I had to figure out how to make this at the Man's suggestion. He said he had it before and was craving it. I have never even seen a Taco pie, let alone make one. I looked into it though, as usual, and figured out it's pretty easy AND looks like a lot of fun, too.
First time I made it, I was so excited that it turned out so well and so tasty, that I forgot to take pictures. So this time I made sure I remembered to take some!
The second time around this was a lot easier to make and a lot quicker. Firs time I only used ground beef, and I sliced the olives, and also put some jalapeño rings in between the layers, but used no chipotle spice on the pie itself. This time I omitted the jalapeños altogether, and layered the chipotle spice all over :o)
This time also instead of using oregano and spices separately, I used an envelope of Taco seasoning spice. I was in a hurry to get this in the oven, and not in the mood to taste 27 times :o)
This pie by itself like we had it last night can serve 6-8 people! It's very filling and very tasty :o) We only accompanied it with a chipotle sour cream salsa, made by "The Saucerer"... oooh. My Man is magical when it comes to making any kind of sauce :o)
TACO PIE
My Ingredients:* 1 pack extra lean ground beef (about 1 lb)
* 1 pack chorizo sausage (5 in the pack I got)
* 4 tbsp oil
* A pinch of salt
* 1 envelope Taco seasoning
* 1 can black beans
* Chipotle spice
* 1 big jar of Salsa
* 1 pack of 10 large tortillas
* 1 jar of stuffed olives
* 1/2 block of cheddar cheese
* Sour cream
How I did it:
I took the sausage meat out of the casings, mixed it with the beef, and started browning in a pan with 2 tbsp of oil.
I added a pinch of salt and the envelope of taco seasoning, and stirred.
When meat was almost cooked (there was still a little pink showing in some places) I added the can of black beans, and stirred again.
Simmered uncovered till heated through, and meat was done.
Turned off the burner, added a generous sprinkle of chipotle spice, stirred, and set aside.
The bottom of my cast iron pan is the perfect size. It's maybe 1 cm bigger around than a large tortilla, so it's perfect to bake this in!
I lightly greased the pan with 1-2 tbsp oil and put a tortilla down. On top of it I layered beef, then salsa, then whole olives, then shredded cheddar.
Put another tortilla on that, and did the layers in that order all over again, till I ran out of beef.
I finished my pie with a tortilla, covered in shredded cheddar with a light sprinkle of chipotle on top.
I then placed the whole cat iron pan uncovered in a preheated oven at 350F until the cheese melted and started to turn colour, and the parts of the tortilla at the top that are not covered in cheese start to get crispy and brown, between 15 and 30 minutes.
Notes:
I prefer chorizo sausage, which is not real chorizo! it's a sausage like hot Italian, mild Italian, etc.
I used extra lean beef and sausages, so I didn't have to drain the fat out of my pan, because there wasn't any! If you use anything other than extra lean meats, drain the fat out of the pan BEFORE adding the seasonings.
We had this by itself, topped with a sauce made by mixing salsa and chipotle spice into sour cream. Delish :o) I use regular -not fat free- sour cream. I don't have it often enough, and when I do, I like to enjoy it :o) My man makes the best sauces, for anything and everything, and this time was not an exception :o)
I would have loved a salad on the side with this, just because I love my greens, but the lettuce and spinach at the grocery store didn't look very healthy this week, so I didn't bother to buy any.
