Simple Fare, Fairly Simple

This is one of those casseroles that happen when you look in your cabinet and take out a little bit of everything. I love having extra ingredients in my pantry to do stuff like this. I also love it when my family leaves the dregs of TWO BAGS of tortilla chips for me to either throw away or incorporate into a meal. Today...I chose the second option. I had just enough to put on the bottom of the dish. The rest is the result of scrounging around. I love it when a meal comes together so well without a whole lot of effort, don't you?



Chipotle Beef & Cheddar Casserole



1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion – diced
2 - 3 Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce
1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 2.25-ounce can sliced olives – drained
2 cups shredded cheddar/jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups crushed corn tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Pour crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of the prepared pan.

Saute onion in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink.

In a food processor, pulse the fire roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers and tomato sauce a few times. Don’t blend it to death…you want a few chunks in there.

Pour tomato mixture into pan with meat and stir. Add sliced olives and heat through.

Pour meat mixture on top of crushed tortilla chips then top with grated cheese. Let cook for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 6

Here's what you'll need.

Saute the onions for a bit then add the ground beef and cook that.

Whizz the tomatoes, tomato sauce and 

chipotle peppers for a few seconds.

Then dump that on top of the meat. 

Let it heat through...

...add the olives, too!

Combine it well then pour the meat 

mixture over the crushed up chips in your casserole pan.

Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake and enjoy!!

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