Mexican Tortilla Casserole - Gluten Free

My Mexican Tortilla Casserole is flexible gluten-free dinner. You can change ingredients based on what you have in your pantry and make it your own. It's an easy gluten free meal for you and your family.

When I was a teenager, one of my jobs was helping my Dad do the grocery shopping and cooking dinner on grocery night. When we got home from the grocery store, I would start unloading the grocery bags and he would start up either pizza or a creation we called a tortilla casserole or Mexican lasagne. Once he got dinner into the oven or into the electric skillet, we would begin washing all the produce. My Mom and brother would set the table and do the dishes.

A Mexican Lasagne was an everything but the kitchen sink type of dish. Every tortilla bake had a standard set of ingredients, such as corn tortillas, meat, cheese and salsa. Then the variable ingredients would be things like: beans, red or green salsa, jalapenos, black olives, corn, onions, tomatoes, etc. My Dad liked to wipe out those little bits of leftovers in the refrigerator with this dish.

I make my Mexican casserole in a rectangular baking dish, but you can easily put this into a pie pan for a different presentation.

Recipe

1 package Corn Tortillas
1 to 2 jars of Salsa - Red or Green
10 to 16 oz. Grated Cheese - Cheddar or Monterey Jack

Optional Item Ideas:

Meat - Chicken, Beef, Bison
Beans - Black or Pinto
Fresh Diced Tomatoes
Sliced Black Olives
Corn
Sliced Jalapenos
Diced Onions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease your choice of baking dish.

The tortilla bake is built in layers. Spread a thin layer of salsa over the bottom of your baking dish and place corn tortillas in on top of the salsa making sure to cover the bottom. Spread another thin layer of salsa on top and sprinkle grated cheese over the salsa. Next sprinkle your choice of ingredients, such as - chicken, black beans and onions. Pour salsa over the top of your ingredients and put down another layer of corn tortillas. Continue building the dish in this manner until you have filled your baking dish. The top should be a corn tortilla covered with salsa and other ingredients that will make a nice presentation when you serve it, such as - cheese, olives, onions or diced tomatoes.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with sour cream or guacamole.

I haven't made this dish very much since the kids have gotten a little older. I've tended to stick to meals that I can keep simple for the kids and spice up the same ingredients for the adults. So, I was pleasantly surprised that my children really enjoyed it. My husband and I both enjoyed the dish. Next time I make a Mexican Lasagne, I'll divide the ingredients and make two versions, one mild and one spicy.