Carnitas Fajita Pie

Over the weekend, Robert cooked up some delicious Carnitas, and I used the tomatoes and peppers from our garden to create a fresh and tasty pico de gallo. I combined these ingredients to put a new spin on what we had in our fridge. This year, the tomatoes and peppers in our garden are flourishing, and each season brings new flavors. I decided to use the peppers from our garden to create a Fajita dish that perfectly complements the amazing Carnitas leftovers. While baking, the layering process allowed the juices from the peppers to drip onto the meat, giving it a more flavorful taste. Finally, I topped the dish with my homemade pico de Gallo, which added a refreshing touch. This delicious dish would be perfect to enjoy any night of the week.

• 1 Medium white onion finely diced
• 3 Sweet Peppers finely diced
• 1 large clove garlic finely diced
• 3 Chili peppers finely diced (optional)
• 3 Cups carnitas (already prepared)
• 1/2 Cup salsa of your choice
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Cup crumbled tortilla chips
• 6 oz Shredded cheese: we used sharp cheddar

1. Set oven temperature to 350 degrees.
2. Finely chop a medium onion, peppers, and garlic. We used a food processor to speed up the chopping process, but it was unnecessary. If using a processor, do this in stages to prevent the machine from getting clogged.
3. Sautee your veggie mixture with a good pinch of salt to help the veggies lose their moisture content. Do this until the onions become Translucent, and add the desired amount of black pepper. Mix everything together and set aside.
4. Heat the carnitas in a large skillet and shred the meat, removing any excess fat.
5. In a pie dish, pour salsa to coat the bottom evenly, preventing tortilla shells from sticking.
6. Place four tortillas evenly over the salsa.
7. Add the shredded carnitas and pepper mixture to the pie pan (starting with the meat first), spreading them out evenly and lightly packing them down.
8. Evenly spread out the crumbled tortilla chips over the cooked peppers and top with the shredded cheese.
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden in color. If your cheese is not getting bubbly, place your pie on the upper rack and turn your broiler on low. The process of browning will go fast. Keep a close eye on your pie to prevent the cheese from burning.
10. Cut into wedges and top with your desired amount of pico de gallo. - Enjoy!