Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

This is certainly not the most gorgeous looking meal out there, but it's a quick, delicious one. I've been subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly sneaking more and more vegetarian meals into our weekly menu repertoire, and this was a big hit. The spice from the Ro-Tel (the only kind of canned tomatoes with green chiles for me) and the salsa added a lot to this, and Joe really liked the creaminess from the cream cheese. I would not substitute flour tortillas for the corn tortillas. The corn tortillas really add a lot of flavor and texture. I sprinkled mine with cilantro and served it with half an avocado.

Black Bean Tortilla Casserole
source: Reading, 'Riting, and Recipes via Cooking This and That
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes
1 cup picante sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 1/2 cups soaked and cooked dry beans.)
4 ounces cream cheese (I used reduced-fat.)
5 corn tortillas (7-inch), cut in half
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey, Pepper Jack, etc.)

In large skillet sauté onion until soft. Add tomatoes, picante sauce and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in beans and heat through. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat.

Spray bottom of a 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of bean mixture on bottom of pan, topping with a layer of tortillas (five tortilla halves) and half of cheese. Then another layer of bean mixture, tortillas and bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream, lettuce and guacamole as desired.