Taco Pie

I call this recipe Taco Pie, but it rarely resembles a taco. I created it years ago while experimenting, and it has become a family favorite. My youngest child will eat this when she will eat nothing else. It is also very versatile. It can stand alone with just a few toppings or be served with Spanish Rice and Mexican Corn.

You can make it with beans from a can, or with ones you've cooked yourself (or without any beans at all). I have made this without the beef for a vegetarian meal. I have even replaced the beef with rice cooked with taco seasonings. In other words, this recipe can be tweaked to suit your family. It is inexpensive - about $1 a serving, less if you leave out the meat.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. bag tortilla chips
• 1-2 cans chili beans (according to taste)
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 8 oz. cheese of your choice, shredded
• assorted taco toppings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crush the tortilla chips into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Cook the beef in a skillet. Pour off any fat. Add 3/4 cup water and the seasoning. At this point, I usually add the beans to the meat so they can heat through. Simmer until the mixture thickens. Pour onto crushed chips. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

If the other ingredients are preheated, this only needs to be baked long enough to melt the cheese, about 15 minutes. Or it can bake for 45 minutes while you prepare side dishes. If you are going to bake this for more than 15 minutes, be sure to cover it so the cheese won't get too brown.

Serve with taco toppings - salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. My family likes dill pickles on our tacos and taco pie. Sounds funny, but tastes great.

If you serve this with just the toppings and no side dishes, you can get 6-8 servings out of it. With sides, you can probably get 10. Once you add the toppings, this turns into a pretty big dish. We always have enough to feed my family of five, and have some left over for lunch the next day.

By Heather from Clarksburg, OH

Answers:

Taco Pie

Thank you Heather for the recipe for the "Taco Pie", this sounds very easy and I will be making it very soon. (08/26/2009)

By Laurie

Taco Pie

I make something like this for my family using crushed fritos. It is a great recipe that everyone seems to like. I add onions to the ground meat but I hadn't thought of adding taco seasonings mix to the meat. Thanks. (09/03/2009)

By eve