Backstage Special (Recipe)

Ingredients

1 pound ground round steak

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1/2 cup tomato juice or water

1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1 15 1/2-ounce can kidney or chili beans with juice

1 8-ounce bag corn chips

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a 2-quart square baking dash.  Set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the meat, onion and garlic.  Drain the excess fat.  Stir the tomato sauce, tomato juice or water, chili powder and oregano into the meat mixture.

3. Layer the meat mixture, beans and corn chips in the prepared baking dish, ending with corn chips.

4. Cover and bake in the 350° oven for 40 minutes.  Just before serving, sprinkle with the lettuce, tomato and chopped onion.

Tips:

It's also up to you to decide how thoroughly you want to drain the fat from the browned meat.  One efficient way to drain the meat-onion mixture in this recipe is to drain it through a sieve.

Casseroles are one of the easiest types of recipes to adapt to your own style.  To stylize this casserole, you might add chili peppers or snipped cilantro to the meat mixture and serve it with salsa and/or sour cream.  Pass around the hot sauce for the more daring at your table.