Baked Crunchy Taco Casserole

By dkanon

Here's a new way to eat a taco. Line up all of your taco shells, stuff them with ground beef, sprinkle with cheese, and bake. When you pull out Baked Crunchy Taco Casserole from the oven, add your favorite toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc. After one bite of this taco shell casserole, you'll fall in love with its crispiness and flavor. You'll want to eat all your tacos this way.

Ingredients

• 1 Ib ground beef
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 c cheese, divided
• 1/4 c salsa verde
• 15 crunchy taco shells
• Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, lime juice to top.

Preparation

Step 1

Start by browning a pound of ground beef. Add in some cheese, canned diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, and salsa verde.
Give it a stir until it’s nice and combined…
Stand 12-15 shells up in a 9x13 casserole dish. If they aren’t all standing up straight they will be easier to move around once they are filled and have some weight to them. I might try the shells with the flat bottoms next time and see if that makes things a bit easier.
Preheat oven to 400.
Stir tomatoes, seasoning, 1/2 c cheese, and salsa into meat.
Fill each shell with the meat mixture, dividing equally until all the meat is used.
Sprinkle remaining 1/2 c of cheese over the tops of the filled tacos and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cheese will be melted and the meat hot.
Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and lime juice.