Healthy Enchilada Casserole (gluten-free!)

I LOVE when I can meal prep a casserole – something that has protein, healthy carbs and a veggie sneaked in! That’s what this recipe is. It lasts almost all week (8 servings), it’s incredibly sinfully delicious, yet there is 0 guilt with this recipe because it’s not heavily fattening or filled with anything terribly processed! Here is how I make it!

INGREDIENTS – 8 servings

1 lb lean ground beef (I like 90/10)

1 lb ground turkey (I like 93% lean)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

1 medium onion, diced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced or sliced thin

1 package (8 tortillas) almond flour Siete brand tortillas (this is my favorite brand but you could do corn or whole wheat tortillas if you tolerate gluten)

2 cups enchilada sauce

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese

1 tbsp chili powder

1.5 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp oregano

Dash of cayenne

Salt + pepper to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350. Get a 9×13 baking dish and set aside. Take a large dutch oven or pot and heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add the diced peppers and onions and pinch of salt and saute for about 3-4 minutes. Next add the garlic, sautéing about 60 seconds before adding the meat to the pot as well. Brown the meat with the onions and peppers, and now add the remaining seasonings. Sauté for about 6-7 minutes, breaking up the meat chunks, until it’s browned. Next, add the enchilada sauce and black beans, and the zucchini at this stage as well (you don’t want the zucchini to overcook and get mushy, so adding it here with the black beans prevents that). Turn the heat off at this point after you’ve combined everything.

Now we start the layers. Take the tortillas and cut 2 in half. Place 2.5 tortillas evenly spaced in the bottom of the dish, followed by a third of the meat mixture and a layer of cheese. Repeat with another 2.5 tortillas, more meat mixture, more cheese, and then one final layer. You may have to sneak in the extra half somewhere, but you get the idea. Just make your layers as even as you can with tortillas.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered. Let sit about 5-8 minutes before cutting and serving.

I recommend topping with cilantro and extra pickled jalapeño if you desire! Avocado would also be a great addition!

NOTES:

You can make this recipe your own by mixing things up! For example you could do all ground turkey or all ground beef or even ground chicken. You could sneak in riced cauliflower, though I have not tried it, I bet it would also go great. Green bell peppers work too in this recipe.