Baked Crunchy Taco Casserole

Finished tacos with the toppings just waiting to be added

One of my go to things to cook at home is tacos! They are easy to make, and difficult to screw up. I make them often enough that I stopped buying the packets of seasoning. Instead, I buy the jar of seasoning. It is more cost-effective after all.

I do try to vary how I make tacos. So, when I see a new recipe for a basic taco, I will pin in onto my "Food Porn" board on Pinterest. Tonight at dinner, I tried one recipe that I spotted on Pinterest last week for Baked Crunchy Taco Casserole. (This taco dish comes from the food blog, Heather Likes Food, FYI.)

Part of what attracted me to this dish, beyond the fact that it looked yummy, was the simplicity of it. Nothing beats easy.

Beef mixture ready to be added to the shells

To start off, you need to preheat the oven to 400 then start browning your meat. Once the meat is browned (and the grease drained), you add a packet of taco seasoning, or in my case 5 Tbsp of the stuff, along with 1/4 cup salsa verde, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, and a can of diced tomatoes. The recipe specifically calls for a 14.5 oz can of tomatoes. That seemed boring to me so I added a 10 oz can of Rotel (I used mild because that was all I had on hand) and put in a 1/2 cup of salsa verde to compensate for the difference. Blend the beef mixture until the cheese melts.

While the meat was browning, I put the taco shells in a 9x13 casserole dish. Doing this ahead helped make the next step a bit easier, at least for me. After the mixture is ready, you need to spoon it into the taco shells. Oh, I only used 12 shells instead of the 15 called for. I couldn't justify a second box for only 3 more. (Because I was short, I did end up with extra meat. I saved it for nachos on a later date.) Then, you will add a 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar on top of the tacos. Now the tacos are ready to bake. Put them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

When they are done, serve them along with your favorite taco toppings. It really is simple and delicious! My DH and I really enjoyed the tacos. I believe we will have them quite often in the future.

Baked Crunchy Taco Casserole*

 1 pound ground beef (or any meat you prefer)

1 can Rotel (10 oz)

1/2 cup salsa verde

1 packet taco seasoning

1 cup shredded cheddar, divided

1 box taco shells (12 shells)

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Brown meat then drain grease

3. Add Rotel, salsa verde, taco seasoning, and 1/2 cup 

cheddar. Stir well, mixing until cheese has melted.

4. Spoon beef mixture into 12 taco shells placed in a 

9x13 casserole dish.

5.  Bake for 15 minutes then serve with your fave toppings.

*My variation of this recipe