Hector's Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Every year in December a friend of mine hosts a Christmas get together and potluck. The last couple of years have had themes. This year was "Feliz Navidad." I thought that I could go to Pinterest and find something suitable, or I could ask my friend Hector if he had any good, tried and true recipes. I am glad I went the route of Hector because this is one tasty dish! I hadn't made it since the potluck, until the unseasonably chilly weather has had me craving some comfort foods. Now, with Hector's permission I give you his Chicken Enchilada Casserole!

Hector's Chicken Enchilada Casserole

12 corn tortillas

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can chopped green chilies

1 can chicken broth

3 chicken breasts

2 bags (2 cup size) of graded cheese (Mexican Blend)

oil ( vegetable or olive)

1. Boil and shred chicken

2. In a large frying pan combine the cans of chicken and mushroom soup and broth with the green chilies until it boils; remove from heat.

3. Set a 9x13 baking dish nearby so that you can transfer the tortillas quickly.

4. Heat oil in a small frying pan. Place the tortilla in the oil for about 10-15 seconds per side. Transfer tortilla to the large frying pan cream mixture. Let it soak in for a few seconds and transfer to the baking dish.

5. This is a layered dish, so depending on the size of your tortilla you should use about 4 tortillas per layer. Once you have your four, top with shredded chicken and cheese.

6. Keep layering until you are out of chicken. You may want to set aside some cheese to top the dish before baking.

Add one last layer of tortillas, add the rest of the cream mixture from the frying pan into the baking dish and top with cheese.

7. Preheat oven to 325 and bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes.

It does take a little bit of time to assemble, but I think it's worth it!

If you are looking for a good dessert to go along with it (I know I was when it was potluck time!) I found this awesome Churro Cheesecake on Pinterest. I did not come home with very many leftovers! I have made it a couple of times since and it is always a hit!

Hope you enjoy!

Hearty Italian Sausage Soup

It has been a while since I had time to sit down and crank out a blog post, but that does not mean I haven't been busy! A couple of friends recently welcomed new babies into their families and I brought over a meal for them. This is the soup that I made for them and wanted to share with you. It is great for freezing and makes enough for more than one meal. Plus it is easy and packs in some yummy protein and not too unhealthy.


Hearty Italian Sausage Soup
1 lb Italian sausage (I use the ground kind)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Olive Oil
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 soup can of water
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup rotini pasta, uncooked
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
shredded mozzarella

If you want a heartier soup/stew I use 2 cans of the beans and the whole box of the pasta but keep everything the same. I have also switched out diced tomatoes for stewed because I am not a fan of tomatoes especially when they are that big

1. Brown sausage, onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large saucepan until no longer pink
2. Add chicken broth, beans, tomatoes and water and brig to a boil.
3. Stir in pasta and cook until tender. Remove from the heat.
4. Stir in spinach and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Top servings with shredded cheese.

That's it! How easy can it get! I put mine into little rubbermaid containers. That way the new family could either keep them and reuse them, or toss them out. No need to get your container back. You could go all out and make some bread and a dessert to go along with the soup and really brighten their day. It also works well to have on hand for a quick weeknight dinner, so you don't have to just give it away.