Make-Ahead Gluten Free Layered Burrito Casserole for Two

There's so much to love about this casserole, most of which I tried to cram into the title. This was born out of pantry ingredients and a good dose of laziness-I knew I had all the ingredients on hand for taco night but I know myself well enough to know I often lack the motivation to undertake even that minimal amount of cooking on a weeknight. I love the convenience of making at least a few of the week's meals ahead of time and this is a perfect meal to cook on a Sunday and have for dinner during the week--it keeps in the fridge for a few days and the corn tortillas didn't get soggy as I expected. This is actually quick enough it's feasible to make in the morning before you leave for work and have the comfort of knowing dinner is ready and waiting for you at the end of the day. (Insider tip: as tempting as it is to play Superwoman, don't try this method the same day you get up early to work out/do the bills/finish that report. That's a good way to end up late for work and forget to turn the stove off and have to go back home to turn the stove off, of course making you even more late for work. Just saying.)

This serves 2-4, depending on your appetite, so it's not quite as daunting to finish as a 9x13 casserole dish if there's only one or two of you in the house. This will last you a couple of dinners or dinner and lunch the next day. (Leftovers-for-lunch day is actually a good day to work out/pay the bills/finish your report in the morning, by the way, because who doesn't love playing Superwoman every once in awhile?)
  

Make-Ahead Gluten Free Layered Burrito Casserole for Two

• 1 16-oz jar salsa (I like Newman's Own)
• 6-8 corn tortillas
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drain
• 1 can diced tomatoes or diced tomatoes with chilies, drained
• 1 packet pre-cooked whole grain southwestern rice blend (I used Seeds of Change, which is delicious) If you don't have these on hand, just sub in 2 cups cooked brown rice)
• 1 8-oz. bag shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
• 8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast (2 regular-sized BSCB)
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning from a packet or 1 tablespoon chili powder seasoning blend (I use Penzey's Chili 3000 and love it)

That's it! This is so much more than the sum of its parts. Let's get started:

1. Coat a medium skillet with 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Cut the chicken into chunks or bits, depending on your preference, just keep them about the same size. Let the chicken cook without moving for two minutes, shake the skillet up and let the chicken cook again for 2 minutes without stirring (as Anne Burrell likes to say, "brown food tastes good!") When the chicken is almost done cooking, stir in the seasoning mix and stir to combine. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

2. Stir in the can of rinsed black beans and the can of drained tomatoes. Taste a bit of the mixture and add a bit more seasoning if desired.

Whew! That was a lot of cooking.  Ok, now it's ready to put the rest together!

3. Put a thin coating of salsa on the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish. Cover with a single layer of corn tortillas by breaking up some of the tortillas to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. 

4. Top the tortillas with another thin layer of salsa.

5.Break up the rice packet and sprinkle 1/3 of the rice packet over the tortillas. 

4. Top with 1/3 of the chicken and bean mixture, then sprinkle with a thin layer of cheese.

5. Repeat this layering process, starting with the corn tortillas and ending with the cheese-covered chicken and bean mixture.

6. Create on final layer of salsa-rice-chicken and beans, but this time skip the top layer of cheese.

7. You can either bake the casserole immediately or cover the whole think with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

8. When you're ready to bake, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 15 minutes if at room temperature or 20 minutes if straight from the fridge (if you are making this ahead of time, it will cook a bit more evenly if you take it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes or so, but then again it doesn't make a whole lot of difference).

9. Take the casserole out of the oven and crank the temperature up to 400.  Sprinkle the casserole with a final layer of cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes until lovely and browned and bubbly.

Yum. This is just as delicious with a cold lager as it is the next morning with a fried egg on top and good black coffee. Leftovers for breakfast are where it's at.

Enjoy!