Overview

This is a recipe that we have made for many, many years. It is filling and delicious. And can be made in under an hour. As with all 1-Hour Meals recipes, it is important to think about your cooking process beforehand. Then lay out all the dishes, pans, and food that you’ll be using.

Place some oil in your cast-iron skillet, or whatever skillet you are going to use, and start heating it. Get all your ingredients and dishes out and lay them out on the counter.

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Quick Info

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: Under 50 minutes

Total Time: Under an hour

Servings: 4 large servings

Difficulty Level: Easy

Pans and Dishes

• A large cast iron skillet
• An oven-proof (and microwave proof) casserole dish. I use a Corning Ware 2.5 quart casserole dish.
• See more notes and images here.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 jalapeño pepper, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• ½ red pepper, diced
• ½ yellow pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• Cheddar cheese
• 1 bag corn chips
• 1 tbs chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 tbs cumin (or to taste)
• 1 tsp paprika (or to taste)
• Louisiana hot sauce or your preferred hot sauce (to taste)
• Garlic (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Spray or lightly oil your casserole dish.
2. Drain your cans of beans, rinsing the black beans if you are using black beans. You can use kidney beans if you prefer.
3. Cut up all your vegetables.
4. Place the ground beef in a hot skillet and break it up and cook till it is brown. Drain any excess fat.
5. Add the poblano and the jalapeño and cook for several minutes.
6. Add all the colored peppers and cook for several more minutes.
7. Add the diced onion to the mix and cook for several minutes until all the ingredients are cooked.
8. Add the can of the diced tomatoes to the mix.
9. Now stir in all the spices, mix thoroughly and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. While the mix is simmering, slice enough cheddar cheese to spread on the top of the casserole’s final filling.
11. The next steps are easy: place a layer of the meat mix in the bottom of the dish. Next sprinkle half of the beans on top of the meat mix. Now open the bag of corn chips and sprinkle approximately a half of the chips over the beans. Now repeat: a layer of meat mix, the remainder of the beans, and this time put the remainder of the meat mix on top of the beans. Cover the mix. now two layers thick, with a healthy amount of the corn chips. Cover the corn chips with a layer of sliced cheddar cheese.
12. Place a cover on the casserole dish and place the dish in the microwave. Depending on the power of your microwave, cook for approximately 10 minutes at a power level 7.

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Tips & Variations

Serve the Pedro with toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, and/or guacamole.

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Storage & Make-Ahead

You can make the meat mix ahead of time and then just add the beans, corn chips, and cheddar cheese. Store leftovers in the casserole dish in the refrigerator.

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I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do. We make this meal about once a month and have enjoyed it for decades. Let me know how you like it in the comments below.

Ciao for now, this is Randino signing off.