Taco Pie

The husband is the middle child of three boys. Needless to say, my mother-in-law spent a lot of time in the kitchen when they were growing up. (It's no surprise that she's a fantastic cook.) Taco Pie was one of the fast and easy meals she relied on to quell their endless appetites. The boys loved it. No...they love it. Present tense. And so do I.

Whenever the husband has had a particularly rough week, Taco Pie makes its way to the dinner table. If I'm going out of town for a few days, I'll leave a Taco Pie in the fridge for him to heat up. Whenever I need a fast, easy, delicious dinner, it's time for Taco Pie.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Taco Pie

1 tablespoon oil
1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1/3 cup chopped onion (optional)
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning (or make your own with Andrea's recipe)
1/3 cup sliced black olives (optional)
1 can refrigerator biscuits
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Saute beef and onion (if using) until the beef is cooked through. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and olives (if using) and remove from heat.

Press biscuits into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate to form a crust. Add taco meat on top of biscuits. Spread sour cream on top of meat and sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips. Bake for 20 minutes, until crust is browned and cheese is melted. Allow taco pie to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

DIY Taco Seasoning

There's no better day for a taco than Cinco de Mayo!

At my house, we need no excuses to eat tacos for dinner. My DIY taco seasoning is quick to prepare and my kids have fun experimenting with all kinds of ways to top the meat in their taco shells.

One day, after promising tacos for dinner, I went to pull the fixings from the taco shelf in my pantry (yes, I do devote an entire shelf to this cuisine) and found no seasoning packets. So I went looking for fixes in the spice cabinet. After lots of experimenting, I've settled on this make-your-own concoction.

We think it tastes way better than the pre-mixed envelopes of spices. Bonus: No additives.

Of course I've used this seasoning on ground beef, turkey and chicken and diced leftover roasted chicken and turkey. Works every time!

Ole!
Andrea

DIY Taco Seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne (red) pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl. This recipe makes enough for a few taco dinners, so store what you don't use in an airtight container.

Stir 2 tablespoons of DIY taco seasoning into 1 pound of cooked and drained meat, along with 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water. (Note: If you want to avoid the cornstarch, just leave it out and reduce the water.)

Heat through over medium heat.

Now you're ready to dish up some tasty soft or hard tacos along with your favorite toppings. Enjoy your fiesta!