Tex-Mex Pie

I found pie crust in the fridge the other day while I was cleaning and saw that I only had two more weeks to use it before the expiration date so I browsed some other cooking blogs for inspiration on what to make.

I had some leftover chicken taco meat from the day before and I found a Ranchero Crostada on Picky Palate that also used pie crust and chicken. This is spin on the original recipe. It really is super easy and the perfect weeknight meal. Only takes a few minutes to prepare and then goes straight to the oven. Hope you enjoy!

• 1 ready-made pie crust


• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken (can be shredded or chopped)


• 1 cup black bean and corn salsa (this is a frozen bag of vegetables - you can used canned also)


• 2 tbsp taco seasoning


• juice of one lime


• 1/2 cup shredded cheese


• kosher salt

In a bowl, mix together chicken, (thawed/drained) corn/black beans, lime juice and taco seasoning.

Roll out pie crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or silicone baking mat) and pour chicken mixture into the center. Spread evenly leaving a one-inch border around the outside. Fold up the pie crust to help keep the mixture inside and give it a nice border. Sprinkle cheese over the top and add a small pinch of kosher salt to the borders of the crust.

Bake in a 350F oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the crust is slightly browned and cheese is completely melted.

Serve warm with sour cream, avocado, and salsa on the side. Serves 2.

Mexican Lasagna

I originally saw a recipe for a Mexican Lasagna featured on Food Network and since my family loves Mexican food, mostly because of the taste and also because its super easy to be gluten-free, I decided to try it out. Since I didn't really remember the recipe from the show, I decided to just throw together some ingredients that I thought would taste good and layer it just like regular lasagna.

• 20 corn tortillas (taco size)


• 1 ½ lbs. shredded chicken breast


• 1 lg can of enchilada sauce *


• 1 can whole kernel corn, liquid drained


• 1 can black beans


• 8 oz. bag of shredded Mexican cheese blend


• Sour cream and guacamole (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large baking dish, pour a very thin layer of enchilada sauce. Lay a flat layer of corn tortillas on bottom of the dish. Pour another thin layer of sauce. This will keep the tortillas moist while its cooking.

In a mixing bowl, stir together corn and black beans. In a separate bowl, combine chicken and ½ cup of sauce. Combine ingredients from both bowls together and mix well.

Spread 1/3 of meat mixture over tortillas evenly. Sprinkle cheese over layer. Lay next set of corn tortillas evenly over meat. Pour thin layer of sauce over tortillas. Repeat for final two layers. Last layer should be corn tortillas with sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake uncovered an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with sour cream and guacamole on top if you wish.

Note: If pouring sauce over tortillas isn't cutting it, one thing I do is dunk each tortilla in the sauce before placing it in the dish. It gets a little messy, but you can more easily control the amount of sauce on each layer.

* Make sure the enchilada sauce is gluten-free, most of the time it is, but if you have a gluten allergy you want to be sure