Castellon's Kitchen: Chilaquiles Corn Bread Stuffing

The turkey may get center stage every Thanksgiving, but for me the side dishes are the stars of the show and this Chilaquiles Corn Bread Stuffing is sure to steal the show on Turkey day. A Latin-inspired stuffing that blends traditional corn bread stuffing ingredients like corn bread, celery, carrots and onions with chorizo, fresh corn, green chiles, salsa and fried corn tortillas. Then instead of slathering the whole thing with gravy like traditional stuffing, I topped mine with crunchy corn tortilla strips, crumbled cotija cheese, cilantro and salsa! Flavor packed comfort food, that's not just for Thanksgiving. Make this casserole for a holiday brunch with a crisp green salad or fruit, or throw a few over-easy eggs on top just like you'd find on traditional Chilaquiles and have it for breakfast on Christmas Morning. Happy Holidays.

Chilaquiles Corn Bread Stuffing

Serves 8-10

11 oz. Beef, Pork, or Soy Chorizo

1 large yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 - 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 cup corn
6 yellow corn tortillas, cut into strips
oil for frying tortillas
6 cups corn bread stuffing mix (I used Mrs. Cubbison's®)
1 can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups prepared salsa or tomato sauce
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Top with:
Fried tortilla chips
Cotija cheese, crumbled
cilantro, finely chopped
green onions
Salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, add chorizo, onions, carrots, and celery and heat over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add green chiles and corn and mix and set aside while you fry the tortillas.

In a separate frying pan, add enough oil to fry tortilla strips until light brown working in small batches. Remove tortillas from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Add corn bread stuffing mix to a large bowl. Add the meat mixture to the corn bread stuffing mix and stir well to incorporate. Add enough chicken stock to moisten the corn bread meat mixture.

IN a small bowl, add salsa and about half of the fried tortillas and mix to coat the chips in salsa. Make sure to reserve the rest of fried tortillas for garnish. Add the salsa coated chips and cilantro to the corn bread mixture. Pour into a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

Top with lots of crunchy fried tortillas, cotija cheese crumbles, cilantro, and green onions. Serve with salsa. Enjoy!