There is a very small list of meals that my son will eat without fighting about it- his sister will eat just about anything, but his list is very short. Tacos are one of those meals, but I always want to find a way to do something a little different. I keep hoping that by pushing the envelope he'll become a more adventurous eater. This morning when he asked what was for dinner and I responded with Taco Pie he immediately told me that it was disgusting and I was trying to poison him. Mind you, he has never in his life been served Taco Pie, but that is his response to any food that he hasn't eaten. But I was even more determined to make it something that he liked, but it's an easy dish and could be a very simple weeknight meal.
My main objective was to get enough flavor in it that my husband and I would like it, but not too much that the kids wouldn't like it. The benefit of this dish is that it's very adaptable to each different palate by adding toppings. It can also be made ahead of time and then baked later as needed. If you are doing that, make sure that you let it come to room temperature first and add about 5 minutes to the covered baking time. When I served this, I also had a little toppings bar so each person could customize their plate. I am pleased to report that even Christopher finished his plate!
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As always, gather up all of your ingredients. You will want to cut your onion in half and dice it, as well as mince one clove of garlic. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain and rinse black beans.
Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet. Add onions and garlic, cooking for 3 minutes until lightly softened. Add ground beef and 1 Tablespoon of taco seasoning, breaking up as it cooks for 5 minutes. Add the black beans and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat. While beef is cooking mix together the sour cream, diced green chiles (lightly drain them first) and additional 1 Tablespoon of taco seasoning.
Begin assembling your pie. Spray a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with nonstick cooking spray, then do a thin layer of taco sauce, followed by:
Tortilla
Taco sauce - it's easiest to put this on with a pastry brush so it's uniform
Beef/bean mixture - about 1 cup
Sour cream mixture - about 3 Tablespoons
Shredded cheese - about 1/4 cup
Then top with another tortilla and continue until you have four layers of filling.
Top with a final tortilla, taco sauce and shredded cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil so that it's not sitting on the cheese and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Cut into wedges, top with toppings of your choice and enjoy!
Mexican Taco Pie
1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
½ yellow onion, diced
15 ounce can black beans
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning, divided
4 ounce can diced green chiles
8 ounces light sour cream
8 ounces taco sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
5 8-inch whole wheat tortillas
8 ounces shredded cheese
Optional Toppings: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado, olives, jalapenos, salsa
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Drain and rinse black beans and place to the side.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for about 3 minutes, until lightly softened. Add ground beef and 1 Tablespoon of taco seasoning, break up and cook for about 5 minutes. Add black beans and mix together with beef- cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl mix together 8 ounces of sour cream, 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning and 4 ounces of diced green chiles- lightly drained.
4. Coat the pie dish with a thin layer of taco sauce, then layer tortilla, taco sauce (it is easiest to do this with a pastry brush), beef bean mixture – about 1 cup, sour cream – about 3 Tbsp, shredded cheese- about ¼ cup and repeat for a total of four filling layers. Top with a last tortilla and taco sauce, and cover with shredded cheese. Cover the pie dish gently with aluminum foil, try to avoid having it stick to the cheese. Bake covered for 10 minutes, then uncovered for 10 minutes.
5. Slice into wedges and top with toppings of your choice. Enjoy!