Healthy Enchilada Casserole

Our weekly schedule is twice as busy as last year, so this week I made a big pan of this Healthy Enchilada Casserole. It is one of the many nutritious, make-ahead meals I’ve been cooking to save time and keep us fueled and ready to go! The beauty of preparing a big pan is leftovers! I know some people don’t care for them, but we live for them! In fact, I make almost everything in large batches so when someone says, “I’m hungry!”, there is always something in the fridge. (I’m well on my way to someday becoming the Italian Grandma who always has a full spread waiting in the fridge!) 

You may recall me mentioning Degustabox,  a new subscription box that I receive each month. Degustabox is a surprise subscription food box company based in Barcelona, with a presence in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and the UK. Degustabox USA has recently launched their US operation and thousands are signing up each month! For $19.99/mo, you receive 10-15 yummy food products, many being new to market. If you sign up now, you can get 50% off your first box! Use code DEGUSTA10 to get your first box for only $9.99! Here is what I received in my box this month:

There are several great items here, but I zeroed in on the Peri Peri Sauce and knew I’d be using that first!

So you may be wondering if there is such thing as a “healthy enchilada casserole” and the answer is YES! I actually made 2 pans of this casserole this week. The first one was devoured while my back was turned and I never got to take a photo of the finished product. (#BloggerProblems) Both times, the kids at seconds, brought some for lunch to school and never once realized it was loaded with cauliflower!!! Thats right, cauliflower. I found this bag of Cauliflower Rice while grocery shopping last week. I had “riced” a head of cauliflower before, but this was the first time I had seen it sold this way at my local market. SCORE! But getting back to the casserole, it was virtually undetectable and you couldn’t taste the hidden veggies at all. Everyone thought it was onion and maybe some rice.

Healthy Enchilada Casserole

• 2 Cups Shredded Chicken or Pork (I used pork)
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• 2 Cups Riced Cauliflower
• 1/2 Small Onion, diced
• 1/2 Can Corn
• 1 TSP Cumin
• 1/2 – 1 TSP Oregano
• Salt & Pepper, To Taste
• 1 TSP Peri Peri Sauce
• 1 Can Red Enchilada Sauce, mild
• 10 8in. Corn Tortillas
• 2 Cups Low Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Black Olives, sliced (optional)
• 1-2 TBSP Cilantro, finely chopped (can also use parsley)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then coat the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add diced onion and raw riced cauliflower. Next add the corn, cumin, oregano, salt & pepper. Continually stir until seasoning is well distributed. Add a teaspoon of Peri Peri sauce and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bottom of your baking pan, add a few TBSP of the enchilada sauce to coat the bottom. Gather your shredded meat, veggie mixture, cheese, tortillas and enchilada sauce. You will not begin layering the casserole. Be sure to brush each tortilla with enchilada sauce before you add them to the layers! Begin by adding a layer of tortillas to the bottom of the pan. I used 3 tortillas per layer. I had one left over that I cut up and filled in any gaps.

Figure you will use about a third of each ingredient per layer. Ex: 1/3 of the veggies, 1/3 of the meat. The cheese is only a sprinkling over each layer and save the majority for the top layer. Drizzle a little enchilada sauce over each layer too. Once assembled, pour remaining (which should be about half of the can) over the top tortilla layer. Then top that with remaining cheese. Garnish with the olives and cilantro. Bake covered, for 30 minutes. When done, let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. 

*I actually assembled this in the morning and stuck it in the fridge until I was ready to bake it. You can even do this the night before!

 
Here is how we enjoyed other items we received in this month’s box so far:

• Sam Mills Gluten Free Corn & Quinoa Pasta with shrimp, garlic, olive oil and basil.
• Entemann’s Little Bites were a lunch box treat.
• Michel et Augustin Short Bread Cookies with ice cream
• Bustanut Peanuts – between meal snack.
• Toosum Gluten Free Oatmeal Bar – post workout snack
• Popcorners Carnival Kettle Chips – after school snack

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 What is your favorite healthy make-ahead meal?

* Disclosure: I received products mentioned in this post in exchange for my review. This post contains #DegustaboxUSA affiliate links. All opinions given are 100% my own. AD