Black Bean Tortilla Bake

When I was married, I only had a few dishes that I felt like I could make well. I expanded my repertoire by often trying out new dishes. This was before the internet had a lot of good resources (or at least none that I knew of - or wait, did I even have internet then? yes, I'm not that old), and so I relied on people sharing recipes with me and my two cookbooks: Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens.

I must have made a lot of things from those two books, but as the years have gone by, most haven't entered my permanent repertoire. This dish is one I discovered more recently, but I'm really not in the habit of even opening up these cookbooks anymore, except for some basic recipe like buttercream frosting or pie crust.

What I love about this dish is that it simplifies a multi-dish Tex-Mex meal by putting it into one sloppy dish (see photo below). I really don't make too many casseroles, but this vegetarian dish is yummy, pretty easy, and makes enough for two meals. There are optional garnishes, but please don't skip the sour cream.

Black Bean Tortilla Bake
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

splash olive oil
1 c. chopped onion (1 large)
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 c. chopped green pepper (1 large)
1 14-1/2-oz. can tomatoes, undrained and cut up
1/2 c. bottled picante sauce or green salsa
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 c. home-cooked beans)
6 6-inch corn tortillas
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
optional garnishes:
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 c. shredded lettuce
sliced green onions
sliced pitted black olives
sour cream

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes and add green pepper. Saute a few minutes more. Add undrained tomatoes, picante sauce, and cumin. Bring to boiling and stir in beans. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Spread one-third bean mixture over the bottom of an 8x8-inch square pan. Top with 3 tortillas, overlapping as necessary or tearing into pieces to more evenly cover the beans. Add half the cheese. Add another one-third of the bean mixture; top with remaining 3 tortillas. Add the remaining bean mixture and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake, covered with foil, in a 350 oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes. Serve warm with some or all of the optional garnishes.