Taco Bake

One food item I always seem to have in my pantry or in my fridge are flour tortillas.

They are good for so many things.

Tortillas can be made into so many different types of snacks for kids (and grownups).

You can cut them up and fry them or bake them.

You can make cinnamon chips, quesadillas, tortilla pizzas....

The possibilities are endless...and easy on the wallet too.

Sometimes when I only have a few left, I like to make this taco bake.

It is so filling and gooey and cheesy.

My husband, who is not really a fan of Mexican style dishes, really loves this one.

It came about after my favorite Taco Bake kit made by Old El Paso went away.

So I had to come up with my own version.

And if y'all will allow me to toot my own horn for a minute, I think this one tastes even better than Old El Paso's kit version. It's a great dish for beginner cooks and perfect for all you super busy cooks.  And the leftovers heat up well the next day too.

That is...if you have any leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

* water as called for on back of seasoning packet

3 large flour tortillas (8-inch size)

1/2 cup Salsa Con Queso

1 1/2-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:

Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.

Add in taco seasoning and water (following directions on back of seasoning packet).

Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and add in 1/2 cup salsa con queso.

I like a mild salsa con queso. 
This is a spicy dish so a hot salsa con queso would just be too spicy for us.

If you have anyone in your family that is very sensitive to spicy dishes, you could always use a regular, spreadable cheese dip.

Give it a good stir, until thoroughly combined.
It don't look all that pretty, but don't worry, we're gonna dress her up a bit.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Layer the bottom of  the pan with a flour tortilla.

 I like to use a springform pan just to make it a bit easier to get out after it is finished baking.  But this taco bake is pretty easy to slice up and serve even without the springform pan.

Now add about 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling on the the first layer.

Then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Continue until you are done with all the layers: another tortilla, more taco mixture, more cheese.  Bake at 350F degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes.

Then slice and serve.

I like mine with some sour cream and diced tomatoes on top.

Served here with my Mom's Spanish Rice.

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe Here

Like this recipe? Check out this one ~ Mexican Pizza