This Year’s Recipe Contest Winner Is a Crowd-Pleasing Casserole

Earlier this summer, Simply Recipes reader Vicki Shumaker was looking through her refrigerator for dinner ideas and found a stack of flour tortillas, some rotisserie chicken, and a container of fresh spinach. These ingredients inspired her to put together a chicken and spinach tortilla bake, which quickly became a family favorite. “We love Mexican food and Mexican-inspired dishes,” shares Vicki, “and I have been making them for over 60 years.”

The results of her experiment in the kitchen were so delicious, she decided to submit the recipe to our recent Family Dinner Recipe Contest. Out of a whopping 400+ entries, Vicki’s rose to the top—our editors and testers loved how fun the dish is to assemble, how it relies on a combination of pantry staples and easy-to-find grocery store ingredients, and, of course, how tasty it is.

With melty cheese inside and on top of the tender flour tortillas, bright picante salsa offering tang, and a hearty chicken and spinach coming through in every bite, this dish is sure to be a winner at family dinnertime.

Tips for Making This Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Bake

• Get the right size tortillas: Using large, 10-inch flour tortillas in this dish makes it quick to assemble—you only need to fill and roll six of them to fill a 9x13-inch casserole dish. 10-inch tortillas are sometimes labeled “burrito” size at the store.
• Use a straight-sided dish: If you have one, use a casserole dish with straight sides here—it will better fit the large rolled-up tortillas. If you have a baking dish with sloping sides (like a classic Pyrex baking dish), it’s no problem—simply bend the ends of the tortillas upwards as you place them in the dish, and note that they’ll get a little extra crispy on the edges (which I loved!).
• Use your favorite salsa: Vicki calls for classic picante salsa here (such as Pace), but this recipe will work with your favorite tomato salsa, whatever that may be. Or, try a salsa verde for a tomatillo twist!
• Swap out the chicken: Vicki tell us, “I make this dish a couple of times a month, sometimes switching out the chicken for shredded pork if I have leftover pork roast. It’s tasty, easy to make, and it reheats easily if there are leftovers.”
• Have fun with toppings: This dish is the perfect vehicle for your favorite taco-style toppings. Vicki especially loves adding sour cream, chopped avocado, or fresh cilantro, but chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, pickled jalapeños, or a dash of hot sauce would all be delicious here.

Serving Suggestions

Vicki’s favorite side dish to serve with this tortilla bake is black beans seasoned with garlic and cumin. A pot of seasoned rice, a fresh corn and black bean salad, and some guacamole and chips would all round out the meal beautifully, too.