One of the rewarding things about cooking is when your kids actually enjoy it. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. But, I have my share of picky eaters who won’t just eat any and everything that’s served to them.

That’s one of the things I like about this recipe. Well, at least one of my kids really liked it. I mean…LOVED it. As a matter of fact, while I was writing this post, she got very excited looking at the photo of this cheesy Mexican Pan Casserole and begged me to make it again.

Tips for making this Casserole healthier

I love that this Mexican Pan Casserole is made with guilt-free ingredients. Here are some tips I try to keep in mind when buying groceries.

I try to use the best quality ingredients when possible. As a matter of fact, if you read the ingredients list in my recipe it says “organic when possible” next to each food. I know at times organic ingredients may not be available locally. Sometimes eating organic can be more expensive and not within the budget. That’s why I suggest purchasing organic food when you can. I like to keep in mind it’s usually best to shop organic, but not all organic food is healthier. Anyway, that’s that a topic for another time.

Raw certified organic grass-fed cheese is my number 1 choice. But, to my knowledge, it’s not available in stores near me. My second best option is grass-fed cheese — not raw, but grass-fed. When grass-fed cheese, or dairy in general, isn’t available I opt for organic. Raw grass-fed cheese has probiotics, calcium, enzymes, and protein.

I usually buy grass-fed beef and try to stick to eating it instead of the non-grass version. Cows are meant to graze freely in pastures and eat grass, not grain. Grass-fed beef is higher in vitamins A and E and omega-3 fatty acids.

Tips to making the cooking time faster

One thing that helped to make preparing this meal quicker is using canned black beans and diced tomatoes. Overall, I prefer to use fresh and not canned foods when cooking to avoid BPA and aluminum. But, I only had canned diced tomatoes and beans on hand.

If you prefer to use fresh tomatoes and beans I would consider that the best choice, in my opinion. Though, remember dicing tomatoes will take a few minutes, and cooking the black beans will increase your prep time significantly.

Italian seasoning?

This was my first time making this recipe and I wanted to make sure the flavor wasn’t lacking. So I grabbed the Italian seasoning without giving much thought to the fact that this is a Mexican dish. And it worked. But before we conclude that it makes the dish less authentic, let’s take a look at the ingredients in the specific Italian seasoning I used.

Great Value Organic Italian Seasoning:

Organic oregano
Organic basil
Organic marjoram
Organic sage
Organic garlic

Those are all the spices in the Italian seasoning I used. Upon researching the only spice listed that isn’t true to Mexican culture is oregano, which is also the first ingredient on the bottle. The oregano in this spice is also referred to as Italian oregano and is more common, not only in Italian and Mediterranean dishes but in the U.S. as well.

However, Mexican oregano is commonly used in Mexican cuisines. While I’m not entirely sure I’ve tasted Mexican oregano, I’ve had my fair share of Mexican foods, so I’m pretty confident I have. Some say the difference between Italian and Mexican oregano is subtle, though Mexican oregano has earthy and citrus-like undertones.

You can omit the Italian seasoning if you feel it makes the dish less authentic, but I can’t say how it will taste. Or you can replace it with Mexican oregano if you think it will make the dish more authentic. But, what about the other spices in the Italian seasoning?

ALL the other spices in the Italian seasoning I used are popular in Mexican dishes. Just remember, the oregano is only one spice out of five spices in the Italian seasoning. Plus, I used chili powder and cumin, which can have a strong and pungent taste. And these two are definitely true to Mexico’s flavorful dishes.

So, do you think the Italian seasoning ruins the authenticity of this Mexican dish? Please share in the comments below.

Mexican Pan Casserole

Natural Twirl

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Cook Time 40

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

3 lbs Ground beef grass-fed, organic if possible
1 tbsp Himalayan salt organic if possible
1 tsp Black pepper organic if possible
1 tbsp Chili powder organic if possible
2 tbsp Cumin organic if possible
2 tps Italian seasoning organic if possible
12 oz Sweet corn organic if possible
2 cups Diced tomatoes canned or fresh, organic if possible
12 oz Black beans canned or fresh, organic if possible
2 cups Quinoa organic if possible

Instructions

Heat ground beef in medium size pan until fully cooked, strain grease if needed.
Return meat into the pan to stove. Set temperature medium heat.
Add seasonings and remaining ingredients to pan and mix well.
Reduce heat to medium low and cover with lid. Heat about 10 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked. Stir ocassionally to ensure ingredients do not burn, until quinoa is completely cooked.
Reduce heat to low, top with shredded cheese and cover with lid about 6 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.
Remove from stove and let stand a few minutes before serving.

Keyword casserole, dinner, easy, easy dinner recipe, easy mexican dinner, healthy, healthy dinner, healthy dinner recipe, healthy mexican dinner, mexican, pan, quick, quick mexican dinner

Resources
https://draxe.com/nutrition/grass-fed-beef-nutrition/
https://draxe.com/nutrition/healthiest-cheese/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997390/