cooking with cassie: Taco Bake

Taco Bake

This is another meal that I grew up eating in my home...my mom really made some great things while I was growing up and this one was one of my favorites! This really is such a simple concept that it is simply amazing. I mean really what is better then tacos in the form of a casserole???

Taco Bake:

1 package soft flour tortillas

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion

1 can refried beans

1 24oz jar of favorite salsa or picante sauce

lots of shredded cheese

1 can olives

toppings:

shredded lettuce

diced tomatoes

sour cream

guacamole

hot sauce

salsa

jalapenos

etc

Start by browning the ground beef with the diced onion and salt and pepper until cooked through. Then add the whole jar of salsa plus 1 cup of water. This is pretty runny at this point kinda like soup...but that is what it is suppose to look like I promise :)

Next step is we start to layer the Taco Bake! There is 2 rules: start with the meat mixture and end with the meat mixture. Simple right!

Next add a layer of tortillas, beans and cheese.

Next top with tortillas a layer of meat mixture and cheese....you will repeat this process at least 2 times until you get to the top which has to end with the meat mixture remember.

Once the last layer is covered in sauce, top it with a bunch of cheese and then the olives. Cover with tin foil and place in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 min or until bubbly. I like to take off the foil the last ten minutes of cooking to brown up the top. If you want to make this ahead of time like I did today, you can cover it in foil and put it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it for dinner, but it will probably take a little longer to cook through because it will be cold( mine took 40 min to bake tonight). You can even freeze it and use it for a make ahead meal it lasts well in the freezer. Be careful to not over fill the baking dish because it does grow some in the cooking process!!!