Leftover Tex-Mex Pork Casserole |
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Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes |
Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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My family calls these kinds of dishes my concoctions . We had a couple of thick-cut pork chops left over, so I decided to adapt a tex-mex chicken casserole I've made that the family loves. I added a little too much juice to the casserole and the tortilla chips were very soggy. Next time I'll try for a crispy taste. I have frozen red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers, already chopped, so I included a variety of them in this dish for color. Ingredients:
3 cups pork, 1/2 inch cubes |
1 1/2 cups bell peppers, chopped 1/2 inch pieces |
1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped |
2 garlic cloves, minced |
2 tablespoons olive oil |
1 tablespoon butter |
1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained (reserve) |
1 cup chicken stock |
2 teaspoons ground cumin |
1 teaspoon dried basil |
salt |
pepper |
1 cup mild cheddar cheese, coarsely grated |
4 ounces velveeta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes |
2 cups blue corn tortilla chips, slightly crushed |
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. Evenly distribute crushed tortilla chips over bottom of the dish.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium until butter foams. Add bell peppers, onions and garlic. Saute' until soft.
4. Drain the canned tomatoes, reserving the juice. Crush them up some, just so not whole.
5. Add pork to skillet with vegies. Add crushed tomatoes, basil and cumin. Slowly add some of reserved tomato juice and chicken stock. This is where you need to do a lot of taste-testing. You need enough to moisten the ingredients but not too soupy, probably 3/4 cup total. Bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also added a pinch of sugar to tone down the acidic taste.
7. Pour over the chips. Top with Velvetta and cheddar cheese.
8. Bake at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
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