Mole Verde Chicken Spinach Casserole

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup mole, verde paste (some prepared versions contain gluten)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken breasts, pre-cooked and shredded
• 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 habanero pepper, minced (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) package corn tortillas (8 tortillas, 6-inch diameter)
• 6 ounces plain fat-free yogurt (or 4 oz yogurt, 4 oz dairy-free "sour cream" or "cream cheese")
• 1 cup mexican blend cheese (shredded)
• 1 (9 ounce) bag baby spinach (~6 cups uncooked leaves, cleaned)
• 8 sprigs cilantro
• 1 avocado
• 1 lime
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe

• 1 place olive oil and mole paste in a medium saucepan, on medium heat. gradually whisk in 1 cup stock until smooth, breaking up the mole paste. stir constantly; sauce will thicken. then whisk in remaining 1 cup stock.
• 2 preheat oven to 350°.
• 3 to the mole sauce in the pan, add shredded chicken, corn, canned chiles, salt, and minced habanero (careful not to get it on your fingers -- it burns!); stir to mix well and heat through.
• 4 meanwhile, lightly oil a 10x10 or 9x13 casserole pan. cover bottom with a layer of corm tortillas (about 4. you can curve them up the sides of the dish if that fits better.) sprinkle a light layer (1/3 c) of shredded cheese on top of the tortillas. cover the cheese with about half the fresh spinach.
• 5 turn heat to low (on saucepan) and stir in yogurt. mix until smooth, then remove from heat.
• 6 ladle half the mole-chicken mixture into the prepared casserole dish, on top of the spinach layer.
• 7 repeat the layer of 4 tortillas, 1/3 c shredded cheese, the rest of the fresh baby spinach, and the rest of the mole-chicken mixture.
• 8 top with 1/3 c shredded cheese.
• 9 bake covered for 15 minutes and uncovered for 10 minutes. allow to rest about 5 minutes out of the over before cutting.
• 10 serve with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, lime wedges, and freshly ground black pepper.
• 11 (for the dairy-free option: omit shredded cheese, or substutute a dairyless option. you may add extra corn and/or spinach. use 6 oz dairy-free sour cream or cream cheese instead of yogurt. if making two casseroles (one dairy-free and one regular), split the mole-chicken mixture into two saucepans before adding 4 oz yogurt to one and 4 oz dairy-substitute to the other.).