Recipe: Tortilla Stack

The basis of this recipe was invented one night when pretty much all we had in the house was mince, a tin of beans and some stale tortilla wraps. With a few modifications since then, it has now become a week-night staple.

Chop onion and garlic, and fry in a little oil.

Add mince. Cook until brown.

Add chopped capsicum or celery (optional).

Add a tin of chilli beans, including the liquid (or black beans, kidney beans, Mexican beans, salsa beans).

While it simmers, add: 1 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp parsley, and, if you have any, chunky chopped fresh tomatoes (not tinned) and a splash of red wine.

Leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

Grease a lasagne or oven dish, and line with a tortilla or wrap. If you are using a large dish, use as many tortillas as you need to cover the base without overlapping too much. Don't worry if there are gaps, or if the tortilla curls up the side of the dish. Both work just fine!

Spoon 1/4 of mince mixture over tortillas.

Cover mince with one layer of tortilla, then add another 1/4 portion mince mixture.

Repeat twice more.

On the last mince layer, generously sprinkle some grated cheese (a mixture of different cheeses works well, e.g. mild, tasty, parmesan, mozzarella etc).

Cover with tortilla, add some more cheese on top, then cover with another tortilla.

On the last tortilla layer, brush with oil and sprinkle a little more cheese.

Bake 180°C for 20-30 minutes, or until the top tortillas are lightly browned and crispy and the cheese has melted.

Serve with salad or cooked vegetables.

Tastes great with your choice of sour cream, aioli, sweet chilli sauce, chipotle, salsa etc.

Reheats well in the microwave, so save any leftovers for lunch the next day.