Loaded Taco Bake Recipe
- This taco bake is like a pre-assembled dream. You can layer the ground-beef mixture with Ortega® Yellow Corn Taco Shells and cheese ahead of time. Once it's baked, load yours up with whatever toppings your taste buds desire without any fear or mess. (Courtesy of Delish.com)
Ingredients
- 1tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1lb. ground beef
- 1small yellow onion, chopped and divided
- 3cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 (28-oz.)can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-oz.)can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 (4-oz.)cans Ortega® Mild Diced Green Chiles
- 1 (1.25 oz.)pkg. Ortega® Taco Seasoning Mix
- 9Ortega® Yellow Corn Taco Shells
- 3c. shredded cheddar
- 1avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
- ¼c. fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼c. chopped tomatoes
- 2green onions, chopped
Directions
- In a large cast iron or high sided skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the beef, onion, and garlic, cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until beef is no longer pink and golden, about 8 minutes. Drain fat and return to medium-high heat.
- Pour in crushed tomatoes, pinto beans, green chili, taco seasoning, and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Spread a small amount of the beef mixture on the bottom of a 8-by-10 inch baking dish, then top with a layer of taco shells. Add a third of the meat mixture, 1/3 of the cheese, then repeat with another layer of taco shells, beef, and cheese. Top with the remaining layer of the taco shells and the remaining third of the meat mixture. Sprinkle top with taco shells broken in small pieces and the remaining cheese.
- Bake until cheese is melty and the casserole is warmed through, 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with some of the avocado, cilantro, tomatoes, green onion, and chiles and serve with more on the side.
