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 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes 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

Someone had a hearty appetite!

Ready to eat!

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