Mexican Tortilla Casserole

For my very first official recipe post, I've decided to go with....(drumroll please)...something I can't find the recipe for!

I KNOW. 

But you guys, this was SO. GOOD.  It deserves to be the first thing I post because it was so yummy-noise-inducing, plate-scrapingly delicious.

I got the starter recipe for this in my daily AllRecipes.com email, but, as I am wont to do, I used it more as a starting point than a concrete set of instructions.  There's a decent amount of prep work before this goes into the oven, but I've always enjoyed chopping, dicing, and slicing (now I sound like a serial killer) so I didn't mind it at all.

Mexican Tortilla Casserole

What You'll Need:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with all fat removed cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 can of low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups of medium chunky salsa 
3/4 cup 2% shredded Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
1/4 tsp chili pepper
1 pinch of salt
2 tbsp olive oil (2 swirls from a bottle)
3 low-carb, whole wheat tortillas

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 375F. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat until both the pan and oil are very hot.  Add the chicken and cook for 2 min. until all pieces are white on the outside. Add both the onion and green pepper and cook for another 2 min. until the onions are translucent and the pepper is slightly softened.  Add salsa, tomato and black beans, then cook for 1 min.  Add cumin, salt, black pepper, and chili pepper, and mix all ingredients well to evenly distribute the spices. 

Spoon 1/3 of chicken mixture into a medium casserole dish. Cover with 1 of the whole wheat tortillas and 1/3 of the cheese.  Repeat for second layer.  Add remainder of chicken mixture and finish the casserole by topping with the final tortilla.  Reserve the remaining cheese.  

Bake casserole for 20 minutes.  Add remainder of cheese and bake for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.  The tortilla on top should be slightly crispy to the touch.  Let casserole sit for 2 minutes after removing from oven to allow ingredients to solidify within the dish.  

Prep time: 25 min.
Total time: 50-60 min.

I served this dish with non-fat sour cream on top and corn as a side.  It is extremely filling, so rice would have been a bit of a carb-overload.  The slight heat from the chili pepper and salsa blended well with the coolness of the sour cream and cheese, while the beans and chicken helped prevent the dish from getting too mushy.  This was great when initially served, but was definitely a dish that improved when reheated.  The layers were more clearly defined and the salsa juice had been absorbed, although nothing was soggy.  

You can easily get 5-6 large servings from this dish, and possibly more if you choose to serve smaller portions with more side dish options.  My husband and sister-in-law both paid me the ultimate compliment by making lots of yummy noises and not speaking until their plates were practically scraped clean.  This is great comfort food and a perfect recipe for evenings or weeks when you're short on time!