One of my January goals is to make at least 2 new recipes. When it comes to cooking, Alex and I are polar opposites. I’m really great when it comes to following directions and he’s really great about looking in our fridge and cabinets and creating some new and wonderful creation. I hope that learning cooking new recipes with new ingredients will help me make those flavor associations and let be more creative in cooking.

I started with an easy recipe – honestly, it kind of felt like cheating because Alex and I had made this once before but, as usually happens when we cook together, he had taken the lead the first time. This time, I wanted to make the whole dish myself.

Tortilla Black Bean Casserole (via Better Homes & Gardens Recipe here)

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1.5 cups chopped green sweet pepper (didn’t have, didn’t use)
• 1-14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• .75 cups picante sauce (used enchilada sauce instead)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-15 oz cans of black beans drained(1 can black beans, .5 can leftover kidney beans)
• 8 oz shredded cheese (used sharp cheddar)
• 12-6 inch corn tortillas (used 3, all we had left)
• leftover cooked chicken

Optional garnishes: shredded lettuce, sliced green onion, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, sour cream

Directions

1. In a large skillet, combine onion, sweet pepper, undrained tomatoes, picante sauce, cumin and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in beans and chicken.
2. Spread one-third of the bean mixture over the bottom of a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Top with 6 tortillas, overlapping as necessary. Cover with half of the cheese. Add another third of the bean mixture, top with tortillas and remaining bean mixture. Cover with second half of the cheese.
3. Bake, covered with tin foil, for 30-35 minutes in 350*. Let stand 10 minutes before eating.
4. If desired, add garnishes.

It ain’t pretty (what casserole is?!) but it was SO easy and tasty! Great for the bitter cold nights we’ve been experiencing in Denver the past few days – this dish is hearty and filling. And – because we used corn tortillas instead of flour, I *believe* this dish is gluten-free. I’m unsure the enchilada sauce I used – I threw the can away so I can’t say if ours was gluten free or not. But you can easily use a gluten free enchilada sauce for a truly gluten free meal.

This came from a recipe book called ‘One Dish Dinners‘ that is full of – you guessed it – easy recipes with minimal clean up. It covers casseroles, soups, crockpot, stirfry, desserts and so much more. I’ve already earmarked a number of interesting and – more importantly – simple recipes in the book for future dinners.

1 recipe down, 1 to go!