Hasselback Enchiladas

Appealing to both kids and adults appetites by customizing the toppings on each loaf. An easy and quick-to-put-together meal ...perfect for a weeknight dinner together.

Yield: Serves 6

Preparation Time: 15 min; Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients

16 slices Furlani garlic Texas Toast or garlic Parm Texas toast

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 can (28 ounces) fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablepoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chili or chipotle chili powder

2 teaspoons granulated onion powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoons black pepper

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1 cup frozen corn

1 sweet pepper, chopped (any color)

2 1/2 cups shredded Tex-Mex cheese, divided

1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced half-moons, optional

Adult Version:

1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced

pickled jalapenos

cilantro leaves

Kids Version:

1 red sweet pepper, finely diced

1 green sweet pepper, finely diced

Optional serving suggestions:

sour cream

1 avocado, peeled and chopped

lime wedges

more pickled jalapenos

more red onion, thinly sliced half-moons

Directions:

To make the enchilada sauce, place the tomatoes, water, vinegar, olive oil, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper into a blender. Blend until smooth. Remove from blender and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spread the vegetable oil on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan. Spread 1/3 of the enchilada sauce on the bottom and place the toast in two rows of 8 on top so they fit snuggly beside each other.

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken, corn, sweet pepper and 1 cup of the cheese together with another 1/3 of the sauce.

With a spoon, tuck 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture between each toast, pushing the mixture as close to the bottom as possible. Drizzle the remaining enchilada sauce over top of the toast.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the sauce. Top with the red onion on one side if using and loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tops of the toast are crispy and lightly golden brown.

Adults version: Top with green onion slices, pickled jalapenos and cilantro after baking.

Kids version: Sprinkle the red and green pepper over top.

Serve with toppings the family enjoys and can customize to their preference, such as sour cream, avocado, lime, more pickled jalapenos and red onion.

Tips:
Use a store-bought rotisserie or leftover chicken for this quick dinner.

Can use store-bought enchilada sauce instead of making it or try a store-bought tomato passata sauce for a milder sauce version.

Please note that some ingredients and brands may not be available in every store.