H and I love Mexican food. In fact, "love" may not even be a strong enough word to describe it. We have an amazing local Mexican restaurant in town that we go to, usually where we split the fajitas for two (shrimp, chicken, steak, and chorrizo) sans rice and tortillas. But going out to eat can get pricey, so I was super excited to find this recipe and tweak it to fit our needs.
Warning: This isn't strict Paleo. We used some dairy, but you can take that out or cater it to your Paleo needs. The original recipe also has layers of flour tortillas alternated with the casserole, but I omitted that to make it more Paleo-friendly.
Taco Casserole
1-1/2 to 2 lbs lean ground beef (I used 96/04)
Taco Seasoning (1 packet, or your favorite loose seasoning from your local farmers market)
1/8 c diced red onion
2 jalapenos, diced
1 c shredded cheese
2/3 c chunky salsa
Shredded lettuce and sour cream, as needed
In a little bit of olive oil, saute the diced onions, then add the ground beef. Make sure to break up the ground beef while it's cooking. As the beef starts to brown, add your taco seasoning; if you're using the packet kind, follow directions. If you're using the loose kind (like we have), make sure to add about 1/4 c water to 3 Tbls seasoning. .
Simmer the beef over med-high heat until all the beef is cooked and the water has cooked down
Once the beef is cooked, add to your casserole dish with 2/3 cup of the cheese and the jalapenos. Mix well.
Pour the salsa on top of the casserole, then sprinkle the remaining 1/3c cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes--enough to heat everything through and melt the cheese.
I served it with shredded lettuce and sour cream, with a few more jalapenos on top (we like it spicy!)
Go ahead and enjoy!!
xoxo, M
