First off, here are the ingredients you'll need...
4 cups Unprepared Rice
6 cups (to 8 cups) Low Sodium Chicken Broth
4 whole (to 8) Tomatoes (your choice) ~ (I used 4 Roma tomatoes)
2 whole (to 3) Onions (your choice) ~ (I used 1/2 of an onion)
8 cloves (to 14 cloves) of Garlic (your choice) ~ (I used 7 cloves of garlic)
Taco seasoning (or chili powder, paprika, & cumin) to taste
1 can (to 2 cans) Black or Pinto Beans (your choice) ~ (I used 1 can of black beans)
3 lbs Lean Ground Beef ~ (I cooked 1 lb of ground beef)
2 jars (16 oz) Salsa Verde
Flour Tortillas
3 pkgs (16 oz) Mexican Cheese Blend ~ (I used 1 pkg of Mexican Cheese Blend & 1 of Cheddar melt topping cheese...it was cheaper)
1 jar (16 oz) Enchilada Sauce
3 cans Corn, drained ~ (I accidentally bought creamed corn. It still worked out.)
Sour Cream, to taste
Cilantro, to taste
Butter
Start by cooking the rice with chicken broth. Once prepared, salt to taste. (I used low sodium chicken broth and didn't salt the rice after it cooked and it was fine.) Chop up tomatoes, onions, and garlic as small as you'd like.
Saute in a pan with a tablespoon of butter. Add approximately 3 tablespoons of chili powder, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of paprika & cumin. (I didn't use as much of the spices since I didn't use the recommended amount of onion, garlic, & tomato) Stir until combined. If you like beans, add them to the mixture. Don't worry about draining them. Just add the can. (I decided to be adventurous and added black beans. I highly recommend it.)
Mix the finished rice with the tomato, onion, & garlic mixture (and beans, if you decided to go the adventurous route).
Brown the ground beef, then add 3 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons of paprika and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cumin and salt (to taste) with 4-6 oz of water to give the beef a taco flavor. (Again, I didn't use as much of the spices because I didn't cook the recommended 3 lbs of ground beef... 1 lb was more than enough for me.)
Spread one container of salsa verde in the bottom of a large casserole or baking dish. Place tortillas to cover the salsa verde. Overlapping is inevitable. Put half of the rice mixture on top of the tortillas and spread it out. Layer half the cheese on top of the rice. Add another layer of tortillas on top of the cheese layer. Pour the entire can of enchilada sauce on top. Add ground beef on top of the sauce. Add 3 cans of corn (drained) on top of meat. (I only added 1 can of corn. As mentioned earlier, I accidentally bought creamed corn. Luckily, it worked out alright in the end.) Add remaining rice mixture and follow it with the remaining jar of salsa verde. Add the rest of the cheese to the top. Feel free to sprinkle taco seasoning or cayenne pepper on top.
**When a recipe states that you use a large casserole or baking dish, there needs to be clarification of what their definition of "large" is. I used what I considered to be a "large" dish, a standard 9x13 pan, and to my dismay, it wasn't deep enough. My lasagna made it to the corn stage, but the pan was almost overflowing. I added a tiny bit more rice with the corn and then sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top. If I'd added the remaining jar of salsa verde, my lasagna would've overflowed out of the pan. Yikes!
If you end up with a pan as overloaded as mine, you may want to line your lowest oven rack with aluminum foil. I'm thankful I did, because my delicious dinner did overflow out of the pan and the foil saved me from having to clean sauce and cheese off of my oven.
Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes, until cheese has melted and browns. Serve with sour cream and cilantro. Enjoy the deliciousness! I know I did!
I can tell this recipe is going to be added to list of favorites. If you try this recipe, let me know what you think!
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