[figure-friendly] Enchilada Bake

What's for dinner?

Enchilada Bake

This is my healthier spin on the enchilada pie my mom used to make when I was growing up. I've reduced the amount of cheese used, and replaced the tortillas with brown rice, without compromising the comfort-food feel. 

How to prepare the Brown Rice:

1-1/2 C dry brown rice

2 C water

Add rice and water to a pot, and turn heat to Med-High. Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce the heat to Low, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until rice is cooked through. 

Enchilada Bake

1-1/2 lb ground turkey

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp Mexican oregano

Salt & pepper, to taste

Prepared brown rice (directions above)

19 oz can red enchilada sauce

11 oz bag frozen roasted sweet corn and bell pepper mix (I used Green Giant brand)

1-1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese 

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees. 

2. In a skillet heated on Medium heat, add ground turkey, garlic & onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook until turkey is cooked through and browned. Once cooked, add entire can of enchilada sauce, and stir. Allow to heat through (about 2-3 minutes). And turn off burner. 

3. While turkey is browning, heat corn in microwave accounting to package instructions. 

4. Lightly oil a 9"x13" casserole dish. Evenly spread rice in a single layer in the bottom of the dish. Over rice, spread heated corn in an even layer. Next add turkey/sauce mixture, and spread out evenly. Over turkey, sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. 

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes (remember, everything is already cooked through and warm...this is just to allow all the ingredients to marry). 

6. Switch from oven to broiler, and broil casserole until cheese is golden-brown (about 2-3 minutes). 

Serve and enjoy. Yields 9-12 servings...depending on how hungry you are ;)

This is always a home-run with the family. It has lots of flavor. 

•I chose ground turkey over beef because turkey is leaner. Less saturated fat makes it my preferred choice. 

•Brown rice is far more superior than white rice in terms of nutritional content. And using it to replace the corn tortillas (which is how my mom used to make it) made it lighter while being more filling, without the bloat that I'd typically get from eating tortillas. 

•Frozen corn replaced mom's canned mexi-corn. Frozen vegetables preserves them while retaining much of their original nutrition.