Sometimes, it's 5:00, there's no time for a trip to the grocery store, and you don't have a dinner planned. Stop! Before you reach for the phone to call for pizza, look again in the pantry. Freezer. Fridge. Consider it a challenge. Forget recipes, and just improvise with what you've got. The results can be surprisingly delicious!
I was recently faced with this situation. I started pulling things out of the fridge, and realized that I had a bunch of leftover ingredients from making quesadillas the week before. But, uh, I didn't want to make quesadillas. We just had quesadillas. So I decided to mix it up a bit. And this is what I came up with. Note: This is not a recipe. This is a general template. Add in whatever vaguely Tex-Mex ingredients you might have on hand. I can assure you, you can not go wrong.
Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Mexican Casserole
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
Pull out any remotely "Mexican" food you might have in the house. I used:
flour tortillas
Mexican rice (Goya brand), cooked
cheddar cheese, grated
sauteed diced bell peppers and onions
corn salsa
tomato salsa
boneless chicken breasts, seasoned and grilled, chopped
a can of black beans, drained and rinsed
frozen corn (thawed)
Lay out the tortillas on the bottom of the pan, and layer the other ingredients on top, adding in at least one more tortilla layer. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, and serve with sour cream and more salsa. It's like a Tex-Mex lasagna. A great way to use up leftovers if, you know, you've made quesadillas recently.
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