Favorite things Friday: Tex-Mex

This is my favorite casserole. I got it out of a little recipe booklet that was included with a box of Bisquik many many years ago. I still have the booklet, which today has torn pages and ingredient stains all over it, but the recipe is intact. I was making it the other night and spent a frantic 10 minutes searching for the booklet. Why this thing isn't firmly committed to memory by now I don't know.

Anyway, I did a quick Google search for this, hoping to find a photo that I could post with the recipe. Alas, there are no photos. You'll just have to imagine. But there are quite a few listings of this recipe, sometimes called Tex-Mex Turkey Bake (because one version of it has turkey instead of ground beef), sometimes called Tex-Mex Spinach Bake. I just call it Tex-Mex, even though I know that's an adjective. I was elated to find it on the Internet -- just in case I lose that little booklet.

Here it is, revised to suit my family's tastes:

Tex-Mex

Crust:
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup cold water (more if needed)

First layer:
1 pound ground beef (the original uses ground turkey)
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 cup water

Second layer:
1 pkg. frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
1 cup ricotta cheese

Third layer:
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 egg

>>>Heat oven to 375°F.
>>>Grease rectangular 13x9x2" pan.
>>>Mix Bisquick and 1/2 cup water until soft dough forms. Press dough into bottom of pan using fingers dipped in Bisquick.
>>>Cook ground beef; drain. Stir in seasoning mix and 1 cup water. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
>>>Spoon beef mixture over dough.
>>>Mix spinach and ricotta cheese; spread over beef mixture.
>>>Mix cheddar cheese, sour cream and egg; spoon evenly over spinach mixture.
>>>Bake 30-35 minutes or until set. (Helpful hint: The Bisquik crust will rise a little bit, so set the casserole dish on a flat baking sheet in the oven to prevent spills.) Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

By the way, store the leftovers in the fridge. It heats up well in the microwave for the lunch the next day.
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