Taco Casserole

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (Optional cup of rice, if I want to stretch the ground beef)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 envelope of taco seasoning

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 cup sour cream (light sour cream works perfectly)

1 cup cottage cheese (I have made this with all cottage cheese in a pinch, when I was missing sour cream or vice versa)

2 cups crushed tortilla chips (this is how I use up our crushed stale remnants in the pantry)

2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand)

(Variations: I have added minced garlic, chopped peppers, tomatoes, and various shredded garden veggies to make it a really healthy option, along with the addition of black beans.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°

In a skillet, brown the beef, drain off extra fat; remove from heat. (Add a cup of cooked rice if you are trying to save money on meat)

Add onion, garlic powder, taco seasoning, & tomato sauce to beef; mix and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese; set aside.

Place half the crushed chips in the bottom of a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish that has been coated with a nonstick vegetable spray.

Add enough meat mixture to cover chips, then cover meat with half the sour cream mixture.

Sprinkle with half the grated cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake uncovered, 30-35 minutes, until cheese melts & casserole is heated through.

Notes

For a healthier, lower fat option, substitute ground beef with a ground turkey/rice mixture. Use low fat sour cream or only lower fat cottage cheese and add the veggie options mentioned above.

I highly recommend doubling or tripling this recipe for an additional freezer meal (or it’s great as leftovers.).  If using this as a freezer meal, follow all the directions exactly, but you may omit the additional layer of tortilla chips and just sprinkle them on top before baking. I have never done this because my family loves it “As Is,” but if soggy chips are a concern, still use the chips as the crust, but omit the second layer.

http://beautyandbedlam.com/taco-casserole-recipe/