The South is a real melting pot of foods and flavors, and the growing Hispanic population means more hybrid dishes like casseroles (always popular in the South) featuring products from south of the border meals.
Tacos quickly became favorites in Southern states along with chips and various sauces, so many Southern cooks began playing with these basic ingredients to come up with unique dishes. There are, for example, a number of Southern Taco Salad recipes which are popular as well as baked casseroles building on the basic hamburger taco theme.
One great thing about Taco Casseroles is that they are easy to put together and they can be customized. Various heat levels are possible by selecting from a range of heat levels in the salsas (or by making it from scratch) and topping can be switched up depending on family preferences.
Southern Baked Taco Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of ground beef or turkey
- 1 can red kidney beans drained and rinsed (around 14 ounces)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup salsa
- Hot sauce (optional and to taste)
- 2 cups tortilla chips crumbled up (but not too fine – kind of chunky)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 onion chopped fine
- 1 tomato chopped in medium sized chunks
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or a Mexi mix)
- Toppings as desired (guacamole, salsa, lettuce etc)
Directions:
- Brown the meat in a skillet until done and drain off excess fat.
- Mix beans, water and salsa in with meat and add hot sauce (or hot peppers) if desired).
- Stir mixture until it comes to a boil and then remove from heat.
- Spray a casserole dish (around 9 x 11) with non-stick cooking spray like Pam.
- Place crumbled chips in bottom of pan.
- Spread meat mixture evenly over chips.
- Spread sour cream over top of meat.
- Sprinkle onions and tomatoes evenly over sour cream.
- Cover all with cheese (can use more cheese if a big cheese fan).
- Bake at 350 degrees F for around 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- Serve plain or with any traditional taco toppings.
Other Southern Tex Mex Favorite Recipes:
Easy Guacamole Dip - Whip up this easy Tex-Mex dip which is great with the Taco Casserole or any other favorite Tex-Mex dish.
Tex-Mex Black Bean Salad - Have a delicious light meal packed with protein with yummy black beans. This makes a great main dish on a hot day.
Mexican Cornbread Pie with Chicken - This is a really great cornbread that works as a main dish. It warms over well for lunch during the week too.
Rotel Cheese Dip Recipes - For those who love tortilla with dip, here are some really yummy dips with a little kick.
Cyndi Allison - Southern born and fed, Cyndi Allison is a college lecturer and newspaper advisor as well as being a freelance writer. She writes on ...
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