Taco Hotdish

I got this general recipe from a show I 'discovered' on the Food Network/Discovery Plus -- Girl Meets Farm.  Molly Yeh.  

I debated on whether to include it as it seems pretty intuitive.  If you were in the mood for a taco hotdish, this is pretty much what you would put together.  But, here we are.  I'm including it.   

(For those of you *not* from Minnesota, a hotdish is a casserole don'tcha know...a full meal all in one serving vessel.)

But I digress.  Why am I including it, you ask?  Because it's a solid comfort food to begin with, but what really sold me was the next day.  Those that know me know I love an opportunity to reinvent a leftover.  

Warm up a couple scoops of this leftover and add it to scrambled eggs for breakfast the next day.  Sure, the corn chips are a bit soggy by then, but not in a bad way.  They have the texture of corn tortillas by morning.  Want to amp up the presentation?  Top with some avocado and cilantro.  Muy Bueno. 

The morning after

Taco Hotdish

2 T. vegetable oil

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 large jalapeno, seeded and most ribs removed 

1/2 onion

salt

3 or 4 T. taco seasoning (or 1 oz. packet of store bought)

1 1/3 lb. ground beef

1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 c. frozen corn

24 oz. medium salsa

5 oz. queso fresco cheese, crumbled

chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 or so of a regular bag of corn chips

Head oil and sauté the peppers and onion with a pinch of salt until softened.  Add the taco seasoning and cook another minute.  

Add the ground beef, breaking it up and cooking until it is browned, about 8-10 minutes.  

Stir in the beans, corn, cheese, and salsa.  

Transfer it to a casserole dish and cover with corn chips that are slightly broken up.  (I used a skillet that is oven friendly, so no need to transfer.)

Bake at 375 degrees until heated through and the corn chips are a bit toasty, about 20 minutes. 

Top with the cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

 

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oz = ounce

c = cup

T = tablespoon