Casserole, Tex Mex Bake

By Judge99

Ingredients

• 2 cups crushed corn chips
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ¼ pounds lean ground beef (ground sirloin preferred but at least 85% lean if using ground chuck)
• 1 1-ounce envelope taco seasoning (like Old El Paso)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
• 2 fresh jalapeños, stems removed, seeded and minced
• 1 ½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided (or half-and-half mixture of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack)
• 1 ¼ cups chunky salsa, divided (use your favorite, medium preferred)
• ¼ cup chopped green bell pepper or seeded poblano

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Beat the egg with the water and pour over crushed corn chips. With a fork, press into 9-inch pie plate. Mixture will be very sticky so place a sheet of plastic wrapo over the mixture to aid in pressing mixture evenly over bottom and sides of plate. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, break up the ground beef well with a fork. Lightly stir and fold together the beef, taco seasoning, green chiles, minced jalapeños, ½ cup of the salsa and ¾ cup of the cheese.
Mound the mixture in the prepared crust without pressing down. Top with remaining salsa and chopped green pepper or poblano.
Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and top with the remaining cheese. Return to oven for an additional 3 or 4 minutes until cheese is melted.