Since last night was Fat Tuesday I decided to spice up dinner with a bit of “New Orleans” flavor.  I started with the Red Beans & Rice Tortilla Casserole recipe from Zatarains.com.

1 package ZATARAIN’S® Red Beans and Rice

1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained

1 lb. chopped, cooked, unthawed, frozen shrimp

9 flour tortillas, Gordita or Burrito Style (8-inch)

2 cups browned ground turkey or beef

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of chopped onionFrank’s Hot sauce to taste

Directions

1. Prepare Rice Mix as directed on package. Add corn, ground turkey and Frank’s Hot Sauce to taste; mix well.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 1/2 cup of the rice mixture on bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 each of the remaining rice mixture  and cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tortillas, rice mixture, a layer of shrimp, sprinkle the onions over the top and cheese. Finish with a layer of tortillas on top with a sprinkling of cheese.

3. Bake 20-25  minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

This was delicious!  Slightly spicy but not so much that it lost the flavors.  I added the shrimp, onion and Hot sauce to the original recipe to give it a bit more depth of flavor and it was amazing.

For my gluten-free son I had to make a small pot of rice that I seasoned with taco seasonings (cumin, garlic, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper) and bit of Frank’s Hot Sauce for a bite.  I used flour tortillas for his and far less cheese as we try to keep the amount of milk in his diet to a minimum.  I received 2 thumbs up from my child who does not like casseroles so overall I think this was a winner.