Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

It seems like I'm running a day behind this week! I honestly feel like today should be Thursday instead of Friday. Hence the reason I'm posting this recipe today instead of yesterday... Putting the fact that I don't know what day of the week it is aside, let me talk about the recipe that you're about to read. I LOVE it! Seriously, I've started rating recipes on a scale of 1-10... well I do that when I remember. This delightful dish got a rank of 9. I've made it 2-3 times in the past few years and each time I asked Hubby what he'd rate it, he'd say about a 9. I totally agree with him and it is one of our favorites. I just forget about it or we'd have it a LOT more! Do you ever forget about a truly awesome dish you've had?! In a way it is nice because you get to re-discover something great. But on the flip side, I totally was missing out by not having this every week (or month really!)

I hope you all enjoy this as much as we do!

Black Bean & Tortilla Casserole

You'll need 1 cup chopped white (or yellow) onion and 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped.

Place in a skillet with 1 Tbsp oil and saute for 5 minutes.

You'll also need 1/2 cup picante sauce - I like the chunky stuff!

You'll also need 1/2 cup Salsa Verde. Or you can just increase the picante sauce to 1 cup. However, I loved the flavor of the green salsa!

You'll also need 1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes. I used tomatoes with chipolte peppers, but it works well with regular canned tomatoes as well.

Add the salsas and tomatoes to the pepper and onions.

Also, you'll need 2 teaspoons ground cumin. I was talking recently with my best friend about cumin - she's never bought it. I had her smell it and she decided it smelled like taco seasoning. Seriously it does make a HUGE difference when cooking with Mexican/Latin flavors.

Lastly (for now at least), you'll need 2 cloves of garlic.

Mince the garlic and add to the onion and pepper mixture.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Next, you'll need 2 cans (15 ounces) of black beans.

Rinse and drain the beans.

Add the beans to the pan and stir.

Spread 1/3 of the bean mixture over the bottom of a pan.

Use corn tortillas to form a layer over the bean mixture.

Top with 1 cup shredded cheese. I've used Cheddar and Monterey Jack - I did like the Monterey Jack cheese better, but the cheddar works fine.

Repeat layers.

1/3 Bean mixture,

and tortillas. Repeat with remaining bean mixture, tortillas and

sprinkle with a small amount of cheese.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with 1 cup cheese.

Bake for 5 minutes more, uncovered. Remove, let stand for 10 minutes.

Serve with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, fresh cilantro sprigs, green onion and olives.

Enjoy!

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