Enchilada Verde Casserole

My favorite kind of enchiladas are the ones my mom makes - chicken verde with a sour cream sauce and lots of cheese.  I used to ask her to make it for my birthday and it's always so good!  The other day I had some leftover ingredients in the refrigerator and as I drove home from a solo trip to Disneyland with the girls (not a great idea when you're 8 months pregnant but we had fun anyways) I came up with the idea to make this green enchilada casserole. The point was not to go to the grocery store (standing in one more line would probably have killed me) and still serve my family dinner.  Mission accomplished!

Enchilada Verde Casserole (serves 4)

1/2 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup canned corn (drained

1/2 of a medium red onion, diced

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup cooked brown rice (you can buy it cooked from TJs)

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

chipotle powder, to taste (or other favorite chile spice)

salt & pepper

olive oil

6-10 corn tortillas, cut in half

2 cups green enchilada sauce (I used about half of a 28oz can)

2-3 cups shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Brown the ground turkey with the red onion; drain off any liquid.  Add a little olive oil, the garlic and corn.  Stir and sauté for a few minutes until heated through.  Add the brown rice and seasonings.  Stir together.  If it seems really dry, you can add a little more olive oil.  Remove from heat.

In a 2 quart pan, cover the bottom by placing 2 or 3 corn tortillas, overlapping to fit.  Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese evenly over the tortillas and then a third of the turkey mixture.  Cover with a thin layer of enchilada sauce and then more tortillas.  Repeat for 2 more layers.  End with tortillas, sauce, and cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and the casserole is hot in the center.  Let it set for about 5 minutes before cutting into it.