Easy Enchilada Casserole

The night before our wedding, my mother-in-law gave me a special gift. It was a little blue notebook filled with handwritten recipe cards, detailing my new husband’s favorite childhood recipes. Over the years I cooked (nearly) every recipe in that little book, and it has the spatters and blotches to prove it! One recipe destined to become a family favorite was Easy Enchilada Casserole.

I made a few changes to the original recipe, skipping individually frying the corn tortillas in oil, and leaving out the chopped onions. Sometimes I used homemade chili, sometimes canned. If cheese soup was in the pantry, it went into the casserole. If not, oh well. This is a flexible, good-any-way-you-make-it family casserole, and the recipe size can be adjusted up or down.

Easy Enchilada Casserole

At least 12 corn tortillas
3-4 cans chili with beans (or leftover homemade chili)
can cheddar cheese soup, optional
grated cheese

If using the cheddar cheese soup, mix it with the chili.

In a 9×13 glass pan, place a layer of 6 corn tortillas, followed by a layer of chili, then grated cheese. Repeat the layers. Bake at 375 degrees about 20 minutes, until casserole is bubbly and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

This casserole is a great way to repurpose leftover chili. In fact, I often make an extra-large batch of chili so we can have enchilada casserole later in the week. Served with salad and tortilla chips, Easy Enchilada Casserole could become one of your family’s favorites, too!