A vegetarian casserole (or not)

This recipe for black bean casserole was passed down to me from my mom.  I think that the original recipe was intended to be made without meat.  It was my mom's idea to add some ground beef to the recipe to boost the protein content of the dish.  I have also made it with ground turkey and it's just as delicious.

Black Bean Casserole
½ cup chopped green pepper                12 – 6” tortillas
½ cup chopped green onion                  2 c. Monterey Jack cheese
28 ounces crushed tomatoes                 shredded lettuce
¼ cup salsa                                                sour cream
2 teaspoons cumin                                   olives
15 ounces black beans, drained             tomato
1 pound ground beef                                2 cloves garlic

Brown beef in skillet.  Drain and return to skillet.

Add onion, pepper, tomatoes, salsa, garlic and cumin.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add beans.

 
Spoon 1/3 of the sauce in bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  (I divided my casserole up into 3 smaller containers.)

 
Layer ½ of the tortillas on top.

Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.  Repeat layers. 

Bake 30 minutes at 350.

You can serve this casserole with lettuce, sour cream, olives and tomatoes.  We were in a bit of a hurry last night so we ate it without the toppings. 

I packed two of the casseroles up to take to my father in-law this afternoon.  These casseroles freeze really well so make an extra one to keep in your freezer.

Recipe disclaimer - I rarely measure out exact portions when I'm cooking.  (I save the exact measuring for my baking.)  Sometimes I double or even triple the recipes.  I also use different containers than listed in the recipe quite often because we eat most of the food that is blogged and I portion it to fit the needs of my family.   For these reasons, my pictures may not always reflect the recipe exactly.  

Bon Appetit!