Bean & Chili Casserole

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2013/01/vegetarian-pinto-bean-green-chile-casserole.html

Vegetarian Green Chile and Pinto Bean Layered Mexican Casserole
(Makes 8 servings; recipe created by Kalyn and Jake with inspiration from Green Chile Mexican Casserole with Ground Beef and Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken.)

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped small
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt to taste
2 cans (15 oz. each) pinto beans
1 can (27 oz.) whole green chiles (Mild green chiles, not jalapenos)
1 cup Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (from a 15 oz. can; you can freeze the rest)
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
2 cups low-fat grated cheddar cheese (I used Four Cheese Mexican Blend from Costco.)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray an 8X8 inch glass or crockery casserole dish with non-stick spray. (I used my favorite Anchor Hocking 12 Cup Bake-and-Store Glass Casserole Dish, but any dish that's close to this size will work.)

Drain the pinto beans into a colander, spray with cold water until no more foam appears, and let beans drain. In another colander drain the whole green chiles.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and saute 4-5 minutes, until they are just starting to brown. Add garlic, cumin, and salt and cook another minute or two, then add the drained beans and cook 3-4 minute, then mash the beans slightly. (We used a potato masher, but you can use a large fork.) Add the cup of green chile enchilada sauce and simmer until the sauce is mostly absorbed by the beans. Then turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream.

While the bean mixture is cooking, open the whole chiles with your fingers and wipe with paper towels to dry them and remove seeds. (This will take about 10 paper towels, but don't skip this step.) Divide the chiles into two stacks.

In the casserole dish make a layer with half the whole green chiles, half the bean mixture, and half the cheese. Follow with another layer each of whole green chiles, bean mixture and cheese.

Cover the casserole with the lid or with foil and bake about 30 minutes, or until cheese is all melted. Remove the lid and bake about 20 minutes more, until casserole is bubbling and starting to brown on top. (You can put it under the broiler for a few minutes if it seems done but you'd like the cheese more brown.) Serve hot, with condiments like salsa, Green Tabasco Sauce, sour cream, or guacamole if desired.

This will keep in the refrigerator for several days and also freezes well.

South Beach Suggestions:
Dried beans are a low-glycemic ingredient that's allowed for any phase of the South Beach Diet, but serving size is limited for Phase One. Be sure not to eat more than the 1/8 casserole serving size if you're eating this for Phase One.