Jump on your horses, because the Saddle-Up Casserole is ready to ride with you to whole new territories of taste! It’s filled with plenty of melty cheese, juicy ground beef, vibrant salsa, summery corn, and tangy olives! Crunchy tortilla chips add lovely texture and invite your tastebuds to go on a wild ride! This Saddle-Up Casserole is Tex-Mex in an easy, more delectable form!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
- 1 (12-ounce) jar chunky salsa
- 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained, divided
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 1/2 cups tortilla chips, crumbled prior to measuring, plus more, whole, to taste, for topping
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 bell pepper, color of your choice, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- green onions, optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Step 3 –In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook, while crumbling, until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain the fat from the skillet.
Step 4 –Add the corn, the chunky salsa, and all but 2 tablespoons of the black olives and continue cooking until it is warmed through, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 5 –Transfer the skillet from the heat.
Step 6 –Combine the cottage cheese and the sour cream.
Step 7 –Layer 1/2 of the crumbled tortilla chips in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
Step 8 –Top the tortilla crumble layer with 1/2 of the meat mixture, 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese, and 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, in that order.
Step 9 –Repeat the layers, ending with the cottage cheese mixture.
Step 10 –Cover the casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 11 –Remove the foil and top with the remaining cheddar cheese, the bell peppers, the tomatoes, and the reserved black olives. Then, line the outside of the dish with the remaining whole tortilla chips.
Step 12 –Bake uncovered until the cheese is melted, but the chips are not burned, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 13 –Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes.
Step 14 –Garnish with the green onions and serve.
