Product Review of Old El Paso Enchilada Dinner Kit.....Even A Boston Boy Can Make a Beef Tortilla Casserole

My son made an awesome meal the other night, a Beef Tortilla Casserole from an Old El Paso Dinner Kit we had in the back of the kitchen pantry. I do not know how long it was in there, but it had to be awhile. In the fridge we had hamburger, a package of left over Mexican shredded cheese, sour cream and a jar of jalapenos, perfect for making something Tex-Mex. We are transplants to Florida from Boston where the nearest Taco-Bell was 10 miles away. Once in a while the kids came back with "Tex-Mex" but not often. I don't think I ate tacos more than five times during all my years in Boston. Now, after moving south, we have some knowledge of "Tex-Mex" cuisine and we love it, especially when we can easily make it ourselves at home.

Sometimes, the recipes printed on the back of a product's box are real winners. The beef tortilla casserole recipe found on the back of the Old El Paso dinner kit is excellent. It is perfect for a quick supper or to impress friends and family at a pot luck gathering. Old El Paso is a General Mills Product and brags that their dinner kit is America's #1 dinner kit. The dinner kit and other El Paso products........salsa, sauces, chiles, shells, seasoning mixes and refried beans are available in the Tex-Mex food section of your grocery store. The dinner kits sell for $2.69 at Publix super markets.

*The Old El Paso Enchilada Dinner Kit includes:

2 packets of enchilada sauce,

6 Flour Tortillas

1 packet of Seasoning

Directions on the box say to just add meat and toppings for a complete meal.

*Beef Tortilla Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients.....

1 lb. lean ground beef

½ cup chopped onion..........we used the dried onions that come in a spice jar

1 box Old El Pas enchilada dinner kit

1 can of chopped green chiles........we substituted some chopped jalapenos

½ cup water........we used liquid from the jalapenos jar in place of water

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar or Tex-Mex cheese.

*Directions.....

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.....In a 10 inch skillet, brown beef and onions: Drain off any fat. Stir in both pouches of enchilada sauce, the seasoning mix, water and chiles, and heat until hot.

2. In a greased 11x7 baking dish, spread 1 cup of the beef mixture. Cut tortillas (from the dinner kit) in half. Place six tortilla halves on the beef, spread with ½ cup of the sour cream and then with ½ cup of the shredded cheese. Top with 1 cup of the beef mixture and remaining 6 tortilla halves. Finish by topping with remaining sour cream, meat mixture and shredded cheese.

3. Bake 30 minutes. If desired, serve with your favorite Tex Mex salsa, cilantro, taco sauce or with additional sour cream, corn and rice.

*Nutrition Facts for Beef tortilla casserole:

Servings from recipe....about 4 large portions or 6 medium

Calories.....430

Sodium.....1630 mg

Cholesterol.....90 mg

Carbohydrate.....26g

Protein....29g

More recipes are available from the company's website at wwwOldElPaso.com

Sources:

Old El Paso enchilada dinner kit

http://www,bettycrocker.comproducts/old-el-paso

Personal experience