Mexican Potato Casserole

If you have a meat-and-potatoes man to feed like I do, sometimes meals can become a little mundane:

Meat potatoes gravy.

Meat-potatoes-gravy.

Chicken, potatoes, gravy.

So a dish like this is just what I needed to shake things up.  It’s meat, it’s potatoes, it’s hidden veggies, it’s Mexican, it’s awesome!

I bet you were so dazzled by the potatoes, corn, tomatoes, green chilies, beans, and beef that you didn’t even notice the celery huh?  Cha-Ching, that’s right celery.

This really is how I get my kicks.  It makes me want to laugh manically – muwahahahahaaaaa.
Tasty and filling, this recipe is sure to please and can easily be adapted* for your dietary needs.

Mexican Potato Casserole

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 med coarsely chopped onion
• 2 celery stalks, sliced lengthwise and then into thin pieces
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15 oz) can fiesta corn (that’s the corn with peppers in it), drained
• 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
• dash pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 4 small-med potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced in circles
• 1 c. sharp cheddar cheese

Begin by cooking the beef, celery, and onion until browned in the biggest skillet you have. Drain excess fat/juices.  Add the garlic and spices, cook for about 1 minute.  Next stir in the tomatoes and corn, heat through.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13×9 in baking pan with a little cooking spray.  Layer sliced potatoes until the pan is coated, then top potatoes with half the beans, half of the meat mixture and half of the cheese.  Repeat layers again.  Cover the dish tightly with tin foil and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.  Serve with sour cream if desired.

Some Adaptaions:

• Vegetarian: loose the beef and add more beans.
• Meat Lovers: up the hamburger to 1 lbs.
• Dairy free/lower-cal:  don’t use cheese, it softens up so much during baking that you really can’t notice it any way.