So, my husband loves his mother’s mexican casserole, but for obvious reasons, I don’t want all the preservatives and weirdness that comes with the cream-soup-sauce.  This evening, I whipped up my own version of perfectly awesome mexican casserole, without the canned soups.  Below is an approximation of my recipe, as I do most of my cooking by feel rather than by measurement.  Sorry, I forgot to take pictures!

Mexican Casserole

About 1.5-2 pounds of ground beef

Two small onions, minced

About a cup of diced mushrooms, fresh

About a third cup of flour (you could replace this with other thickeners)

Salt to taste

Garlic powder, to taste

A 14-oz or so can of good tomatoes (I used organic something-or-other without the BPA lining)

Minced jalepenos or green chiles, to taste.  I used two tablespoons or so for a very mild casserole.

About a quart of milk or so

Half a bag of tortilla chips, crushed

Three big handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the beef with the onions and the mushrooms; cook until the onions are translucent and tender.  The fat is mostly absorbed by this time.  Salt and garlic to taste.  Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir thoroughly, coating the meat.  Stir for another minute or so, making sure everything is evenly coated and there are no clumps.  Add to this your milk, about a cup at a time, over medium heat.  Stir continuously.  Salt again.  Add tomatoes and chiles, and stir, stir, stir.  When the mixture is bubbly like thick gravy, turn off the heat.  Combine with the tortilla chips and pour into a 9″x13″ish casserole dish.  Cover liberally with shredded cheese and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour, or until the cheese is crusty and browned all over.  Serve warm.  This is tasty with a side salad and perhaps some cilantro corn.