Can you prepare parts of this dish the day before or some time before you serve it? I want to bring it with me to a dinner party but prepare most at home before I leave.
Jessica Fisher
I’d recommend making the meat sauce and having the other elements prepped (cheese shredded, olives sliced), then you can assemble and bake really quickly. You can make the casserole a few hours in advance, but the farther in advance, the softer the tortillas will be. They soften a lot as is, similar to a tamale.
Kate G
This is a great recipe using pantry staples! I always make up two batches of the beef/tomato mixture and freeze one for later.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad you enjoy it.
Dena
Seriously one of the best things I’ve had in a while and I’m a vegan so made it with rehydrated TVP and vegan cheese and it was still great. The flavors in the sauce are a culinary symphony. Thanks so much for your work. There’s just as much art and creativity in good food as there is in creating a painting or great piece of music.
Jessica Fisher
Good to know it all works well for vegan! Thanks for your kind words!
Belinda
This sounds delicious!! On my list to try this holiday. Thank you 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Let me know how you like it.
annie
i have leftover chili that no one wants to finish off i;’m going to prepare this idea and freeze it before baking as an experiment. septmember is such a busy month, and i hope this will become a tasty quick main meal from the freezer.
Jessica
Sounds like a great plan!
Kristin
We do similar dish that we lays called Enchilada Pie. We put retried beans and black beans in though and enchilada sauce instead of the spices and tomato sauce. We also make it camping in a dutch oven set right on hot coals. Delicious no matter how you make it!
Jessica
Yep. There are plenty of different combinations. This one is obviously heavy on the tomatoes which is essentially how my mom made it. She used stewed tomatoes.
Cathie
So obviously this recipe will not serve your whole family, mine either 🙂 several pie pans won’t fit well in my oven. How do you adjust or work it to feed all your troops? Multiplying the recipe itself is no biggie, just wondering about how to cook it.
Carla
You can use a 9×13 pan and cut several of the shells into quarters to cover the ends after placing 2 slightly overlapping in the center (so 3 shells for each layer). Then just cut in pieces instead of wedges? Maybe Jessica can give advice as to if you would need to increase sauce amount.
Jessica
I would make two stacks in a 9×13 inch pan, doubling the recipe. You can also do it the way Carla suggested.
Dee
Very easy!
Nora
Can you prepare parts of this dish the day before or some time before you serve it? I want to bring it with me to a dinner party but prepare most at home before I leave.
Jessica Fisher
I’d recommend making the meat sauce and having the other elements prepped (cheese shredded, olives sliced), then you can assemble and bake really quickly. You can make the casserole a few hours in advance, but the farther in advance, the softer the tortillas will be. They soften a lot as is, similar to a tamale.
Kate G
This is a great recipe using pantry staples! I always make up two batches of the beef/tomato mixture and freeze one for later.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad you enjoy it.
Dena
Seriously one of the best things I’ve had in a while and I’m a vegan so made it with rehydrated TVP and vegan cheese and it was still great. The flavors in the sauce are a culinary symphony. Thanks so much for your work. There’s just as much art and creativity in good food as there is in creating a painting or great piece of music.
Jessica Fisher
Good to know it all works well for vegan! Thanks for your kind words!
Belinda
This sounds delicious!! On my list to try this holiday. Thank you 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Let me know how you like it.
annie
i have leftover chili that no one wants to finish off i;’m going to prepare this idea and freeze it before baking as an experiment. septmember is such a busy month, and i hope this will become a tasty quick main meal from the freezer.
Jessica
Sounds like a great plan!
Kristin
We do similar dish that we lays called Enchilada Pie. We put retried beans and black beans in though and enchilada sauce instead of the spices and tomato sauce. We also make it camping in a dutch oven set right on hot coals. Delicious no matter how you make it!
Jessica
Yep. There are plenty of different combinations. This one is obviously heavy on the tomatoes which is essentially how my mom made it. She used stewed tomatoes.
Cathie
So obviously this recipe will not serve your whole family, mine either 🙂 several pie pans won’t fit well in my oven. How do you adjust or work it to feed all your troops? Multiplying the recipe itself is no biggie, just wondering about how to cook it.
Carla
You can use a 9×13 pan and cut several of the shells into quarters to cover the ends after placing 2 slightly overlapping in the center (so 3 shells for each layer). Then just cut in pieces instead of wedges? Maybe Jessica can give advice as to if you would need to increase sauce amount.
Jessica
I would make two stacks in a 9×13 inch pan, doubling the recipe. You can also do it the way Carla suggested.