Mexican Casserole

"Well, I applaud any recipe that contains primarily good, healthy ingredients,especially if it is vegetarian! That said, I must add that this recipe could use some modifications. First, cooking the r..." See moreefried beans with the diced onion on medium-high heat for 5 minutes simply scorches the bottom of the pan while the onions remain virtually uncooked. And yes, I did stir. If the onions were first sauteed in a bit of oil and the beans were then added and heated through, this would give much better results. Second, the overall texture of the finished dish is quite mushy. It could stand some substance, maybe corn added.The taste was there, and the nutritional value, but we could use some changes to this recipe."

"Not being vegetarian, I warmed up some leftover taco-seasoned ground beef in a separate skillet and layered that over the beans in each repetition. Adding this, I ended up doing 2 complete layer repe..." See moretitions and using fewer tortillas, less salsa and less cheese (used the packaged 4-cheese Mexican blend) than the recipe called for. I cut it just like a pie and topped each piece to be served with a spoonful of sour cream. It looked and smelled very appetizing and my family enjoyed it a lot, especially my 4 year old son. This was very easy, tasty, and it should be great for leftovers. Plus, I had all the ingredients on hand so it was convenient too. Thanks!"

"The basic idea of this recipe is great, but I modified it to take advantage of what I had in my 'fridge, and to reduce the quantity to serve just two. I sauteed a small chopped onion in olive oil and ..." See moreadded ground cumin, ground coriander, and chili powder. I let it simmer until the onions turned translucent. Next I added a can of drained black beans and half a can of drained corn. Then a large chopped tomato and about two tablespoons of freshly cut cilantro. After tasting it, I added some tobasco to give it more "zing". I let the mixture simmer on low for about 25 minutes, to give a "refried" texture. Then I compiled the casserole in a meatloaf pan -- using two 6" corn tortillas on the bottom of the pan, topped with half the bean recipe, then about half a cup of low fat "4 Cheese Mexican Mix", and I repeated it with another two 6" corn tortillas, the bean mixture, and about a cup of the cheese. I covered the pan with tin foil and backed for 30 minutes. If I were to do this again, I'd add a little tequila to the bean mix and a little bittersweet chocolate."