Baked Mexican Pie

Baked Mexican Pie from Recipe.com
1 pound ground beef
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
2/3 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of onion soup
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
5 (12-inch) flour tortillas
3 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, cook beef with taco seasoning and broth over medium heat; drain. In the same skillet, melt butter. Cook onion, garlic, and green onion in butter until tender. Add green chiles, soup, and meat, stirring well. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel. Lightly spray skillet with cooking spray; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine enchilada sauce and beans, whisking well. In prepared skillet, layer 1 tortilla, half of meat mixture, 1 tortilla, and half of bean mixture. Repeat once more, ending with tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is browned. Garnish with sour cream, chopped green onions, and chopped tomatoes, if desired.

Here's what I started with:

Here's how I did it:

#1 Preheated the oven to 350 degrees.

#2 Browned the ground beef in the beef stock along with the taco seasoning packet.

#3 While the beef was cooking, I chopped up the green onions, garlic and a white onion.

#4 Once the beef was cooked through, I removed it from the cast-iron skillet.  

#5 I melted butter in the skillet and then added the onions and the garlic.

#6 After about 5 minutes, I added the can of chiles and the cream of onion soup.

#7 I mixed it altogether and then poured into a bowl.

#8 I wiped the cast-iron skillet out with a paper towel and sprayed it with cooking spray.

#9 I whisked together the enchilada sauce and the refried beans.

#10 Next, I layed a tortilla in the prepared skillet and then put half of the meat mixture on top.

#10 Next, came half of the enchilada/bean sauce.

#11 Another tortilla, meat and enchilada sauce.  I ended this layering with a tortilla on top.

#11 I covered it with a Pepper Jack mixed cheese and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

The Finished Product:

Review:

I don't know why I continue to make dishes with tortillas in the dish instead of waiting to use the tortillas after the dish is finished and just eating "taco" style.  Once again, no one was fond of the texture of the tortilla once it had been drenched the enchilada and meat mixtures.  The top layer did have a little bit of a firmer texture but I believe that was because the cheese gave it a bit of crunch.

As much as my family likes Mexican, this dish was too spicy for the kids.  I think had I left the diced green chiles out then it would have been better for our family.  Also, I should have had either tortilla chips or at least hard shells taco just to get some type of crunch because it was really runny.

Scott ate his on a soft tortilla with some extra cheese and he said that it actually tasted pretty good.  He would give this dish a 3 but because of all of the steps involved, I will give it a 2.

If you try it and come up with some variations, let me know.

Hope you enjoy!

April

**(2 Stars)--This dish wasn't very good . I don't know if we would be willing to try it again or not.