I happen to like Mexican-type food (we know that authentic Mexican is hard to find when you live northeast of Texas and Arizona). Here's a fairly decent recipe that's easy to do.
You can sub out the bell pepper or olives, but they really do make the dish - in flavor and in presentation - if you use a variety of colors in the bell peppers (and I'm not a huge bell pepper fan - although I seem to cook with them alot!).
Layered Taco Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground chicken/turkey)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 - 6 oz can black olives, drained and sliced
1 - 6-8 oz bag plain or nacho cheese tortilla chips
1 can pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 lb Velveeta cheese
Garnishes: sour cream, green onions, salsa
Directions:
In a large skillet, brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks. Before beef is fully cooked, add onion, garlic and bell pepper. When beef is no longer pink, drain fat. Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Set this aside.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the mushroom soup, tomatoes, olives and pinto beans. Crush tortilla chips in the bag.
Spray interior of a large slowcooker crock lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Put half of the crushed tortilla chips in the bottom. Follow this with half of the beef mixture and half of the soup mixture over the beef mixture. Lastly, layer half of the cheese. Repeat the layers with the remaining half of each ingredient.
Cook on high for 30 minutes then on low for 2 hours.
Notes:
I use a 5 or 6 quart slowcooker.
The recipe can be layered into a 13 x 9 (2 1/2 - 3 quart) dish, covered and baked in a 350°F oven for about 40-45 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.
Serves 6 - 8. Pass the plates and the bowls of garnishes. Olé!
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