Gather ’round and listen to the legend of the Walking Tacos. A long, long time ago, there was a man. He had just returned home from a far journey, and really had a taste for some tacos. He rummaged his icebox and cupboard, finding some savory ground beef, crispy yellow onions, sweet crushed tomatoes, savory chili beans, salty shredded cheese, and his favorite crunchy corn chips. Unfortunately, no tortillas were to be found. So, this hungry, innovative man used the ingredients he had and layered it all in a casserole dish, and fired up his oven to create what we now call today Walking Tacos to satisfy his craving. It worked, and while this story is not real, the deliciousness of this dish truly is!
Ingredients
For the tacos:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can chili beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 cups corn chips
- 1 1/2 cups cheese, of your choice, shredded
Optional toppings:
- 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 2 Roma tomatoes,, diced
- 1/4 cup olives, sliced
- sour cream, to taste
- avocado, to taste, sliced
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 –Spray a 9×9-inch or 11×7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 3 –In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and the onion.
Step 4 –Cook while crumbling until the meat is no longer pink, about 7-10 minutes.
Step 5 –Drain the grease from the skillet.
Step 6 –Add the tomatoes, the chili beans, and the taco seasoning to the meat mixture.
Step 7 –Bring the meat mixture to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 8 –Transfer the meat mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Step 9 –Top the meat mixture with the corn chips and the cheese.
Step 10 –Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Step 11 –Carefully discard the foil and bake until the cheese is melted and the top is slightly golden, for about 5-10 minutes.
Step 12 –Carefully take the casserole out of the oven and top with the lettuce, the Roma tomatoes, the olives, the sour cream, and the avocado.
Step 13 –Serve.
