Recipe: Mama Anna's Enchilada Casserole

As a mother of an 18 month old, one of my biggest parenting struggles is feeding my little monster while still satisfying my need for a nice dinner. Long gone are the days where I could prepare a leisurely 3 course meal on a weekday. Now on Sundays I cook for ME – but during the week the only thing I crave for dinner is something that is EASY, QUICK, and at the very least EDIBLE (I sometimes fail on this account) by everyone in the house.

Unfortunately, this craving often translates into fish sticks and tater tots for all! This happens more often than I would care to admit, but my resolution this year was to close this restaurant down and NEVER make two separate dinners EVER again. This puts me on the constant hunt for easy recipes that make cavemen of all sizes happy. So who do I turn to? My dear friend Anna. Anna and I met when I first moved to Charlotte, and it was certainly love at first sight. However, she quickly broke my heart when she abandoned me to move to Atlanta. Now we have a long distance relationship – and as long as she keeps supplying me recipes like this one, I will continue to worship at her altar.

Expect more recipes from Mama Anna’s kitchen coming soon. As a wife and mother of three kids ages 7, 5 and 2, you know her recipes have already been proven worthy by some VERY discerning palates. I made this one recently for adults only, and added in some green chiles for additional kick. It was a huge hit, and can be made in advance, which always makes mommy life much easier.

Mama Anna’s Enchilada Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 12 flour tortillas
• 1 cooked rotisserie chicken (will render 2 cups shredded chicken)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese
• Salsa (pick your heat level)

Optional:

• Enchilada sauce
• Green chiles
• Scallions (to garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

In large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups cheese, soup, sour cream and chicken.

Lightly grease a pyrex.

Add a layer of tortillas, followed by the chicken mixture, followed by salsa.

Repeat layers and finish top layer with salsa (or enchilada sauce) and cheese

Garnish with scallions (optional).

Bake 30 minutes.

I serve with homemade guacamole and add Chalula to spice up my portion.

Buen Provecho!

~Elena