Tomatillo Verde Enchilada Casserole

I found this recipe on Recipezaar.com and thought it looked fairly easy to make. Here's the link to the actual recipe.

Time: 55 min (20 min prep, 30-35 bake)

Ingredients

Tomatillo Verde

• 6-8 tomatillos
• 1 jalapeno (2 if you prefer spicy)
• 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese or sour cream
• fresh cilantro(optional)

Enchilada Filling

• 1 chicken breast, cooked
• 9-12 corn tortillas
• 1 cup low-fat jalapeno monterey jack cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced jalapeno(optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unpeel the tomatillos and rinse them in the sink. Cut them into quarters and throw them into a food processor (a blender can also be used).
3. Add the sliced jalapeno, garlic, as well as the squeezed lime and cilantro. (if you wear contacts, you might want to wear a glove while cutting the jalepeno so you don't burn your eyes later)
   
4. Add a few pinches of fresh ground salt and pepper and run food processor until all ingredients are blended together.
5. Pour mixture into a sauce pan over low heat. Let simmer for 10 minutes to bring out the taste in the tomatillos. They should slowly change from a bright green to paler shade. (when they say low heat, they mean it!)
   
6. As the verde is simmering, you can start to get the rest of your ingredients ready for the casserole.
7. Cut up your cooked chicken breast and put it into your food processor. Course a few times until the chicken is shredded. Should yield just over a cup. Put into a bowl and put to the side.
8. Grate the jalapeno jack. Pending on your taste, a 1/2 cup - cup will do. Put into another bowl and to the side. (we like cheese at our house, so I used well over a cup..and my hubby still said it could use more)
   
9. I prefer a round pie dish, though a rectangular casserole dish can be substituted, as well.
10. Spray your dish with a non-stick spray and in the bottom, line with 3 corn tortillas and try to cover as much as the dish as possible though there will be overlap, as well as uncovered corners. (I was out of spray, so I just used a napkin to spread some veggie oil on the dish)
    
11. The Tomatillo Verde sauce should now be a pale shade of green. Add the cottage cheese or sour cream and stir until well-blended. Leave on the heat for another 1-2 min stirring regularly.
12. With a spoon scoop onto the corn tortillas until covered. Add a handful of chicken and a handful of cheese until covered. Add a few sliced jalapenos for taste. (I did not add jalepenos, because I can't take the heat! And, I didn't feel like cutting up more jalepenos)
    
13. Repeat 3 more corn tortillas on top of the first layer; sauce, chicken and cheese.
14. You should finish the dish with 3 tortillas on top and enough sauce to drizzle over so they don't burn. I also like to finish with a sprinkling of cheese and a few jalapenos for garnish.
15. Put in oven for 30-35 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream. Cut into pie slices and serve.

**I would give this recipe 4-5 stars. My family loved it, and I felt really proud of myself when I was able to make something that turned out so well. Yipee!! The only suggestion my husband had, like I mentioned earlier, would be to add more cheese. Other than that...a success!

Oh, and I served it with lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream and cilantro & lime black beans. (combine a drained can of black beans, cilantro & lime juice, then heat 'em up. Yummy in your tummy!!)

Here is the photographic evidence that this meal was a hit. This plate belongs to my son, who is a picky eater and rarely finishes his dinner.