browned.

Garnish with desired toppings.

Enjoy!

Kim

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