Layered Taco Pie ... A Pinterest Success Story

 If you are a Pinterest (addict) as I am you know there are successes and epic fails.  I have tried my fair share of Pinterest crafts, projects, clothing, products, food and even fun quotes/humor.  I find inspiration in Pinterest.  Every Sunday I sit and plan the weekly meals for my family .... now, to be fair - Pinterest can make me very hungry after so long of looking through the different boards.  But I do try to stay on track and really focus on meal plans. 

This week I strayed from my 'normal' weekly meal plan and wanted to challenge myself to new recipes.  I started off with something that looked fairly easy and something I knew my entire family would probably enjoy - a taco bake.

I will say - this meal was an instant success and I have been informed by my husband that this meal will be going on our 'regular' meal plan.  You know that moment in your head when you do your happy dance?  That was mine.  Pinterest success = happy dance. 

So .... what is this amazing taco meal and where to begin ....

Ingredients are super simple and easy here:

• Flour Tortillas, (I used the soft taco size, but feel free to use any size you prefer)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 package shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 onion, (finely diced)
• Loose Leaf Lettuce, (for garnish, not pictured above but I'm pretty sure you get the idea)
• Taco Seasoning, (you can buy a packet from the store; I make my own Taco Seasoning)
• Queso Dip, (find this in the chip aisle - I used a Medium dip, but feel free to use Mild or Hot to your taste)
• Sour Cream (for garnish)

And seriously, that is it.  Aside from the Queso dip I had everything on hand for this meal.  I'm putting this under my 'Pantry Meal' category in my personal cook book.  Those are the meals that I can basically create at the drop of a pin from what I have on hand.  LOVE those meals for busy weeknights.  Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and then we are going to get started.

First thing you will do is start browning your ground beef.  I always add some Garlic Salt to my ground beef, (my family calls this the 'love' I put in my food) and once the beef was perfectly browned I added in my finely diced onion.  Allow the onion to cook down and add in your taco seasoning with some water to get a nice consistency.  Once you are happy with your meat add about 1/2 cup, ( I eyeballed this and did about half the container) of your Queso Dip.  Turn the heat down to simmer on the stove and mix thoroughly. 

Now we are going to pretend we are making lasagna here.  Take a baking dish and spray with some cooking spray so your pie won't stick.  Then place a tortilla down.  Use about 1/3 of your meat mixture and spread evenly.  Now top with a nice layer of shredded cheese.  Continue these steps: I was able to do 3 layers. 

Once I had my layers I used some more of the Queso dip and spread a thin layer on the top tortilla then topped with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.  I wanted a little bit of a bite so I sprinkled on some pepper jack I happened to have in the fridge.  Now we are ready to bake. 

You want to bake your pie at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  For the last 3 minutes I turned my oven to broil just to get a nice golden brown bubble to my top.  When on broil you really have to watch your food; you can go from hot and bubbly to burnt in about 15 seconds.  This is a fine line I walk. 

Take a knife and cut across to come up with four servings.  As you can see I topped my with some shredded lettuce and sour cream.  Of course guacamole, salsa, tomatoes, pico de gallo - almost anything would be acceptable as a topping to this. 

Delicious.  That's all I can say.  I felt like Mom/Wife of the Year after this little success.  Score one for Mom.