Quick & Easy Taco Casserole

Name: Quick & Easy Taco Casserole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8 people
Ingredients: 1 package vegetarian crumbles (or 1 pound ground beef, if preferred); 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil; 1 cup water; 2 packages taco seasoning; 1 can black beans (rinsed & drained); 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes; 1 can corn (drained); 1 cup Bisquick; 1/2 cup sour cream; 3 eggs; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese + 1 additional cup; 1/2 cup tortilla chips or taco shells (crumbled into small pieces (stale is okay)); sour cream & salsa to garnish (optional: lettuce, tomatoes, olives, etc.)

Main Course Recipes, Meatless Meals | 43

We are a full two weeks into our one-month spending freeze and so far, so good. I thought for sure we would run out of food in a week but at this point both our freezer and pantry are still brimming, which makes me think a.) we may have had too much stuff and b.) we could probably extend our spending freeze for another month without even coming close to running out of food.

DIG DEEPER

Meal planning eliminates dinnertime stress and overspending. Rather than navigating weeknight meals without a plan, go in with a plan and dinner is served. Simple!

In all honesty, the hardest part about figuring out what to cook is the mental block of thinking there is nothing to make, when in fact there are all sorts of ingredients to choose from. The other night Husband suggested we have tacos, which sounded great until I realized we only had 3 stale taco shells, so I decided to improvise and came up with this vegetarian Taco Casserole instead.

It was a HIT! The girls chowed it and husband thought it was one of our best vegetarian meals ever, which is saying something since he is far more of a meat-and-potatoes than tofu kinda guy. It was also super easy & pretty much foolproof–a great one to have the kids help with.

Even if you’re not vegetarian, cutting out meat a couple times a week is a great way to save on groceries. That said, you could easily substitute ground beef if you really want meat. 🙂

Ingredients

1 package vegetarian crumbles (or 1 pound ground beef, if preferred)

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 cup water

2 packages taco seasoning

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

1 can corn, drained

1 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

3 eggs

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese + 1 additional cup

1/2 cup tortilla chips or taco shells, crumbled into small pieces (stale is okay)

sour cream & salsa to garnish (optional: lettuce, tomatoes, olives, etc.)

Step 1: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat; brown vegetarian crumbles 5-7 minutes. Add water and taco seasoning, then add tomatoes, black beans, & corn. Stir until well blended then remove from heat.

Step 2: Mix Bisquick, sour cream, eggs, & 2 cups shredded cheese in bowl until well blended.

Step 3: Grease 9×13″ pan; pour in bean mixture. Spread out Bisquick mixture evenly over beans. Bake in 375 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, until top is golden.

Step 4: Remove from oven; sprinkle crumbled tortilla chips and remaining shredded cheese; bake 5 more minutes until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and salsa, if desired.