My mom has all of my Gram’s old recipes. Some of them are on paper that’s so old that it crumbles if you handle it too hard. Many are handwritten. And ALL have food splattered around the words.
I’ve been going through them slowly, organizing them by level of difficulty (to me). The casserole I made this week was actually pretty easy, and Mike LOVED it.
Green Chile Casserole
You need:
1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 medium onion, diced
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of milk
1 small can, sliced black olives
1 4-oz can diced green chiles
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 dozen corn tortillas
Cook meat until brown and crumbly.
Drain excess fat. It’s gross. You don’t want it, anyway.
Once the meat is cooked, mix in the mushroom soup mix and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
Remove the mixture from heat, then add in the onions, chiles, and olives. Do not think about what this mixture currently resembles.
Slice up your tortillas into eighths. Ugh, math, I know.
Grease up your dish with some buttah. Sing “Grease Is The Word.”
Layer about a third of your tortillas on the bottom of the dish.
Next, pour in the meat mixture. It’s heavy. Be careful.
Add a layer of delicious cheese. Mmm mmm mmm.
Repeat this step twice more.
Dang! You made a fine-looking casserole! But it’s not done. Do not rest on your laurels.
Bake it uncovered at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. The meat is already cooked – this step assures delicious melted goodness.
While your food bakes, catch up with a friend.
Ding! Those 35 minutes went fast.
It looks good and smells delicious.
Give it to your husband/significant other/old friend. Remind them to NOT SAY that it “tastes different” when your mom makes it. GAH.
The casserole serves 6-8 people, or one very hungry husband. It stores well and tastes even better the next day (assuming your husband/significant other/old friend didn’t eat it all).
Enjoy!
| Green Chile Casserole |
|
- 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 can of milk
- 1 small can, sliced black olives
- 1 4-oz can diced green chiles
- 1/2 pound cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 dozen corn tortillas
- Cook meat until brown and crumbly, drain excess fat.
- Once the meat is cooked, mix in the mushroom soup mix and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Remove the mixture from heat, then add in the onions, chiles, and olives.
- Slice up your tortillas into eighths.
- Grease up your dish.
- Layer about a third of your tortillas on the bottom of the dish.
- Next, pour in a third of the meat mixture.
- Add a layer of delicious cheese.
- Repeat layering two more times.
- Bake it uncovered at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Makes delicious leftovers.
{ 70 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this!
More! More!
Helen Jane´s last [type] ..Hometown. Home.
Seeing you with that knife made me very nervous.
Meghan´s last [type] ..One Year Down
YUM. Can I be your old friend? I”m assuming I’m a better conversationalist than, say, your above pictured old friend.
Daisy´s last [type] ..By Request: BBQ Chicken & Caramelized Onion Pizza
Too awesome! This was the week that I started cooking as well. I made 3 cheese and macaroni, meatloaf, and cornbread casserole! Whew! I too understand what you mean about the shopping aisles. I went to the store armed with a huge list (since I was planning to make 10 meals) and almost had a panic attack. However, as I started to fill up my cart I relaxed. Home cooking is cheap too! Who knew? Anyway, good luck on your cooking adventures
.
Well THIS looks fantastic. I love that all grandmothers seem to have that same handwriting. And all their recipes have a can of cream of mushroom soup. It must be the Third Law of Grandmothers or something.
Diane´s last [type] ..Thoughts that might run through your head at 3AM when both of your children spike a symptom-free fever
Looks and sounds delish, Im pretty sure my hubby would love this as well. Thanx for sharing, and way to go on using your beautiful kitchen.
i love love love this. I have been easing myself into cooking for my family. It has been a challenge but fun. This recipe looks so good and super easy! Thanks
Elissa Lerma´s last [type] ..The First Day of First
It’s great that you have family recipes to use. I started cooking for my family full-time, meaning every meal is made by me and we eat it together in the dining room, a few years ago. Before that I did not cook at all, but I do love to bake.
I use a site called allrecipes.com, which is free and has nifty tools to help you find the best rated recipes, recipes for what you happen to have in the pantry, etc. Good luck with your cooking — it will save money and promote your family’s health too!
