This is one of the first dishes I learned to make after we were married. Passed down from my mother-in-law, it's a yummy Jackson family staple. This means, even though we don't eat corn chips anymore, it's definitely still on the menu. It just needed to be tweaked a bit. Biggest change: Now we use veggies to dip instead of chips (...and then sometimes we just eat it with a spoon, all fancy-like). Either way, it remains one of our favorites.
And bonus: Leftovers are awesome served with an egg and salsa the next morning for breakfast. Enjoy!
* If you're avoiding dairy, you can easily substitute a drizzle of cashew cream in place of the cheese.
YIELD 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 - 2 cups refried beans
1 small onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped green chiles (4 ounces)
1/2 cup sliced black olives (4 ounces)
3 to 4 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, finely chopped
1/2 cup salsa verde (green salsa)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese OR 1/2 cup cashew cream
Salt and pepper
Coconut oil for sautéing
2 to 4 cups salsa (optional)
2 to 4 cups guacamole (optional)
1 avocado, served on the side (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Sauté onions in a bit of coconut oil until nearly cooked/translucent
2. Add ground beef and cook on medium until thoroughly browned, seasoning with a little salt and pepper
3. Preheat oven to 350F
4. Spread beans in the bottom of large (3-ish qt) casserole dish
5. Spoon beef and onions over beans
6. Next layer on the chiles, tomatoes, olives, and jalapeños
7. Sprinkle cheese over top OR skip the cheese and drizzle cashew cream over top *after* it comes out of the oven
8. Drizzle salsa verde over all of it, cover and bake until cheese gets all melty, about 15-20 minutes