Sometimes I just get a craving for tacos! I love that spicy, smokey, beefy flavor with sharp cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream to cool it off a bit. Yum!
Well earlier in the week I still hadn’t made it to the grocery store and was hoping to come up with something great for dinner with what I had on hand. Sometimes the thought of bringing all 4 children to the grocery store on a hot summer afternoon doesn’t seem like fun. It usually turns into a big event, not just a “quick trip” to grab a few things. Can you relate?
Anyways, I was more motivated than ever to come up with something for dinner from what I had at home. I grabbed a chair (because I’m short and can’t ever reach anything!) and started pulling out things from the back of the cupboard. Black beans, corn, soft tortillas, homemade taco seasoning in a jar…Boom! Some sort of taco dish was definitely going to be made:)
This Loaded Taco Bake is so easy to make and will definitely satisfy an taco cravings! Taco seasoned ground beef is mixed with fire roasted tomatoes, corn and black beans, then layered between soft medium sized tortilla shells (which fit perfectly into a pie plate by the way) topped with chunky salsa and yes, creamy Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and baked all the way through before getting topped with sour cream, green onions and even fresh tomatoes and olives if you wish.
The best part about this meal is that it is really simple to make and it makes 2 Taco Bakes. That worked out well for us because my family ate this up like they hadn’t eaten all day! My intentions were to maybe freeze the second one, but that didn’t happen. Oh, well maybe next time!
If you’re looking for a simple meal to make this summer, give this flavorful dish a try! I think you’ll really like it!
Ingredients
- For the Bake:
- 2 1/4 lbs. 85% lean ground beef
- 2 packages or equivalent taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup water
- salt
- pepper
- 1 (15 oz.) can of fire roasted tomatoes, with juice
- 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed well
- 1 (15 oz.) can of corn, drained
- 1 package of medium soft tortilla shells
- 2 to 3 cups Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup of your favorite salsa or homemade
- For Garnish:
- shredded fresh lettuce
- chopped fresh tomatoes
- chopped green onions
- black olives
- sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large skillet, brown your ground beef until no pink remains, season with a little salt and pepper and drain excess fat.
- Add the taco seasoning and the water to the beef, mix well and simmer.
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes, corn and black beans, mix well and turn off the heat.
- In (2) 9 inch pie plates, start by placing 1 tortilla shell in the bottom of each dish.
- Then cover the shell generously with a layer of the meat mixture.
- Add a few spoonfuls of salsa on top evenly, then sprinkle some extra sharp cheddar cheese on top.
- Start the next layer with another tortilla shell and repeat.
- Add one more tortilla shell and cover it with salsa.
- Cover with remaining cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- Cut pieces with a sharp knife and serve warm.
- Garnish with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, green onions, black olives, sour cram and more cheese if desired.
- Enjoy!
- Serves 6-8.
*Linking up at:
The Best Blog Recipes, Feeding Big, Pint Sized Baker, Inside BruCrew Life, Buns In My Oven, Hun What’s For Dinner, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
Have you made this again and froze half? I’m wondering how the tortillas would stand up in the freezer. Would you recommend assemble and freeze or assemble bake and then freeze? Looks delicious!
Hi Joanna! You know, I made this one other time…and my family ate it all again! I do think this would be ok- prepared, frozen, then baked right from frozen (just extending the bake time a bit) when you are ready. The tortillas are soft anyways even when they are baked so i don’t think it will be an issue. Next time I make this I am doubling the recipe to make sure i get some in the freezer:) I hope this helps!
Yum, can’t wait to try it. I love Mexican and this looks so tasty. Thank you for linking at the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you again next week.
Oh wow. It does look yummy. You cook like I do. I ‘wing’ it a lot! Thanks for sharing. I’ll have to try this. I linked my ‘wing it’ cupcakes!
Thanks for sharing. Have a good week,
Sherry
Sherry recently posted…Christmas Light Tour Part One
Thanks Sherry! I hope you like it:)
This looks and sounds delish, Shannon! Perfect dish for Taco Tuesday!
Thanks so much Kristi! 🙂
That looks absolutely delicious! I love Mexican. Pinned and saved!
Michele @ Alwayzbakin recently posted…Old-Fashioned Chocolate Egg Cream
Thanks Michele! Me too and it’s sooo easy! Enjoy:)