Looks yummy. Sounds delicious. It’s like a lasagna? lol
by the way your mani looks good too
have a great weekend!
Well this looks good, but seeing a recipe on this site is just baffling me. Oh! and I see you even made a recipes category, which means more are coming?! I’m going to have to take some time to process this. :p Just kidding, Heather. It looks wonderful. We’ll have to give it a try.
Ha! Seeing Heather cook is taking some getting used to for me to, but I dared her to make use of our new kitchen and so far I’m digging it!
I totally agree with Emily and the baffling…I almost thought I went to another blog I read that’s a recipe blog! Good for you Heather, and Mike for getting the benefits of home cooked food…or that might not be a good thing after all
This is EXACTLY what I was thinking!
Looks like your grandma knew what she was doing… glad your getting to test them out on Mike and getting good use out of that new kitchen
Dawn @What’s Around the Next Bend?´s last [type] ..That’s my boy!
This looks yummy for the hubby! I can’t have chilis but I am always looking for stuff to make for his lunches. I can make this a freeze some too. Great recipie!
karen bennett´s last [type] ..perfect…
I love the way you did the pictures! Even though I don’t eat about half of the ingredients (I am vegetarian and picky), I enjoyed seeing you having fun in the kitchen. I’m glad you added recipes to TSAM and I look forward to more.
I might be blind, but how much milk do you put in? I see it in the picture, and in the recipe, but not in the ingredient list.
This looks right up my husband’s alley!
Eileen @ Bringing Up Bronwyn´s last [type] ..Having it all
Oh wait, I see the amount in the handwritten list, but not typed.
Eileen @ Bringing Up Bronwyn´s last [type] ..Having it all
whoooooooops. Thanks for catching that! I fixed it to say one can of milk.
That is looks really good. It looks really close to a beef version of King Ranch Chicken.
This is completely off topic, but what color nail polish are you wearing in those pictures?? I’ve been looking for a color similar to that for awhile and can’t find anything that doesn’t look completely sheer when you put it on.
I do this recipe with chicken all the time. We call it Chicken/Cheese/Tortilla casserole. I know, Ive got a knack for catchy names, right?
The only difference is that you layer pre-cooked, hunked chicken instead of ground beef or turkey. It needs to cook a little longer in the oven (for like an hour total) but the same idea. DELISH!
Oh my goodness! Heather Spohr Food Blogger! How cool are you!?! Look out Pioneer Woman. How could you not be inspired by that beautiful new kitchen of yours. Way to go. More of Grandmother’s recipes pretty please.
k´s last [type] ..I’m in LOVE
Oh, I am so making that tonight. Or maybe just sometime over the weekend. Thanks!
Impressed with the recipe. MORE impressed you have an apron with your name on it. Wicked cool!
The thing that caught my eye was the packaged chopped onions, ya know you can buy them whole….way cheaper…and put the unused portion in a zip loc bag in the refrig…just sayin’:) I use Cream of Mushroom soup in a lot of recipes, just adds a whole new dimension and instant gravy. Score. I have a great stuffed flank steak recipe with mushroom soup…when you’re ready, you’ll impress Mike tremendously, and so yummy. One of my husband’s favorites.
Oh My! I am so making this , this weekend!! Thanks Heather!
You are so adorable! You’re a natural at food blogging; I love it! Can’t wait to try this, sounds super delish.
And yay, you have an OVE GLOVE! Yours looks a lot cleaner than ours. You must actually wash it. Fancy.
I have to agree with Chris about the pre-cut onions!! I did NOT know such a thing existed. LOL I also found out a couple months ago that you can buy hard boiled eggs, already peeled, in a package!
Only thing I might do different with this recipe is sauté the onions with the meat.
Lastly, I agree with Kristina that allrecipes.com is a great site!
Our Christmas eve tradition in my family is to have Mexican food for dinner. Since I’ll be spending my first Christmas with my husband’s family they’ve offered to let me add a Mexican dish to the mix so I’ll have a piece of “home.” Thanks, Heather, for the recipe – it could be a contender!
