Here's a recipe that's a good one for all you taco fans out there. It's a hearty meal that can be modified to your liking! The recipe makes an 8 x 8 and a 16 x 9. It's a great way to make a meal for your family and have one left over to give to someone else or one for your freezer.
Beef Taco Bake
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef(You can sub ground chicken, pork, or turkey also.)
1 pound Penne pasta
1 15oz can of corn(drained and rinsed)
1 15oz can of black beans(drained and rinsed)
1 10oz can of Rotel(not drained)
1 10.75oz can of condensed tomato soup
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese(I used a mexican blend)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Use a big pot because you will use it later to mix everything up in. Salt the boiling water generously. Add pasta and cook till al dente(you want it to still have a bite to it, as it will continue to cook in the oven).
2. While the pasta is cooking, brown the ground beef. (My secret to browning meat is to bring the meat out of the fridge about 15 min before you are ready to cook it. That will help it come to room temperature. Also make sure your pan is hot before you add the meat. I usually preheat my pan to medium high. Once you add the meat to the pan, leave it alone for a few minutes. This will give the meat time to develop some color and flavor. Once its browned a bit, you can break it up and move it around.)
3. Once the beef is cooked, drain any extra fat. Add the spices to the beef and let it all cook together for a minute or two.
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| Browned beef spiced up and ready to go! |
4. Drain the cooked pasta and put it back into the pot.
5. Add the browned ground beef, corn, black beans, condensed tomato soup and Rotel into the pot with the pasta. Stir to combine. Make sure all the pasta is coated with the ingredients.
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| Black beans, corn, condensed tomato soup, and Rotel |
6. Transfer your combined mixture to your casseroles. This amount of ingredients filled a 8 x 8 and a 16 x 9 for me. I also sprayed my casseroles with cooking spray for easy clean up.
7. Top with shredded cheese. Cover well and freeze until ready for use. To reheat, defrost in refrigerator for about 24 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min to an hour or until browned and bubbly. Enjoy!
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| Ready to be cooked or frozen. |
