SPICY BAKED BEEF TACO

By pat1908

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• Start to finish: 50 minutes (40 minutes active)
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp minced fresh oregano or ½ tsp dried
• 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef (93%)
• 2 (10 oz) cans Ro-tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, drained with ½ cup juice reserved
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp packed brown sugar
• 1 (16oz) can refried beans
• ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
• 6 ozs Colby jack cheese, shredded (1 ½ cups)
• 12 taco shells, broken into 1 inch pieces
• 2 scallions, sliced thin

Details

Preparation time 40mins

Preparation

Step 1

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 F. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¼ tsp salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in half of tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, vinegar and sugar. Bring to simmer and cook until mixture is very thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, combine remaining tomatoes, refried beans and cilantro and spread evenly into 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle ½ cup Colby jack over the top. Spread beef mixture into baking dish and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Colby jack. Scatter taco shell pieces over top, then sprinkle with remaining ½ cup colby jack. Bake until filling is bubbling and top is brown, about 10 minutes. Let casserole cool slightly, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.