Once it's finished, you can spoon onto the plate and top with any taco toppings you like. Or you can wrap in a tortilla for a crunchy, yummy taco meal!

Happy Monday!  It’s time for another Make It Monday recipe- Easy Taco Bake.  This one is super easy and really quick too!

I found the recipe on Pinterest a long time ago, and like most recipes– I always tweak to make it my own.  I actually couldn’t find the original recipe site I got this from, but did manage to find it on this site. They call it a Walking Taco Bake.

Easy Taco Bake

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 1 1/2 pounds of ground meat (hamburger or turkey meat)
  • Taco Seasoning (I made my own, but a packet is quicker!)
  • 1 can of Cheddar Cheese Soup
  • Shredded Cheese (you can use more cheddar like I did, or use mozzarella)
  • 1 bag of Fritos (the original recipe recommended Chili Cheese Fritos, but the Flamin’ Hot Fritos add a nice kick!)

Note: the original recipe only uses half the can of cheddar cheese soup and adds milk…

How To:

  • Start by browning your meat
  • Once it’s cooked, drain the grease and add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup- 1 cup of water
  • Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  • Add the Cheddar Cheese Soup to the meat mixture
  • In a baking dish (I used 9 X 13), layer about 1/2 the bag of Fritos.  I recommend using cooking spray to grease the dish
  • Put a layer of about half of the meat mixture on top of the Fritos
  • Spread cheese on top of the meat and Fritos
  • Add another layer of Fritos
  • Top with another layer of meat mixture
  • Top with cheese
  • Bake on 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes

Once it’s finished, you can top with any taco toppings you like.  You can also put into a tortilla if you want– that’s what I did!

Things I decided once I tried this:

  • In the future- I plan to either- use a smaller dish, or just do one thicker layer of Fritos, instead of two layers.
  • I only used a pound of meat, and for the larger baking dish, I didn’t quite have an equal spread of meat to Fritos ratio.
  • I might try using half the bag of Fritos for the bake, then crushing some additional Fritos on top once it’s done– to give it a better crunch.

Overall- I love the simplicity and how quick this is.  It can easily feed a family of 4!  Perfect for a taco night, or any night! Let me know if you try this Make It Monday- Easy Taco Bake!

 

Missed last week’s Make It Monday?  Here’s the Bacon Mushroom Swiss Chicken recipe!