Beefy Taco Mac Bake

Beefy Taco-Mac Bake

This beefy taco casserole is made even better by making your own baked tortilla chips!

Make something Mexican was the request–and I had everything mostly on hand with this.

Beefy Taco-Mac Bake

I’ll be upfront and say I’m not a great lover of taco seasoning because of the cumin, but when I combined this with some of Goya’s Adobo seasoning, it tasted really GREAT!

I also wanted to use up an odd bit of spiral pasta I had hanging around for I can’t remember how long, plus I had some leftover sliced olives from when I did the Mexican French Bread Pizza for an olive promotion for Price Chopper Supermarkets.

Only thing I was lacking was a bag of tortilla chips–but I did have some small flour tortillas, so I made my own.  One thing I can say is I will NEVER buy tortilla chips again.  I think the homemade ones actually was the thing that made this casserole shine.

This casserole is really a combination of taco-flavored beef macaroni and nachos! A real family pleaser!

A combo of nachos and tacos combine here

Like my bakers?  They’re Temp-Tations Floral Lace and are available from Temp-Tations.  Mine are blue but they come in many nice colors. Here’s the website:
Temp-tations.com

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Beefy Taco Mac Bake

This beefy taco casserole is made even better by making your own baked tortilla chips!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Keyword: beef recipes, taco casserole, taco mac

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 651kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 8 oz rotini pasta
• 1 lb lean ground beef at least 90 percent lean
• 10.75 oz condensed tomato soup
• 15 oz canned diced tomatoes*
• 4 oz canned diced jalapenos optional
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese**
• 2 tbsp taco seasoning 1.25 oz package
• 2 tsp Adobo seasoning Goya makes this

Topping:

• 2-3 cups broken tortilla chips***
• 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese**
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives
• 3 green onions chopped

Instructions

• Cook pasta per package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray either and 11 x 7 or 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
• Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in a large heavy skillet; drain fat.
• Add the diced tomatoes, tomato soup, taco seasoning, Adobo seasoning, 1/2 cup of cheese and the pasta. Stir to combine. Place mixture in the prepared baking pan.
• Top with broken tortilla chips. Top tortilla chips with the 2 cups of cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with sliced olives and chopped green onion.
• Serves 4-6 depending on appetite.

Notes

*For added heat a can of Rotel tomatoes may be substituted.

**A combination of sharp cheddar and Monterrey jack may be substituted for the Mexican blend--1/2 cheddar, 1/2 jack. All cheddar or all jack is another alternative. Choice is yours!

***I made my own tortilla chips from 6-inch flour tortillas. Brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil. Repeat for how may chips you want to make. I used 4 tortillas. Stack tortillas oil side up and slice into eighths. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 651kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 1391mg | Potassium: 993mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1133IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 431mg | Iron: 5mg

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Someone had a hearty appetite!

Ready to eat!

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