Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Dip Inspiration!

Over the holiday break I was watching an episode of Rachael Ray where she came up with a casserole inspired by the famous 7 Layer Dip. Well this dip happens to be an absolute favorite of my husbands, so I had to give it a try. I ended up altering the recipe a bit for ease and to better suite my cooking style, but I think Rachael would still be proud. And although my husband said that it's no substitution for the "real thing", it was still pretty good. For my version see below and for Rachael's full recipe click HERE.

In the vein of dip inspired recipes. I will be appearing on Studio 5 tomorrow! The producer Kellie and I are still finalizing the recipe I'll be demoing, but I'm hoping to demo my latest creation; Spinach Artichoke Pasta. It's my own dip inspired meal, taking my yummy Spinach and Artichoke dip and turning into a to-die-for pasta dinner. If for some reason it's not the recipe I end up demoing...no worries, I'll still post the recipe tomorrow. Stay tuned...


7 LAYER "INSPIRED" CASSEROLE
(Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray)

1 lb. ground beef
1 Can diced tomatoes with cilantro and lime
1 Can pinto beans
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
salt & pepper
6 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 C. chicken stock
1 C. whole milk
4 C. cheddar cheese, grated
4 C. crushed tortilla chips
2 C. shredded lettuce
1 C. diced tomatoes
3 large avocados, diced
Juice of 1 lime
1 C. Cilantro, chopped
1 C. olives sliced
1/2 C. scallions, diced
Sour cream

1. In a large skilled brown hamburger, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add pinto beans and diced tomatoes. Cook until heated through. Pour mixture into the bottom of a large casserole dish or 9x13 baking pan.
2. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the flour to form a rough. Slowly add the chicken stock and milk, stir until it starts to thicken. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Once the cheese has melted and formed a thick cheese sauce, add the cooked elbow macaroni and stir to combine. Pour the macaroni and cheese over the beef mixture.
3. Bake in at 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.
4. While cooking, combine the diced avocado with the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Once the casserole has been removed from the oven, layer on the crushed tortilla chips, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado mixture, cilantro, olives and scallions. Top each serving with a small dollop of sour cream.

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2 comments:

Shelby said...

Sounds yummy! Good luck tomorrow!

Lindsay said...

Rachael Ray Makes a casserole inspired by Spinach Artichoke dip too! Saw it a few weeks ago? Looks yummy!

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