The Spiced Life

Musings & Recipes From My Kitchen

  • Home
  • About Me
  • FAQ
  • Dishes By Region
  • Archive and Index
  • Creative Cookie Exchange
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / beef / Ground Beef Tortilla Casserole Verde: Cooking on the Fly

Ground Beef Tortilla Casserole Verde: Cooking on the Fly

October 20, 2011 By Laura 6 Comments

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Yummly
  • Twitter
  • Email

I am always so impressed by blogs that are devoted to one thing.  Baking, bread, curries, sandwiches, etc.  It is my understanding from speaking to a publicist that this kind of blog is more likely to be chosen to write a cookbook, as it has a niche, but I am boggled by these writers’ ability to devote themselves to one topic so completely–in the preparing, eating and recipe-writing aspects of blogging.  As I remember I had this problem when contemplating graduate school (as opposed to law school) also.  The idea of committing my research to one era and place in history just seemed so… limiting.

Anyway, I guess I was just thinking about this because I was contemplating the ways in which my blog has evolved over the years. For example, as many of you are aware, now that I am home alone with Sammy baking with children has become a much larger focus of my writing.  Another way in which I am going to try evolving is by not always including a recipe.  Now bear with me, because I know recipes are a huge part of food blogs, but I have been neglecting too many fantastic dishes because I made them freestyle and do not have an exact recipe to provide for you.  To quote my tagline, you might see more “musings” and just a tad less recipes (don’t worry I am not leaving recipes behind completely or anything).  To be honest, if you cook like me–and I know a lot of you do–I suspect you’ll still come away with dinner ideas from my recipe-less posts.  And if you have any questions, just ask.

So about this recipe-less recipe.  I wanted a tortilla casserole, much in the style of this casserole (and if you search under tortilla casserole on this site you’ll find more), but I wanted to use ground beef, much like in a Mexican restaurant’s enchiladas, for ease and just for the sake of trying something different.  So I browned onions, peppers and garlic with ground beef, and added several teaspoons of cumin–any deglazing was done with cider vinegar although in retrospect beer would be nice too.  I did not add any chile powder because I had decided I was going to use tomatillo-based green salsa in this casserole.  I added the salsa to the ground beef along with enough stock to make sure the casserole would not dry out-and tasted, tasted, tasted.  Then, in a large casserole dish, I layered it with corn tortillas, some sour cream, generous handfuls of shredded monterey jack and chopped green onions.  I served the casserole with lime wedges, Tapatio sauce and my mom and sister’s pickled jalapenos (this time they were red), which I looooooove.  It was a big hit with everyone.

Filed Under: beef, casseroles, ground beef, Mexican dishes, tomatillos, tortilla dishes

« S’Mores Bars Take 1: Baking with Sammy
Salted Cacao Nib Brittle »

Comments

  1. Cucina49 says

    October 20, 2011 at 5:36 pm

    This looks really good, and I totally get the “cooking on the fly” concept–unless I’m specifically blogging a recipe, I’m much more likely to play with ingredients and find something I like.

    Reply
  2. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says

    October 20, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    This looks wonderful! Nothing wrong with cooking on the fly! A method is always good!

    Reply
  3. Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says

    October 20, 2011 at 11:40 pm

    Cooking on the fly is never a bad thing because it can often lead to delicious meals just like this one!! I would totally eat this all up!

    Reply
  4. Nava Krishnan says

    October 21, 2011 at 4:44 am

    Its a lovely recipe and do share and cook what you are comfortable about, this makes us unique and different then following the rest who may be already in the league of their own niche.

    Reply
  5. Joanne says

    October 21, 2011 at 6:31 am

    I honestly can’t imagine tying myself into a niche either…I just love too many foods and want to share them all! But a cooking-on-the-fly niche? That’s not really restrictive at all! This sounds like a great casserole!

    Reply
  6. Betty Ann of AsianinAmericamag says

    October 21, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Great recipe! Looks terrific, even if it’s “on the fly” ! And please go ahead and do what makes you happy. The world is limitless….keep cooking about it! Thanks for sharing, Laura!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Instagram
Enter your email here and never miss a post!

Popular Posts

  • Restaurant Style Beef Vindaloo
  • Taralli Dolci di Pasqua (Southern Italian Easter Cookies): #CreativeCookieExchange
  • Mexican Ramen Bowl
  • Moroccan Inspired Couscous Bowl with Ground Beef, Veggies and Caramelized Onions (redux)
  • Grandma’s Beef and Noodles
  • New Orleans Style Pain Perdu (French Toast)
  • Middle Eastern Scrambled Eggs with Meat and Onion: Review of An Edible Mosaic
  • North Indian Baked Eggs: Review of Seven Spoons
  • Goan Influenced Goat Stew in the Slow Cooker
  • Saag Gosht (Beef in Fragrant Spinach Sauce)

Copyright © 2008–2023 The Spiced Life