Cazuela of Chile Verde

Cazuela of Chile Verde

Go green, the easy way! This delicious layered casserole starts with Charlie’s Pride Chile Verde, then in addition to rice, black beans and corn tortillas, adds in more green chiles, cilantro and jalapenos, then tops it off with melted cheese and a refreshing avocado salsa.

Serves
3-4
Ingredients

FOR CAZUELA

1 (17 oz) pkg Charlie’s Pride Chile Verde
  Non-stick spray
5 Corn tortillas (cut in ½)
¾ cup Cooked white rice
1 cup Cooked or canned black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (4 oz) can Diced green chiles (drained)
1 Tbsp Fresh chopped cilantro
8 oz Shredded Mexican cheese
1 Large fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced (optional)

FOR AVOCADO SALSA

1 Ripe avocado (diced)
1 tsp Freshly squeezed lime juice
⅓ cup Diced Roma tomato
1 scant ¼ tsp Salt
Pinch Freshly ground black pepper
  Your favorite tortilla chips
Directions

FOR CAZUELA: Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat Charlie’s Pride Chile Verde according to package directions; remove and let stand. Spray a 10” baking dish (glass pie pan is ideal, adjust as needed for use in toaster oven) with non-stick spray. Cover bottom with 5 tortilla halves; top evenly with rice. Carefully open Chile Verde and spoon evenly over rice. In a separate bowl, combine black beans with green chiles and cilantro. Place other 5 tortilla halves over Chile Verde to cover evenly; top with half the cheese. Evenly distribute the bean mixture, then top with remaining cheese. Decorate top with sliced jalapenos, if desired. Bake until cheese is golden brown around the edges, as directed below:

Standard Toaster Oven: lower shelf for 20 minutes (15 minutes if using convection).
Conventional Oven: in the top half for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with fresh avocado salsa and chips, if desired.

FOR AVOCADO SALSA: In a nonreactive bowl, gently toss avocado, lime juice, tomato, salt and pepper. Serve in a separate bowl with chips on the side, along with Cazuela.