Mexi-Cali Hashbrown Taco Casserole

By á-46109

Twist on meat and potatoes for dinner tonight! Taco flavored ground beef mixed with hash browns, and, of course, topped with cheese! The base of this casserole is a creamy taco-flavored ground beef mixture. You can leave the taco seasoning out or use other spice blends if you'd like.

Ingredients

• 1-pound 90% lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced, divided
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced, divided
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 (1.25 or 1.4-ounce) package taco seasoning
• 1 (10.5-ounce) can tomato soup
• 1 (3-ounce) package low-fat cream cheese*
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped, divided
• 2 cups Mexican-style shredded cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 (30-ounce) bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from bakeatmidnite.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray a 2 or 2 1/2-quart oblong casserole dish.

Brown ground beef and onion in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Drain fat from pan, reduce heat to low.

Add the undiluted tomato soup, corn, and the cream cheese. Stir until well combined and no chunks of cream cheese are visible. Stir in taco seasoning and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Turn mixture into prepared pan, spreading mixture evenly across the bottom.

In a separate bowl, combine the defrosted hash browns, the red and green bell peppers, salt, black pepper, and remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.

Top ground beef with potato mixture, pressing it down slightly. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the casserole is cooked through and the top is brown and bubbly. Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.