POBLANO BEEF CASSEROLE

Poblano Beef Casserole image

This dish has such a wonderful and rich Southwest flavor! It is easy to make and satisfies just about all palates. It may be hard to find the Campbell's Cream of Chile Poblano soup in the stores, depending upon where you live. If you can't find it, I have a solution and I explain it below. This makes a wonderful casserole...

Provided by Cathy Nunn

Time 1h30m

Number Of Ingredients 9

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Ingredients

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 c finely chopped onion
salt & pepper (to season ground beef when browning)
1/2 c dry long grain rice, cooked according to pkg directions
2 roasted and chopped poblano chiles (roast an extra one if cream of poblano soup cannot be found)
1 can(s) campbells cream of poblano soup - **(may use cream of celery simmered with 1/2 cup chopped roasted poblanos as a substitute)
1/2 can(s) water
2 Tbsp diced cilantro (optional)
1 - 8 oz. pkg shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or jack cheese)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in a skillet. Add onion, salt & pepper to taste. Once beef is browned, add the roasted and chopped poblano peppers, the can of soup and water. Stir to mix well. **If you cannot find Campbell's Cream of Poblano Soup in the stores where you live, use Cream of Celery and simmer about 20 minutes with about a half a cup of roasted, fine chopped poblano pepper. You do want the flavor of the pepper well infused throughout the dish. For that matter, you can use the Cream of Celery soup w/no poblano pepper for a little milder flavor. You decide for yourself. You can use the dried chiles, as long as you reconstitute in warm water for about an hour before using and chop well. Poblano chiles may be hard to find in some parts of the country.
2. In a 2 quart baking dish, spray with nonstick cooking spray or grease well. Spoon half of the cooked rice into the bottom of the dish and spread around evenly. Cover this with half of the soup/beef mixture. Cover this layer with half of the shredded cheese. Top with the rest of the rice, spread out, add the cilantro, the rest of the soup/beef mixture and top with remaining cheese. (As a tasty option, break up a couple of handsfull of real fried corn tortilla chips on top, then top w/cheese.)
3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove from oven and let sit for 15-20 minutes before serving. Can serve with dinner rolls or with corn tortilla chips and your favorite salsa!
4. NOTE: For some who do not care for poblano peppers, you may use sweet bell pepper. Use green, red, yellow or a combination of all colors to make a milder tasting dish. When cooked in this way, poblano peppers are not usually spicy hot, but some can be a little spicy. If you are not accustomed to this, you may use the bell pepper and maybe try a little of the poblano to lighten the flavor a bit. Buen Probecho, Y'all!