Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Whenever we get a little bit bored with our current meal rotation, I know that it’s time to bring out this delicious chicken enchilada casserole.

It’s not health food, but I did cut way back on the Monterey Jack cheese and used light sour cream and cottage cheese. You couldn’t tell at all. Two thumbs way up!

I started with this recipe & then went my own way and customized it to our tastes. It’s so tasty and my whole family loved it!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (I used yellow)
2 chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 (7oz) can chopped green chile peppers, undrained
1 pkg taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup lite sour cream
1 cup 1% cottage cheese
12 6-in corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or to taste)
~1/2 jar of red enchilada sauce (may also be ~ 1 can)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Prepare chicken mixture first: Heat oil in skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken, onions and bell peppers. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until browned.

Add taco seasoning and water. Cook for 2 more minutes.

For cheese mixture: Mix cottage cheese and sour cream in a bowl. Season with salt & pepper if desired.

Use a 9X13 baking dish (or similar). Spoon some enchilada sauce into the bottom and spread around. This will keep your casserole from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Layer 4 tortillas onto the sauce. I kept 2 whole & then ripped the other two up to completely cover the bottom.

Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture onto the tortillas. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the chicken. You can layer some Monterey Jack cheese here too but I forgot (and it still tasted great).

Layer another 4 tortillas as before. Layer the rest of the chicken and then the rest of the cheese mixture.

Grate some Monterey Jack cheese on top. Another layer of 4 tortillas, then enchilada sauce with shredded cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes: The first time I made this, I found that it needed the smallest sprinkle of salt at the table. In addition, Evan found it just a little bit too hot so I decreased the taco seasoning to about 1/2 a package. Experiment a little if needed to make it perfect for your family!