Mrs. K’s Famous Mexican Casserole (a silly name for a great casserole)

Here’s one of those great recipes that gets passed along from friend to friend. My colleague and friend, Dawn, got this from another friend. Dawn had this at the lunch table last year and I remember her saying how perfect it was for feeding her three hungry teenaged sons – that sounded good to me! I immediately had to learn how to make it. I grabbed the closest thing handy to jot down the recipe – a paper plate! She started dictating. I made it for my family shortly after that and when they asked, “What’s this called?” I had to honestly say, “I’m not sure!” Since then, we just refer to this great casserole as “Mrs. Kohn’s Famous Mexican Casserole.”

 If you’re like me, you can probably understand the recipe from reading the photo, but just in case you need more directions, here’s the recipe!

Here’s what you need:

1 box Jiffy brand corn muffin mix

2 lbs ground round

1 package taco seasoning

1 can black beans-drained and rinsed

1 can corn - drained

1 can chopped tomatoes – with all the liquid

1 jar salsa

Cheddar cheese

Here’s what you do:

Brown the beef and add the taco seasoning according to the directions on the package. Keep it nice and juicy. Lots of sauce is good here.  Prepare the corn muffin mix according to the directions on the box and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Layer the meat, beans, corn, tomatoes and salsa. Bake until bubbly in a 350 degree oven. Then add grated cheddar cheese to taste and bake a bit longer. Serve with sour cream, jalapenos, sliced green onions, or black olives.

Simple, but surprisingly delicious. The corn muffin adds a very sweet element to this spicy casserole.

I’m wondering how many of you have cookbooks that have entries written on paper plates taped in?? Did you notice the recipe on the facing page? Patti LaBelle’s Over the Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese. Simple the best mac ‘n cheese on earth! If you work hard, you can probably read it in the photo and jot it on a paper plate to tape in your own cookbook!

ps - no printable version of this one - if you want to make it you will have to jot it down just like I had to....