Easy As Mexican Pie

I was feeling like Mexican, but didn't want plain old tacos. After browsing through some blogs, I found a recipe that sounded great. I had the ingredients on hand, and it meant that my poor, rarely used springform pan would get some action time in the oven. We loved this dinner, layers of tortillas, Mexican seasoned beef, black beans, enchilada sauce...it looks impressive, but it so easy...what's not to love? And the leftovers are just as good. I made some changes to the recipe, the original ones can be seen in the links below.


Before.... and trying to wait patiently for 25 minutes....

After...25 minutes are up, time to dig in!


Tortilla and Black Bean Pie
adapted from Delicious Meliscious & Liz's Cooking Blog

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small jar enchilada sauce
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 large onion, diced
1 can fire roasted diced green chilies
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
2 tsp Mexican chili powder
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces Mexican beer
8-10 oz frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 1/2-3 cups shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
1 tomato, seeded and diced
sour cream and salsa, for serving

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Brown ground beef and drain fat.

Add onion, diced chilies, garlic, cumin and chili powders; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add beans and beer to skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn, and remove from heat.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the meat & beans, spoon some enchilada sauce over top (maybe 3-4 spoonfuls) and 1/2 cup cheese.

Repeat three times, using 1-1.5 cups of cheese on top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold pie; spoon any extra enchilada sauce on top, then sprinkle with scallions & diced tomatoes.

To serve, slice into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.