While I was growing up, we had tacos every Friday night, conveniently forgetting the “no meat on Fridays” adage of the Catholic Church, which has since been relaxed. Along with Japanese and Irish cuisine, Mexican fare is one of my favorites. Inevitably, we always had leftovers after taco night and my mother would throw together a casserole of sorts, and then freeze it for later consumption. This included layering cooked tortillas with remaining cheese, tomato and onions in a deep Pyrex dish.

 

My parents still have tacos every Friday night, rustling up corn tortillas with seasoned meat and all the interior fixings. Since I married my husband two years ago, we’ve had a different type of taco on occasion (shredded beef instead of ground), and although he’s Hispanic, my husband is not a great fan of the dish.

 

Reading through the McCormick newsletter tonight, I found a variation of the taco casserole:

Taco Casserole

1½ LBS lean ground beef or turkey

1 package (1.25 ounces) McCormick® Taco Seasoning

2 cans (8 oz. each), or 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (16 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

1 can (11 oz.) Mexican corn mixture or whole kernel corn, drained

1 C shredded Cheddar cheese

1 C coarsely crushed tortilla chips

 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat; drain. Stir in Taco Seasoning, beans, tomato sauce, and corn. Simmer for five minutes. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish; top with cheese and tortilla chips. Bake until cheese is melted, about five to ten minutes. Serving suggestion:  Garnish casserole with sour cream and sliced green onions, and serve with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes.

It sounds delicious, but I think I would still choose Mum’s casserole over anyone else’s.