Description
A comforting, cheesy ground beef tortilla bake smothered in a homemade smoky red pepper cream sauce, perfect for a family weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 500g (1.1 lb) lean ground beef (90/10)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 8 large (8-inch) flour tortillas
- 225g (8 oz) grated Monterey Jack cheese
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Roast Red Peppers: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut bell peppers in half, remove seeds, and place cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes until skins blacken and soften. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes; then peel and discard skins.
- Cook Beef Filling: While peppers roast, brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat (8-10 minutes); drain excess fat. Add half the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in 3 cloves minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano; cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add tomato paste and 1/2 cup broth; bring to a simmer and cook until liquid evaporates (5-7 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Prepare Cream Sauce: Heat remaining oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add remaining onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Stir in remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add peeled roasted peppers, remaining broth, heavy cream, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer mixture to a blender and blend until completely smooth; reserve 1/4 cup sauce for serving.
- Assemble Casserole: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread 1/4 cup red pepper sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Warm tortillas to make them pliable. For each tortilla, spoon 1/4-1/3 cup of beef filling down the center, sprinkle with a pinch of cheese, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in the dish.
- Bake to Perfection: Pour the remaining red pepper sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle with the remaining grated Monterey Jack cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. For a golden top, broil for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully.
- Serve and Garnish: Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with a drizzle of the reserved sauce and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
Notes
To avoid dry tortillas, let the baked dish rest for 5-10 minutes after removing it from the oven to allow the sauce to reabsorb. You can substitute ground turkey or a plant-based alternative for the beef. For extra vegetables, add finely diced spinach or grated carrots to the beef filling.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked, Casserole
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 612 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg