TGIF friends! We have a delicious weeknight meal to kick of the start of the busiest of all seasons. Yup, it’s officially December, which means the real crazy begins. Typically I don’t start the Thanksgiving countdown til the week before, but Hanukah/Christmas is a whole other ball game. The prep starts now, so the countdown starts now. We are T-minus 12 days to Hanukah, and T-minus 25 days till Christmas. Meaning the nights of easy quick meals are in full swing, which is exactly what this Frito Casserole is. Not only is it quick and easy, it’s a delicious traditional southwestern treat that’s hard not to love.
As the cook in my household, it’s meals like the Frito Casserole that really take the pressure off this time of year. And it can do the same for you. Starting tomorrow, the Holiday shopping begins. Then comes the gift wrapping which can be more time consuming than the actual shopping. And let’s not forget all the Holiday gatherings, which is the fun part of course, but nonetheless time consuming. Throw in all that you have to do on the daily for work and keeping the house in order….it’s exciting and daunting all at the same time.
Just remember to breath, and cut yourself some slack. How do you do that? Time management is key. If you’re anything like me, you could spend hours cooking up some 5-star meal that is always super delicious, but not an efficient use of your time with all that’s going on. And like we mentioned above this Frito Casserole is a great example.
Don’t take our word for it, grab the recipe below and get cookin! So much incredible flavor on a plate, this is certainly a recipe worth repeating. We took this recipe from the “Joy of Cooking” cookbook but changed it up pretty dramatically. If you’re new to the blog check out our Pigs in Potatoes post for more information relating to our endeavor with “Joy of Cooking.” If you’d like to see the original, you can find it on page 491. To finished this post off on a positive note…. Keep calm and add this Frito Casserole to your recipe list.
Quote of the Day: “Nothing says holidays, like a cheese log.” – Ellen DeGeneres
Passive Time | 1 hour |
Servings |
servings
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- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice cooked according to package
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 (1 oz) packet of taco seasoning
- 2 (8 oz) of enchilada sauce
- 1 (15 oz) can of pinto beans
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 4 cups frito chips (either the plan or chili cheese flavor will work great)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- top with chopped green onion (optional)
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the rice according to package.
- While the rice cooks, add ground chicken to a bowl, and season with paprika, package of taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
- In a large skillet, melt butter. Add ground chicken cook for 1 minute, add onion and cook for 1 minute, and then finally add chopped green pepper and simmer until chicken is fully cooked. Set aside.
- Rinse can of pinto beans, set aside.
- In a 9x12 inch casserole dish, create your layers starting with cooked rice, pinto beans, ground chicken mixture, pico de gallo, pour enchilada sauce over entire dish, add cheese, and finally top it off with roughly 4 cups of fritos.
- Cover casserole dish with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
- Add chopped green onion if desired and serve immediately.
Adapted from: "Joy of Cooking" Cookbook; recipe on page 491
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