PIE for Taco Tuesday?!
Anyone who follows this blog knows that a) posts are sporadic; b) since our closure, they can be about anything from from my pets to my other hobbies to actually about food; and c) the food entries (like this one) aren't going to sport perfectly staged pictures, tons of them, and images of all the ingredients you'll need. This blog doesn't even feature a Jump to the Recipe button because I'm not going to tell you my life's Taco Tuesday story leading up to devising this recipe. This meme cracked me up, and now I'll never look at another glamorous food blog or Jump to the Recipe button the same again!
I just want you to have good recipes that feed your family, celebrate a season, and hopefully teach your kids how to cook. This particular one came about mainly because we had an inordinate amount of flour tortillas in the house, and it was Pi Day this month, which happened to fall on a Tuesday! So if you need some history on Taco Tuesday and Pi Day, see the above hyperlinks. If you want to make Taco Pie for Taco Tuesday (or any other day of the week), look no further. (Where possible, I have hyperlinked to the brands used for my version.) Oh, and get your kids involved! Fun tasks from spreading bean mixture to sprinkling cheese will get them invested in eating it for dinner!
Taco Tuesday Pie
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
1 lb preferred ground meat + 1 package taco seasoning OR 1 roll Jennie-O Taco Seasonings Turkey Sausage (used in this recipe)
1 bag frozen roasted corn
6 mini sweet peppers, seeded and diced
4-6 10-inch flour tortillas
1 24-oz jar mild restaurant style salsa
16-oz package shredded pepper jack, Mexican mix, or cheddar cheese (pepper jack used in this recipe)
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch springform pan or cast iron skillet with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, combine beans and 1/4 cup of water. Mix well and add additional water to achieve spreadable consistency. Set aside.
Brown meat according to package directions. If using taco seasoning, follow instructions as you would making taco filling. During last 5 minutes of cooking, add corn and diced peppers. Allow to cool before using.
Lay one flour tortilla in preferred pan. (If using a springform pan, place the pan on a rimmed cookie sheet to contain any leaking of salsa.) Using an offset spatula, spread 2-3 tablespoons refried bean mixture on tortilla. Add about 1/2 cup filling mixture, pour 1/4 of jarred salsa over filling, and top with 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers by spreading bean mixture on a tortilla on your counter top before placing it on top of salsa. You will use 4-6 tortillas, depending on the depth of your pan and distribution of filling and cheese. Final layer should be tortilla, salsa, and cheese only.
Bake covered in foil for 25 minutes and then uncovered for 10 additional minutes. Serve immediately with corn chips crushed on top or on the side. Serves 8.