NIce work Heather!
Great post! Heather Spohr COOKING!
I love it! Go Heather, go! You seriously crack me up!
Ok, this sounds super yummy and the pics make it look good, too…BUT what is a can of milk? In your pic you had an entire gallon of milk, and it didn’t look like soup, so hmmmm. Is it like a condensed milk can or am I just really that kitchen illiterate?
It just means fill the soup can with milk after you empty it.
Ah ha! So I AM that kitchen illiterate. I’ve always suspected my talents would be better directed elsewhere.
I am so glad someone else asked! I was about to Google what a can of milk converted to (1 cup?). This is why I don’t cook. I always make things more difficult.
Holly´s last [type] ..This and that
I should have put in the post how many times I had to call my mom for help (spoiler: every step).
LOVE the recipes lately! Also, the recipe print card. Glad your venturing out and trying recipes….how fun! Happy Labor Day! – it was 7 years ago this weekend that we lost our Angel Macey, as you know won’t be an easy weekend for us. I know she is playing with your little one above.
(((hugs))).
Love,
Michele
mmmmm that looks really good. I will have to make that soon.
That looks really good, might have to try it soon. My husbands step grandmother was from Italy and has all her recipes on paper that is practically falling apart. I think all us grand kids(there are 5 total) are going to type them up or scan them so they last longer.
Keep up the good cooking. I didn’t start cooking till we bought our first house that had a fancy kitchen.
mmmm.. I looove casseroles especially now that it’s starting to feel like fall (at least it does here in Southern Ontario). I’m definitely adding this to my list of things to make (except I’ll be using a fake meat product). heh
I’m curious, though…. when people say that they don’t cook, what does that actually *mean*? Does that mean you go out and/or order in for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all of the time? Or do you just eat toast, grilled cheese, and cereal? Or did Mike primarily do the cooking? I’m honestly curious!
I cook all of the time at home: I got in the habit while being a poor student. My husband also cooks every day for himself (I’m a vegetarian.. he’s a fantastic cook, loves cooking, and is a meat-lover).
Sarah – { rad: renovations are dirty }´s last [type] ..Project Wrap Up: Oiling a Vintage Teak Table
we ate lots of cereal, lots of microwave diet dinners (lean cuisine, jenny craig, weight watchers, etc), and soup. Mike will grill on the BBQ a lot. I guess I count cooking as following a recipe. I would make scrambled eggs a lot! That was pretty adventurous for me.
This really looks delicious, Heather! I love seeing the photos of the step-by-step preparation.
This does certainly look delicious. I would have never thought to add the black olives for some reason..even though I absolutely love them. I’m thinking I’ll be trying it out this week. Thanks for the new recipe!
You’re super cute in the photos! Yah to making cooking fun!
Oh looks great! We make something VERY similar but substitute shredded chicken for beef, cream of chicken for cream of mushroom and add a can of rotel!
This recipe must have been in a magazine or something, because I have the exact same recipe, handed down from my grandmother. Maybe it was on a can of cream of mushroom soup?
She also gave me a similar recipe, using leftover roasted chicken and flour tortillas and omitting the olives…otherwise it’s the same as this one. So there, now you have two recipes that use almost the same ingredients.
awesome! Thank you!
Great to see you making use of your new kitchen (so jealous you have all that space!)… Funny how the thing that really caught my eye was the pre-chopped onions. I hate chopping them, but need to have reasons to use my awesome knife! =)
if I had an awesome knife I would totally chop onions!
That recipe is almost exactly like the one I use for leftover turkey. It’s so delish!!!
ps: Way to rock the kitchen!
YUM. THANK YOU! I have this in my oven *right now*.
I love the recipe card. How did you create that? Is it one of the perks of this burrent blog or did you use a recipe creator?
it’s a plugin for wordpress called “easy recipe.” It’s great!
Have you checked out the new facebook page/website Crock Pot Girls? There are 100s, maybe even thousands of receipes on there and crockpots/slow cookers are awesome. It is cooking and you usually just dump everything into the pot and let it cook for hours while you enjoy conversations and drinks. Your dinner looked very good.
