Nacho Bake & Fresh Salsa

This Nacho Bake recipe was inspired by a recipe found in the August/September 2011 edition of Taste of Home  magazine.  The original recipe calls for canned ingredients and a jar of pimento-stuffed olives.  I chose to use fresh vegetables from my garden and omit the olives from the recipe.  I also substituted ground chicken for the ground beef in the recipe.  The resulting meal was delicious.  I will definitely be making it again.

Nacho Cheese (Beef) Bake
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 lb ground beef (I used 1/2 lb ground chicken)
2 cups Tomatoes, diced
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted
1/2 cup chili peppers, chopped
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used pepper jack)
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Optional condiments: shredded lettuce, sour cream and/or salsa (recipe below)

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef (chicken) over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in tomatoes, soup and chilies.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Stir in noodles.

Transfer to a greased 11" x 7" baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.  Top with tortilla chips.  Serve with your choice of condiments.

We enjoyed ours with some homemade salsa:

Fresh Salsa

• 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup corn kernels (Cut from a cooked corn cob or frozen)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 spicy pepper, seeded and minced (I have used cowhorn pepper and chili pepper from my garden, but you can use a jalapeno pepper)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Stir together first 7 ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.