I do a little personal chef work for a busy family with 3 kids. I have discovered that if I can please the kids, and they eat what I cook, the parents are eternally grateful. It’s pretty easy, actually. The kids love comfort food, they love Italian, and they could eat Mexican every meal. The youngest boy thinks Tacos are Manna from Heaven.
So this week, I made a Taco Pie.
I was never a big fan of Mexican food until recently, but it’s always tasty, it’s easy and it’s inexpensive. What’s not to like?
The Taco Pie was fun. You can toss most anything in, and you can’t go wrong. But here’s how I put mine together.
It begins with a Crescent Roll Crust, so you know you’re off to a good start.
The only thing wrong with cooking with Crescent Rolls is getting them out of the can. When I was a child, I hated my Jack ‘N the Box toy. You always knew it was coming – “Pop” Goes the Weasel – but it still freaked me out. Crescent rolls are worse because you never know when the can might explode. Usually, I’ll go take a Valium, wait a few minutes then I don’t really care if I get blown away by a biscuit can or not. Not really, but I hate it when it pops open, and I’m not ready for it.
So, open the damned can of rolls by hook or crook and spread the triangles across a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
The hard part is over. Bake the roll crust about 7 or 8 minutes in a 375 oven and let cool.
For the pie part, brown about 2 pounds of lean hamburger and toss in a few onions along the way. Drain the grease, another part I hate.
Add to the burger and onion, 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 small can mild chiles, 1 packet of taco seasoning mix (with a cup of water), and a cup of chunky salsa.
Spoon a layer of the meat mixture over the crust, spread a layer of 1 cup of sour cream and then a layer of 1 cup of Mexican Blend cheese over. Add the final layer of meat mixture and repeat the sour cream and cheese layers. Finally, crush about 3 cups of tortilla-style chips over the top of the casserole, pop it into the still warm 375 oven for about 15 minutes and you’re eating a Taco Pie.
Taco Pie
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
2 pounds lean ground beef
½ C chopped onions
1 small can mild green chiles
1 Can black beans rinsed and drained
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix )1 C water)
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16-ounce) bag shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
3 C tortilla chips, crushed