Shanda's Enchilada Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground meat (i use turkey, but beef is fine too)
1 onion chopped (small or medium depending on how much you want)
1 package taco seasoning
1 can beans - drained (i use black, but pinto would be fine too - 15 oz.)
1 small can chopped green chiles (4oz)
1 can corn
1 package ZATARAINS SPANISH RICE MIX (if you can't find this i bet any spanish rice mix will work, but zatarains is my favorite.)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 carton sour cream (8 oz - or more if you want more)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or garlic salt which is what i use)
8 corn tortillas (the 6-inch ones)
1 can red enchilada sauce (10 oz)
shredded cheese (it calls for 1 cup, but that is NEVER enough for us.)(and you can use cheddar, monterey jack, cheddar jack, etc. it's up to you.)

DIRECTIONS
put the onion and meat in a skillet and cook until the meat is browned and the onions are transparent. drain. add the seasoning according to the package's directions. let it simmer a few minutes. then add in the beans, corn and chiles. stir and set aside.
cook the rice mix according to the package directions. the tomatoes cook with the rice mix. you can start this first if you want because it takes 25 minutes to cook.
mix the garlic into the sour cream. set aside
lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan (i use my pyrex and i spray it with PAM) lay out a few tortillas to cover the bottom. you can break them to fit. then add half of the meat mixture, then half of the rice. drizzle with half of the enchilada sauce and then put half of the sour cream on this. i add a bit of cheese right here. then repeat the layers starting with the tortillas and ending with the one cup of cheese.

now, here you can either refrigerate, freeze, or just cook it.

when you want to cook it, preheat to 350. cover the dish with foil (i make my foil stick up above the pan - like a tent - so the cheese doesn't just cook to it. i like to eat my cheese.) bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes if cooking right away, 35 if it has been chilled. uncover and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the cheese is completely melted and it is heated through. then let it stand out on your stove for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

we eat this with shredded romaine lettuce, avocados and ranch. oh, and sometimes with corn bread. yum! the kids also seem to feel the red sauce is too spicy, so i usually leave half of the casserole sauce-free. and my husband and i like to drizzle ours with green tabasco.
it seems like a long recipe, but it doesn't really take that much to get it to the table. and did i say we LOVE it? and that it is great as leftovers.