Best chilaquiles casserole recipes – Food 4 Kitchen

 Chilaquiles casserole is a Mexican dish that is usually served with fried eggs. It can be cooked either in the oven or on the stovetop. With only a few ingredients, this casserole is very easy to make and very delicious. It can also be easily adapted to suit your preferences by adding different spices or toppings, like sour cream, cheese, green onions, and/or salsa verde.

 Chilaquiles casserole is a Mexican dish

Ingredients for chilaquiles casserole

• 4 – 6 eggs.
• 4 – 5 tomatoes.
• 1/2 cup of tortilla chips (preferably homemade).
• 1 large onion (chopped).
• 1 head of lettuce (chopped).
• 1 tbsp. olive oil.
• Three garlic cloves (minced) [or more if you wish].
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa.
• 1/4 cup of salsa verde (optional).
• 2 tbsp. lime juice (if you wish).

Directions for chilaquiles casserole

1. Prepare the tortillas by cutting them into small triangles and frying them in a pan with a bit of olive oil until golden. The tortillas should have the consistency of thick chips so that they hold their shape when baked in the oven. Make your own or purchase them from Mexican grocery stores. Once the tortillas are ready, place them in a bowl and mix with a spoonful of salsa, so that each piece is coated well with salsa.
2. In a large mixing bowl, place the tortilla triangles. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the tortillas. Peel and chop the onion. Add these to the tomatoes and mix well with your hand.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, cocoa, lime juice, and salt or cornstarch until very pale yellow. Add this mixture to the salsa/tomato/onion mixture making sure it is well blended into all of it, but being careful not to break up any of them (this dish is best eaten soft).
4. Preheat oven at 400 F (200 C) for 30 minutes
5. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized baking dish that has been lightly buttered. Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes or until it is golden brown on top and a knife comes out easily from the center.
6. Cut into pieces once removed from the oven. Serve with chopped lettuce, queso fresco, or crumbled cotija cheese, chopped green onions, guacamole, and/or sour cream. Cold or warm can be served with this dish.

Enjoy chilaquiles casserole

Cooking notes for chilaquiles casserole

• Your taste buds might be sensitive to the combination of onion, tomato, and cocoa when you first try this recipe so you may want to add less of one or more of them depending on your preferences once you get used to it.
• To change up the taste of this casserole, add 1/2 tsp. of chili powder or 1 tsp. of chipotle chili powder along with the garlic.
• A little touch of sugar could be added if you wish to sweeten it a bit.
• You can add chopped jalapenos or serranos to spice it up a bit more.
• You can add a little more or fewer tortilla chips depending on how much you like your dish.
• You could use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth to make this dish oil-free and a little bit healthier.
• To make it lighter, use nonfat yogurt instead of sour cream.
• If you desire more of a sauce, try adding 1 – 2 tbsp. of tomato paste (canned or jarred) with the tomatoes.
• If you prefer a spicier sauce, add 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. of chili powder with garlic and salt (not necessary if using low sodium broth).
• Serve with black beans for a more complete meal.
• Any type of cheese can be used instead of cotija or queso fresco.

Serve with black beans

Some questions about chilaquiles casserole

1. Can I make this dish without tortillas?

Since this is a Mexican recipe, it should be made with corn tortilla chips. However, if you cannot find any, you can use the dough of your favorite tortilla recipe and cut it into triangles.

2. Does the use of cocoa bean as suggested here makes sense? 

Cocoa powder will not work in the same way as cocoa beans because it does not have any fat in it. You can try adding a little bit more unsweetened chocolate along with the cocoa.

3. I am allergic to corn and eggs. Can I still make this dish?

You can substitute the corn tortilla chips with the ones made from oats or crushed wheat or rice bread. However, I would recommend that you avoid using oatmeal because it will produce a very flat dish with no chewy texture, very different than chilaquiles is supposed to be. If one does not have any of these ingredients they could also use flour tortillas cut into small triangles and fried until golden brown in olive oil until they get soft enough to hold their shape when baked and then cut into small pieces.

4. What about adding other meats to the dish?

You can add chicken along with the tortilla chips for an extra flavor. But it is important to remember that there must be some meat in the dish because this recipe was originally created for chilaquiles as a casserole and not just chips.

Chicken with chilaquiles casserole

5. Can I add more or less chipotle chili powder?

Chipotle chili powder adds more of a kick so feel free to use more than 2tbsps. if you desire a spicier dish.

6. Can I make this without the cheese?

You can use low-fat yogurt as a substitute for cheese. Add a little salt to bring out the flavor of its sourness. Cheese is not really necessary in this recipe because it is mainly made to be eaten without it.

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7. If I do not add tortilla chips, what else can I use?

You can add any type of meat that you have on hand and slice it so thin that it looks like chips when it cooks. This will produce a completely different dish than chilaquiles, but one that is also delicious in its own way.

Chilaquiles casserole has been passed down through family recipes and it is very similar to the ones that were eaten by families in pre-Hispanic times. It is a very comforting Mexican dish that can be eaten any time of the day or night and by itself or with other dishes. It is a quick dish to make if you have tortilla chips at home, giving more options to make this your own.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! It has become one of my favorites and I hope it becomes one of yours as well.

source https://food4kitchen.com/chilaquiles-casserole/