Shredded Beef and Salsa Verde Enchilada Bake

Casserole. A word have a hard time using. I think of church pot lucks. Casserole is a word that is synonymous to the word Mormon. Mormons tend to have large families and they love a good deal on feeding that large family. So in comes casseroles. If you are a Mormon, or any other religion for that matter, I am sure you have a church cookbook in your cupboard. And I can promise that it is full of fattening casserole recipes. Cream of something soup, sour cream and cream cheese. It's all bad news for your health and not my preference in flavor or texture.

I asked Ethan how he felt about the word casserole and he hates it too. So we settled on the word bake. I think it will do, but this of course could be considered a casserole. It is full of my kind of flavor and texture. Slow-cooked, smoky beef, spicy salsa verde, soft corn tortillas, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese and topped with fresh salsa and avocado. Nothing complicated, but completely flavorful and filling.

When I was thinking this recipe out, I asked Ethan if I should add anything besides beef and cheese and he said no. He said to keep it true to what an enchilada is and I thought that was a good point. So I didn't add any beans. These are just like eating an enchilada. Oh, and if sour cream is your thing, do-do-do-do-do do a dollop of Daisy right on top.



3-4 lb beef rump roast
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
13 corn tortillas, cut in half
1 16 oz jar prepared salsa verde
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
Fresh salsa for servings
Diced avocado

Plug in slow cooker. Season all sides of the beef with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine cumin and cayenne pepper. Rub cumin and cayenne mixture on all sides of the beef. Place beef in the slow cooker. Fill with enough water to come 1 inch up the sides. Add the bay leaves to the water. Set the slow cooker to low. Cook for 6 hours, turning the beef over once halfway through cooking time. Remove roast from slow cooker and set on a cutting board to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred the beef, discarding any fat. Set aside.

Set oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine both cheeses. Pour 1 1/2 cups salsa verde into a shallow dish. Pour enchilada sauce into another shallow dish. In the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, spoon in a small amount of the enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. With half of the tortillas, dip each one in the enchilada sauce and then the salsa verde and then lay them onto the bottom of the pan with the cut side facing outward. Add on half of the shredded beef and spread evenly. With a spoon, evenly sprinkle half of the remaining salsa verde (what's left from when you put 1 1/2 cups into the shallow dish) on top of the beef. Sprinkle on half of the cheese and then repeat for one more layer.

For the visual learners among us, here is what I want your tortillas to look like in the pan.

Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray and cover pan with foil, sprayed side down. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is browned. Let the bake cool and set for 10 minutes. Serve with fresh salsa if desired (recipe below).

Yields 8 servings.

Rookie's Notes: Why spray the foil? Because the cheese will stick to it and that will make you sad. And for a timing help, I put my roast in at 9 am and pulled it out at 3:30ish. While Van napped, I put this together. The timing was perfect.

Next time I make this, I am going to double up the tortillas. There is loads of meat in this and I found myself wanting some more tortillas. Do what you will.

And if you are like me and want salsa with this, below is a recipe.

Fresh salsa:
4 Roma tomatoes, small diced
1/2 onion, small diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 lime juiced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well to combine.