This casserole is easy to make and easy to freeze. I usually make two – one for dinner and one for later. You can use a store-bought sauce, but they are usually too thin. If you have time, I recommend making the sauce.

Sauce:
Mince a small onion and sauté in 1 tablespoon of olive oil with a pinch of salt. Add a small can of tomato paste (about 3 tablespoons). Mince and add a garlic clove with a teaspoon of cumin and thyme. Add 2 cups chicken stock and a tablespoon of chili powder. Stir until everything is incorporated. Add a 28-oz can crushed tomatoes. Add chicken stock as necessary to achieve the proper consistency for a sauce. Cover and let simmer at least 25 minutes.

Meat mixture:
Chop a medium-sized onion and sauté it in olive oil with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Dice a bell pepper and add it to the pan. Mince three garlic cloves and add them. I use a pound of ground beef and a pound of beef chorizo. The chorizo adds great flavor, but also add a teaspoon of the following: cumin, thyme and oregano.
Stir and break down the beef into smaller bits. When the meat is no longer pink, add two diced tomatoes or a 15-oz can of petite diced tomatoes. Add about a half cup of chicken or beef stock and let everything simmer on low while grating the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Shred enough cheddar and Monterey jack cheese to have a total of 4 cups. Cut about 20-24 corn tortillas in half.

Assemble the casseroles:
Pull out two casserole pans. If you are freezing one, I recommend using a foil baking pan or a freezer safe pan that can later be thawed and placed in the oven. Spread about a half-cup of sauce on the bottom of each casserole dish. Layer the tortillas over this to cover the bottom of each dish. Combine the remaining sauce and meat mixture. Spoon a quarter of the sauce and meat mixture over the tortillas in each dish. Sprinkle a cup of cheese over both. Repeat the layers, using up all the meat, cheese and sauce. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The other casserole can be covered with foil and tightly sealed. Then slide the sealed casserole into a 3-quart freezer bag, labeling and dating the bag before freezing.

The casserole in the oven is done when the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let the casserole sit while you prepare a simple tossed salad.
Serve the casserole with the side salad, chips and salsa.