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

Mexican Pot Pie

I got this recipe from Angela Johnson, who got it from Campbell's Kitchen. It's super easy and really good. The original name is Fiesta Chicken Casserole, but Mexican Pot Pie fits the dish much better, so I changed it. Haha. I also usually half the recipe because it makes too much for just Matt and I. Hope you enjoy it : )

Ingredients

• 1 jar (16 ounces) Salsa
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Chicken Soup 
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
• 1 package (12 ounces) frozen whole kernel corn
• 2 cans (12.5 ounces each) White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 package (about 14 ounces) refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts), at room temperature (or you can make your own)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Stir the picante sauce, soup, sour cream, cheese, corn, chicken and beans in a large bowl. Spoon the chicken mixture into a 3-quart shallow baking dish.
3. Unfold the pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Lay the crusts side-by-side so that they overlap by about 3 inches in the center. Press the seam to seal. Roll the pie crust into a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Place the pie crust over the chicken mixture. Trim the excess crust. Press the crust to the rim to seal. Cut several slits in the crust.
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.