Chicken Taco Casserole

Preparation

Baking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place onion, garlic, and 1/4 cup water in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.

Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and completely softened, 15 to 18 minutes.

If you need to add a splash of water to keep the onion and garlic from burning, add it.

Add scallions and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, or until softened.

Add ground chicken, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne.

Cook until chicken is crumbly and cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes.

Add remaining 1/2 cup water and refried beans.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook and stir often until combined and heated through.

Spread evenly into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Pour tomatoes and their juice over chicken mixture and top with cheese.

Bake until cheese melts and casserole is heated through, about 25 minutes (or longer if you want the cheese golden and bubbly).

Sprinkle shredded lettuce evenly over casserole and serve immediately.

Tips:

Ground chicken usually contains white meat, dark meat, chicken fat, and skin.

Get your ground chicken directly from the butcher.

Ring the bell, smile a huge hello, and ask him or her to grind you a pound of white meat only.

Portion control is important with the cheese: cut a 1/2-pound block in half or weigh it.

If you don’t have a kitchen scale, this is the perfect excuse to buy one.

Use a Microplane grater with coarse holes to grate your cheese.

Because it grates the cheese so fine and fluffy, you’ll end up with a huge pile before you get to 4 ounces, so you can get away with using as little as an ounce to cover the entire casserole.

If you want to cut calories, this is one way to do it.

You can use taco seasoning mix, but keep an eye on the sodium content listed on the label.