Tasty Thursday

{Tasty Thursday | Mexican Hot Dish}

Recipes, Tips, and Inspiration from my kitchen to yours.

Growing up, it was a common occurrence to have hot dish on the table for supper, especially in the fall and winter. Now that it's September, the weather is beginning to cool off, nights are getting longer, and you get that curl-up-on-the-couch-with-hot-tea feeling (which, by the way, I love). And for me (and my mom as well), there's also this inner voice telling us it's once again the Season of the Hot Dish.

This dish is really quite simple. I concocted it based on ingredients I had on hand, and you can too! It's very easy to customize this dish based on your mood, the contents of your pantry, or your family's personal preferences.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can beans of your choice (I used pinto)
1 can corn
Lime tortilla chips
Salsa to taste (I had some Tastefully Simple Spicy Harvest Salsa on hand that was wonderful!)
Tomatoes (fresh or canned) - I used fresh
Rice (optional)
Cheese

First, I browned the meat, drained it, and added the taco seasoning with a little bit of water, according to package directions.
While the meat was finishing, I crushed up some lime tortilla chips and arranged them on the bottom of the dish to make a crust.
Next, I mixed the meat, beans, corn, salsa, and rice (just a bit that was leftover from another meal) together and spooned it on top of the crushed up chips. I added some chopped up tomatoes and sprinkled cheese on top.
Now, you have two options. You can either plan ahead unlike me, and warm this in the oven at 350 until the hot dish is warmed through and cheese is melted. Or, like me who didn't plan ahead and threw this together at the last minute, you can put it in microwave and heat on high for 5 minutes until warmed through and cheese is melted. You choice. Both equally delicious. And simple.

This makes a fairly large sized hot dish. If you're like me and cooking for two people, but don't mind eating leftovers, you can go ahead and make the entire thing. If you despise leftovers, get bored, or don't mind random half-full cans of corn and beans in the fridge, you may consider cutting the recipe in half. Or make a full batch and share with a neighbor or friend. Or freeze half.... you get the idea.