Taco Hot Dish

So I got this recipe from my sister-in-law who made it for us one evening.  I then took it and made it mine.  It is not too much different it just has more of the flavors I look for in a Mexican dish.  It is kind of a casserole, kind of a pie so I just call it a hot dish.

So this is pretty easy.  But it tastes good and I get dinner and leftovers from it.  It is easy to scale up for more people, just make more meat and use a bigger pan.

1 pound ground beef (I use grass fed organic meat with 10% fat or less, but you can use what ever you like)
Taco seasoning
GF corn tortillas
Shredded taco cheese (or cheddar or what ever you want)
Salsa (I like Pace chunky salsa, medium hot)
9 inch cake pan

Brown meat and drain fat.  Clean pan and then add water to pan.  I don't measure the water, it usually is between 1/4 and 1/3 cup.  Add taco seasoning, I also don't measure this as well,  You can follow the directions on the taco seasoning, but I never do.  Sometimes I will add Chile powder or cayenne powder to the taco seasoning for more of a kick.  Add meat to seasoning in pan and cook down so that the pan is dry, no liquid remaining in pan and the meat is coated with the seasoning.

Once the  meat is ready prepare the pan.  Put a layer of tortillas on the bottom of the pan.  Cover the bottom of the pan as best as you can.  Spoon half the meat onto the tortillas.  Cover with salsa and cheese.  I usually use less salsa at this point since you can put more on when it is served.  I do love me some cheese so I use a lot.

After the first layer is done put another layer of tortillas over the cheese and then add the meat, salsa, and cheese on top.  For this layer it is important to make sure that the cheese covers everything so it protects what is below from drying out.  Then put it in a 350 oven until the cheese is melty and golden brown.  When the cheese is how you like it remove from oven, cut and serve with more salsa on the side.

To make this a true Minnesota hot dish add crushed tortilla chips on top of the cheese before baking.   This is one of my easy go to dishes on a busy work day.  It doesn't take that long and we get a nice meal.  With a salad this is actually a balanced meal.