If I had to eat one type of food for the rest of my life it would be Mexican, hands down. I love the bold flavors, textures, and that you can basically turn the same 5(6,7,8) ingredients into countless different meals. Taco Bell really has this concept down. I don’t think they’ve had to change their ingredient lists, like, ever. Well, except for that one time that they decided to sell Frito Burriots. That was weird.
Anyway…
This taco casserole is proof that you can create a completely different eating experience with the same basic ingredients just by by switching up the cooking style. In this case we’re stuffing the taco shells and baking them all together in one pan. You’re not going to end up with a completely crunchy taco that you’re able to eat one-handed while driving to work (remember $0.29 Tuesdays? Those were the days!). But you ARE going to end up with a plate full of Mexican goodness that is half crispy, half saucy, and flavorful all-around.
Start by browning a pound of ground beef or turkey. Add in some cheese, canned diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, and salsa verde. If you want a little info on what kind of salsa verde to use read this post because not all are created equal. Meaning, that some are burn-your-face-off hot!
Give it a stir until it’s nice and combined…
Stand 12-15 shells up in a 9×13″ casserole dish. If they aren’t all standing up straight they will be easier to move around once they are filled and have some weight to them. I might try the shells with the flat bottoms next time and see it that makes things a bit easier.
Top with some glorious cheesey cheese.
And bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese it melted and the meat is hot. Remove from the oven and top with all of your favorite taco fixin’s. I like to top the whole thing with shredded lettuce, tomato, and cilantro and then serve with sour cream, guacamole, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 C cheese, divided
- 1/4 C salsa verde
- 15 crunchy taco shells
- Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, lime juice to top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Brown and drain meat.
- Stir tomatoes, seasoning, 1/2 C cheese, and salsa into meat.
- Arrange taco shells standing up in a 9x13" pan. Fill each shell with the meat mixture, dividing equally until all the meat is used.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/2 C of cheese over the tops of the filled tacos and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cheese will be melted and the meat hot.
- Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and lime juice.
Comments
Looks perfect Heather! Mexican food is my fav!
This is the absolute best way to make/eat tacos! I hate the wait caused by building a taco between acts of biting into taco. A pan of all made tacos is the answer.
Those are some FANTASTIC looking tacos! I definitely want to give these a try. I love the salsa verde on top, it looks delicious.
I am in love with this casserole! I too could eat Mexican everyday! I saw this on Pinterest and I re pinned to my boards! Thanks so much for sharing this! I also have a weekly linky Party called Show Me Your Plaid Monday’s. I’d love to have you link up!
I’ll check it out, thanks Chandra!
This is such a great idea! I’m all about planning meals so you don’t have to slave in the kitchen all day and this is great! Great idea, thanks for the share
Thi This looks WONDERFUL. I can’t wait to try it.
This is going on the menu for this week! I saw this on Shugary Sweets and had to see what it was! It sounds delicious!
How do u get the shells not soggie and stuck to the bottom
Hi Jaime, sorry for the delay in responding. I find that the longer I wait between filling the shells and putting them in the oven, the soggier they become. In general, the shells to absorb a at least a little bit of moister and we usually eat ours with a fork- hence the casserole name. But I think if you fill and put them in the oven right away it should take care of the problem for you. Also, make sure that you do drain the tomatoes really well as that will reduce some sogginess as well. Let me know if you have any other problems!
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