Swap Crackers For A Classic Chip When Topping Your Casseroles

A crust of crumbled crackers is a common topping for many casserole recipes. However, for certain dishes, such as a mock enchilada casserole or spicy TexMex mac and cheese, sprinkling on a tantalizing tickle of tortilla chips instead of a cracker crust works so much better. Tortilla chips bring all the things to the table that flavored crackers do — a crunch that the ears and teeth love and additional savory flavor — but in some cases, the crust of tortilla chips also makes certain recipes feel and taste more authentic.

For example, in Mexican, Tex-Mex, and other cuisines from the Americas, corn and corn chips play crucial roles in countless recipes. From a cuisine standpoint, it makes sense to add a crust of tortilla chips instead of cracker crumbs to casserole recipes. 

However, using crumbled corn tortillas as a substitute for a cracker-based crust isn't limited to a certain type of cuisine. Adding a layer of crushed up corn chips may be just the thing you need to transform a ho-hum dish into next-level good. This swap works in this case because the sweet-and-savory flavors of the corn chips have always worked well with certain foods. For example, cauliflower, pumpkin, and beans perk up when paired with corn and corn chips, especially when you also add other ingredients such as some gooey melted cheese to the mix.

When you're making this ingredient swap, you'll want to think about how the seasonings on the tortilla chips may change the flavor of the recipe. You may also want to consider whether you should sprinkle a bit more seasoning on the chips or leave them as is. In their simplest form, corn chips usually come with just a dusting of sea salt and maybe some garlic powder. Those are the flavors you'll taste in the recipe once you top the dish with the tortilla chip crust.

However, if you opt for a brand like Doritos, you'll find flavors like Nacho cheese or Cool Ranch; these specialty flavors bring some additional seasonings to the mix, giving dishes a more unique flavor profile in the process. The other option you have is to make a batch of homemade tortilla chips from your raw corn tortillas and add your favorite seasonings to them. For example, perhaps you could fry your homemade tortilla chips in a mixture of pesto and bacon fat or season them with your favorite barbecue seasonings.

Finally, plain and simple is good, too. If you're afraid that the seasonings on the chips will overpower the overall flavor of the dish, it's best to leave things be.

If you're new to the tortilla-chips-for-crackers swap, try starting out with flavors that have already proven themselves to be a nice complement to tortilla chips. For example, tortilla chips smashed on top of a chicken or beef taco casserole is reminiscent of the flavor you get when you eat beef or chicken tacos wrapped in crunchy corn shells.

Or you can create a Tex-Mex version of a classic homemade baked ziti by swapping out the sausage and replacing it with ground beef. Also replace the normal seasonings with a packet or two of taco seasonings. (How much you'll add depends on how many people the recipe feeds.) Add one other substitution, corn pasta instead of wheat pasta, and then cook until the noodles are soft. Throw together the casserole ingredients, topping it all with a corn tortilla crust and lots of pepper Jack and cheddar cheese.

Once you've sampled the tortilla-for-crackers swap on some dishes that make sense from a flavor and cuisine perspective, try broadening your taste horizons. For example, a layer of corn chip crumbles, plus a bit of cheddar cheese, would bring some interesting flavors to the creamy green bean casserole that always makes an appearance on tables on Thanksgiving. This dish usually has a layer of crispy onions on top. You don't need to leave the onions off the recipe. Just add the crumbled tortilla chips to the dish after you top it with the fried onions to create a new holiday favorite that you'll want to try again next year.