Salsa Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

16 oz. jar thick and chunky salsa

1/2 pkg. chicken taco seasoning

8 oz. brick cream cheese, room temperature

10-12 corn tortillas

Shredded cheese
Sliced Olives (optional)

Spray the inside of crockpot with cooking spray and add chicken. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa over top. Cook on high/low at least 6 hours. About 30 minutes before you finish cooking remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Stir softened cream cheese into sauce in the crockpot. Set aside about 1/2 cup sauce. Return chicken to crockpot and allow to finish cooking. Spread half of reserved sauce onto bottom of a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas and roll. Place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce and any leftover chicken mixture over top of enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees 20-30 minutes or until hot through. Remove foil and sprinkle cheese and olives over top. Bake uncovered 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

I have no memory of exactly where I found this recipe, but it was the result of an exhaustive online search many years ago. It's surprisingly similar to my Mexican Casserole, but made with chicken. Delicious!

1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup grated cheese
tortilla chips, crushed

In a non-stick pan, stir fry chicken chunks until cooked through. Stir soups and tomatoes together in a medium bowl. Spray a 13x9x2 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and cover the bottom with tortilla chips. Place chicken over tortilla chips and then spread soup mixture over chicken. Sprinkle top with cheese. Bake at 350ºF for 30-45 minutes or until hot through and bubbly.

Enchilada Casserole

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo so I thought it was only fitting I post a Tex-Mex recipe. I don't remember where this recipe came from, but it's always a popular dish. This is what we'll have for our "fiesta" tomorrow night, served with cole slaw and pinto beans. Olé!

1 lb. ground beef
1 small chopped onion
Cumin, garlic, salt and pepper to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can sliced black olives, drained
Flour tortillas
Mexican cheese blend

Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Brown ground beef, onion and spices in a skillet and drain. Stir together soup, chilies, enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Line dish with flour tortillas. Layer half of beef mixture, half of soup mixture and half of cheese. Repeat layers except cheese. Cover and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Update: The ingredient list has been corrected to include the tomato sauce.

Turkey Sour Cream Enchiladas

I came up with this recipe a few years ago when I was desperate for something different to do with an excess of leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Now it's a staple and I sometimes use chicken when I don't have turkey.

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 oz. diced green chilies
8 oz. sour cream
2 cups shredded, cooked turkey
corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

Blend soups, chilies and sour cream to make a sauce. Put half of sauce mixture into a bowl and stir in turkey. Place 1/4 cup (more or less) onto one end of a warmed corn tortilla and roll. Place seam side down in 13x9x2 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Continue until pan is full. Pour reserved sauce over enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350ºF. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned and sauce is hot and bubbly.

Mexican Casserole

Just seeing the name of this recipe makes me want some! This is the same recipe my mother has been preparing for as long as I can remember. She has tweaked it over the years, but I'm still faithful to the original because I love it so.

2 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbl. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
1/4 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese
tortilla chips

Combine ground beef, onion and spices in a large skillet. Cook until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain off grease. In a large bowl, combine soups, tomatoes, chilies and milk to make a sauce. (If a less spicy dish is desired, mild salsa can be substituted for the chopped tomatoes and green chilies) Line the bottom of a large casserole dish or 13x9x2 baking pan with tortilla chips. Cover chips with browned meat mixture. Pour sauce over top of meat and sprinkle with plenty of grated cheese. Bake at 325ºF for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and casserole is hot through.

Salsa Allison

This salsa is named for my niece because she gave me the recipe. I don't know if she developed it herself, but this is one of the freshest tasting salsas I've ever eaten.

4 large tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic or 1 tsp. minced garlic
10-12 slices jalapeno, plus 3 tbl. juice from the jar
1 can Rotel tomatoes
salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste

Dice tomatoes and onion. Mince garlic and jalapeno slices. Mix together and sprinkle with spices and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Add Rotel tomatoes and jalapeno juice. Let sit overnight.

Taco Pizza

1 lb. ground beef
1 env. taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
3/4 c salsa
1 can sliced black olives, optional
Tortilla chips, optional
Shredded cheese
Pre-baked pizza crusts
Chopped lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Sour cream

Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain. Add taco seasoning, refried beans, salsa and olives. Stir and simmer until heated through. Spread onto pizza crusts. Top with crunched tortilla chips, if desired. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350ºF until cheese is melted and crust is browned. Remove from oven. Top with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream if desired. Makes 2 pizzas.

Mexican Cheeseburger Soup

1 lb. shredded cheese (half sharp cheddar/half mild cheddar)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 can (8 1/4 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, undrained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can beef broth
1 can diced new potatoes, drained

Spray inside of crock with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except potatoes in crock. Cover; cook on low 4-5 hours or high 3 hours. Stir in potatoes about 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Enchi-Mamas

2 lb. ground beef
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 can sliced black olives
grated cheese
flour tortillas
1/4 cup water

Brown ground beef and drain. Add soup, enchilada sauce and olives. Simmer 10 minutes. Spoon mixture into tortillas, add cheese and roll. Place in lightly greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Pour leftover meat mixture over top. Sprinkle with grated cheese and water. Cover and bake at 350ºF for 20-30 minutes.

Adapted from: Golden Plate Cookbook published by Sherman Service League

Nacho Pie

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 tube crescent rolls
1 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
8 oz sour cream
1 cup Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large skillet brown beef and onion over medium heat till done. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce, water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 -10 minutes. Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Place in greased 9 inch pie plate points facing towards the middle. You might have to maneuver the triangles a bit at the end and turn some of them side ways, that's okay as long as the pie plate is covered completely. Press onto bottom and up sides of plate to form crust. Seal perforations. Sprinkle 1 cup crushed tortilla over crust. Top with meat. Spread sour cream over meat. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Source: Mommy's Kitchen