Sweet Potato Tortilla Pie

Another entry in the tortilla pie series, this one combines shredded sweet potatoes and salsa with refried beans and cheese. It's delicious and substantial on its own, but you could throw in some cooked shredded chicken in place of some of the sweet potato if you like. A food processor with a grating attachment makes quick work of the shredding.

Olive oil
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 large onion, thinly sliced or finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp lime juice, or to taste (optional)
2 10-inch flour tortillas
1 14-ounce can refried beans
1/2 - 3/4 cup good quality salsa, plus more for topping if desired
6-8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shredded sweet potatoes and onion and saute over medium-high heat until tender.  You want them to brown a bit in some places, but not char. Taste the sweet potatoes and add salt and pepper to taste; if you want to cut the sweetness a little, stir in the lime juice.

When the sweet potatoes are tender, place one of the tortilla in the bottom of a 10-inch oven-proof skillet. Spread half the refried beans over the tortilla, then add half the salsa. Top this with half the sweet potato mixture and press it down a bit.  Sprinkle with half the cheddar. Add the second tortilla and repeat.

Turn on the broiler of your oven. Place the tortilla pie under the broiler and cook for about 3 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown a little. Cut into wedges and serve hot. Pass additional salsa at the table if desired.

Serves about 4.

Tortilla Pie with Roasted Garlic and Kale

This was a quick, last minute inspiration, but it worked well. Plus my six-year-old actually ate the kale along with all the rest of it. Substitute spinach for the kale if you like.

2 large tortillas (burrito size)
1 14-oz can refried beans (1 1/2 - 2 cups)
4-5 cups finely chopped lacinato kale
1 head roasted garlic, cloves peeled and coarsely chopped
4-5 oz shredded sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place one tortilla in the bottom of an oven-proof pan. Spread half the refried beans over it. Top with half the kale, half the garlic, and half the cheese. Add the second tortilla and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown and the pie is hot through. Slice into eighths and serve hot.

Serves 3-4.

Ground Beef and Spinach Tortilla Pie

Hearty, zesty, and comforting. And easy.

Olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
6-8 cups chopped spinach
2 10-inch tortillas
4-5 oz. shredded sharp cheddar
1 14-oz can refried beans
1/3 cup or so salsa (optional)
pickled hot peppers, chopped (optional)

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the garlic and onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and brown thoroughly. Stir in salt and pepper, chili powder, and cumin. When the meat is well browned, add the spinach and saute until wilted.

Place one tortilla in the bottom of a 10-inch ovenproof skillet or similar dish. Spread half the cheese on the tortilla, then add a layer of half the refried beans. Top with half the beef mixture, then half the salsa (in small dollops) if using, along with some pickled hot peppers if using. Add the second tortilla. Spread with refried beans, beef mixture, and remaining salsa. Top with remaining cheese.

Broil for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese just begins to brown.

Serves about 4.

Tortilla Pie with Spinach, Chicken, and Black Beans

Here's a nice hearty baked dish for these dismal cold grey days we've been having. A great use for leftover chicken. This recipe makes two pies, but feel free to halve it.

Olive oil
10-12 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium onions, diced
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups cooked black beans
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 lb spinach, washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped
4 10-inch tortillas (flour or corn as you like)
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil two large pie plates or 10-inch oven-proof skillets.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the garlic and onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper and mix well. Add the beans and chicken and heat through. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Drain off extra liquid, either using a colander or by tipping the pan and sucking it out with a baster.

Place one tortilla in the bottom of each pan. The edges will fold up a little around the edges of the pan. Spread one quarter of the cheese over each tortilla, then add a quarter of the spinach mixture to each. Top with another tortilla, then the remaining filling. Spread the remaining cheese on top.

Bake the pies for about 15 minutes, until the tortilla crust is a bit crisp and the cheese begins to brown.

Serves 6-8.

Spicy Beef and Zucchini Tortilla Pie

Tortilla pie is comfort food in our house. I change it up with the season, using whatever's available.

You can bake this in a variety of pans. It could be two thick layers or three thinner ones in a 10-inch skillet, 2 thin layers in a 13-inch skillet, or trim the tortillas to fit into 9x13-inch pan.

1 lb ground beef
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 lbs zucchini, diced
2-3 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2-4 large flour tortillas
1/2 cup salsa
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brown the beef in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Pour off most of the fat, then addd the garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the zucchini and saute for another 2-3 minutes before stirring in the cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper. Continue to saute over medium-high heat until the zucchini is nicely tender.

Spread one layer of tortilla in the bottom of your baking pan. Top with half or a third of the cheese (depending on the number of layers you anticipate). Add half or a third of the beef and zucchini mixture (scooping it up with a slotted spoon so that excess liquid stays behind). Top with half or a third of the salsa. Add another layer of tortilla, topping with the beef and zucchini mixture, then salsa, then cheese. Repeat for an additional layer if appropriate.

Bake the assembled tortilla pie for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is nicely melted and begins to brown.

Serves 4-6.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tortilla Pie

This used up the remaining sweet potatoes from our last CSA box. We get another one tomorrow, and I hope it has more!

If you have a food processor with a grater attachment, use it to shred the sweet potatoes. In fact, to really speed things along, you can do the onion that way, too.

olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped (red onion is nice)
3/4 - 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 15-oz can)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 10-inch tortillas
3-4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar
Salsa for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the sweet potato, beans, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until sweet potato is tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Lightly oil a 10-inch oven proof skillet or similar pan. Place one tortilla in the bottom and sprinkle with half the cheddar. Spread half the sweet potato mixture over the cheese, flattening it out as you do so. Place the second tortilla on top. Spread the remaining sweet potato mixture over the tortilla, then top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until cheese begins to brown.

Serve hot. If desired, top with salsa at the table.

Serves 3-4.

Zucchini and Chicken Tortilla Pie

Summer squash season is upon us. Most of the farmers market vendors had some yesterday, and we were given two fairly large zucchinis from a friend's garden. Here's what I did with them--quite tasty and an easy way to use up a good quantity of squash.

Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium-large zucchinis, shredded
2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 10-inch tortillas
4-6 oz. shredded sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the zucchini, cumin, salt, and pepper, and saute another 3-4 minutes. Drain the veggie mixture in a colander.

Spread one tortilla in the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet or other oven-proof pan. Top with half of the veggie mixture, then half of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Bake the tortilla pie for about 15-18 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown.

Serves about 4.

Tortilla Pie with Greens and Mushrooms

The basic recipe here is almost infinitely variable depending on what vegetables are available. Here is a spring version emphasizing greens (spinach or whatever you can find). The mushrooms I got from Green Fields Market came from Pennsylvania, which seems to be GFM's usual source. Not exactly local, but not bad.

4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
3-4 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
1-2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups coarsely chopped greens
2 10-inch tortillas (I like to use whole wheat)
1 15-oz can refried beans
3-4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet and saute the garlic and onions for about 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute another 3-4 minutes, until they start to release their liquid. Add the cumin, chili power, salt and pepper, and saute until the mushrooms are tender. Add the greens (in batches if necessary) and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.

Lightly oil a 10-inch cast iron skillet or similar pan and place one tortilla in the bottom (if you want to use the same skillet you cooked the veggies in, clean it out first). Spread half the refried beans over the tortilla, then top with half the veggies and spread half the cheddar over them. Add another tortilla and repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves about 4.