Taco Bake

(The pictures never turn out right!... it is more appetizing than it looks in the picture.)

This week I was menu planning and decided to search on the internet for an easy, quick recipe.. being 37 weeks pregnant with a 15 month old means that if I do cook it has to require minimal effort :) I found this recipe on Allrecipes. I did tweak it a little bit and it was pretty tasty! 

  
Taco Bake

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (I forgot to buy this so I used a can of tomato paste and added in an extra 3/4 cup water)
• 1 (8 ounce) package shell macaroni, cooked and drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• **I added in a can of Rotel tomatoes/green chiles. You could even add in a can of diced tomatoes instead of the Rotel if you wanted
• ** I served this with corn on the side but you could easily mix the corn in to the recipe if you wanted. 
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• Doritos- optional

Directions

1. In a skillet, brown ground beef and onion over medium heat; drain. Add the water, taco seasoning and tomato sauce; mix. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in macaroni, chilies and 1-1/2 cups of cheese. Pour into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until heated through. ** When I was going through the reviews on Allrecipes a few people suggested crumbling Doritos or other tortilla chips on top of the dish for the last 10 minutes of baking. We chose Doritos- I was busy so my husband is the one who did the crumbling- I would suggest to not make it as fine as he did. Bigger, crunchier chip pieces would have been better. 

-Angela Mencl

Mexican Lasagna

This recipe always seems to make an appearance in my menu planning when I ask my hubby what meals he wants me to make. It is a pretty simple recipe and I like it because it is so colorful! It is definitely one of our favorites. I usually pair this with salsa rice (basically rice cooked with taco seasoning and salsa) and some corn.
Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

1 ½ lbs ground beef

1 ½ tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbl. Chili Powder

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. red pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 can (16 oz) tomatoes, blended

10 to 12 flour tortillas- (I have tried wheat and it does not taste as good.)

2 cups cottage cheese

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese with peppers

1 egg

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded lettuce

½ cup chopped tomatoes

3 green onions, chopped

¼ cup sliced black olives

Brown ground beef; drain thoroughly. Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper, salt, pepper and tomatoes; heat through. Cover bottom and sides of a 13 X 9 baking dish with tortillas. Pour beef mixture over tortillas; place a layer of tortillas over meat mixture and set aside. Combine cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and egg; pour over tortillas. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle rows of cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green onions and olives diagonally across center of casserole.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

-Angela Mencl