Awesome! I am not a fan of spicy things but this looks yummy!
I loved the photo instructions! Entertaining and informative.
Although I am extremely jealous of your Kitchenaid mixer in the background! *sigh*
Oh and gorgeous new kitchen btw!
Nelly´s last [type] ..Dulche de Leche Brownies
Hello,
My mom Linda Wyro apparently follows your blog, and forwarded your Grandma’s recipe to me yesterday. I made it last night, and it was a big hit!! When my husband arrived home from work, I told him that I was “trying a new recipe. I don’t know how tasty it will be, but it’s someone’s grandma’s recipe, so either way-it will be special!”. The pic of the recipe on the index card reminded me so much of my grandma’s recipes, even the hand writing is a lot a like. I miss my Grandma so much, and making her recipes always makes me feel closer to her. It was wonderful to be able to make your Grandma’s recipe as well. I will make it again..it was really good!!! Thank you for sharing!
Lisa
Uh, your friend looks blitzed. You need to cut her off.
I made this for dinner last night and my husband loved it! Thanks for the recipe- it’s a keeper.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for posting this recipe! I tried it out tonight, and the family LOVED it – the 36-year old, the 4-year old AND the 13-month old! And, this recipe lends itself very well to hiding vegetables. I included diced zucchini and chopped spinach. Incidentally, I’m not hiding the veggies from my kids. I’m hiding them from my husband…
Sara´s last [type] ..Attention Seeker
Bookmarked this
That fancy new oven of yours is gorgeous!
Lamb´s last [type] ..Linky Party! Come Blog Hop the Long Weekend Away
Made this for dinner tonight, subbed the cream of mushroom for nonfat greek yogurt with fresh mushrooms because it’s what I had on hand. Delicious! I’m not a big red meat eater typically, so I can’t wait to try this combo with other proteins!
I bet this would also be delish with ground or shredded pork! Especially since the pork and green chile thing is a traditional combo in Mexican cooking…I’m gunna give it a whirl. Thanks for the recipe
)
Wait, what? You cook? LOL
XOXO
AmazingGreis´s last [type] ..You’ve Got a Friend in Me…
I am so proud of you Heather. There is nothing like the feeling of sitting down at the dinner table and pigging out on a meal you slaved over yourself. I had 5 kids and had no choice but to cook every damn night. We couldn’t afford for me not to. I always loved it. Now that there is only 1 kid and grandbaby and hub at home I feel like easing off a bit. I used to go through more than 20 lbs of potatoes a week. After reading your post I am already feeling guilty. Back to the kitchen. Fall and winter are really the best times to be in the kitchen. I love the way you posted your instructions. You’re so cute Heather.
THis is on the menu for tonight! Sure hope it tastes as good as yours looks! Keep the recipes comin!
I have read your blog for over a year now. I have wanted to comment so many times on the profound things you write about your daughter and family but I never seem to know what to say. This one was easy! You have repeatedly said that you are not a cook so when you posted a recipe that didn’t have elventeen steps and ingredients I couldn’t pronounce I was excited! I made this over the weekend and it was delicious and easy and my two boys even ate it! Just wanted to say thanks for posting an easy recipe that was actually easy.
Send me an apron that reads “Mrs. Spohr”. It won’t be weird at all. I promise.
Meredith´s last [type] ..Don’t Piss Me Off
I just made this.. put it into the oven just now.. I think either my casserole dish is bigger than yours, or I needed to double the ingredients.. I got 2 skimpy layers, but a LOT of cheese, so we’ll see
Made this last night and LOVED it. And then I had it for lunch today and it was even better, as you had advertised. I think I needed to chop my onions a little finer, but that is a personal problem.
I am a quiet lurker who has never commented, but reads often. Last week, I found myself with a pound of ground beef and no plan. I remembered this recipe and made it (sans black olives due to a picky 6 year old daughter). My husband and I, and our 7 and 9 year old daughters loved it. Picky 6 year old actually ate some (she generally prefers fruit for dinner), which means it is a total winner. Hubby got the leftovers for lunch the next day. Thanks for the recipe!