PAULA DEEN WOULD BE PROUD: CHELSEA'S TACO CASSEROLE

Cheesy. Spicy. Gooey. Yum.

My girl Chelsea is the queen of creation. She's crafty as hell, is a banging writer, and, most importantly, she can cook like nobody's business. While her forté is sweet treats, she recently cooked this taco casserole that blew my mind.

Looks like pig slop, tastes like heaven

Good doesn't begin to describe this dish, you guys. 

Reasons you need to make this meal for yourself tonight:

1. It's super easy to make. Simple layering of delectable ingredients, a little toast and roast in the oven, and you've got the casserole to end all casseroles.
2. Can you say leftovers? If you use the recipe I give you below, you're going to have enough taco bliss to be lunch & dinner for the rest of the week (or the rest of the day, depending on your appetite and physical capacity).
3. While this mess of yum isn't exactly healthy (there's a lot of cheese involved), you can definitely sneak in vegetables without really noticing them. While Chelsea's recipe below has some specific veggies in it, feel free to add in your own favorites! I added some chopped up baby carrots and spinach to mine and it was just wonderful.
4. It's delicious - duh.

Ready to get cooking?!


CHELSEA'S TACO CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

1 taco seasoning packet

1 large yellow onion

1 large zucchini

1 can of Mexican Corn

1 can of diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 can of refried beans

1 can of black beans

Taco sauce

Small flour tortillas (although, corn tortillas are just as delicious)

1 bag of either shredded Mexican blend cheese or shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or both - go crazy!)

Salsa (optional)

Sour cream (optional)

Avocado (optional)

Directions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 350˚ and spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray.
• Dice your onion and zucchini. In a large pan, sauté them with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. As they are sautéing, add 1/2 of the taco seasoning packet and some salt & pepper.
• Drain your cans of Mexican corn and diced tomatoes with green chiles. After the onion and zucchini have been sautéing for 5 minutes, add the corn and tomatoes to the pan and continue to cook this mixture for another several minutes, stirring regularly.
• Drain your black beans. In a small bowl, add the drained black beans, the can of refried beans, and the other half of the taco seasoning packet. Mash these ingredients together until blended and paste-like.
• Spread taco sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish - don't use too much, just enough to cover the bottom of the dish. On top of the sauce, add a layer of tortillas. Then spread your bean mixture over the tortillas. Next, scoop some of your veggie mixture on top of the beans. Finally, sprinkle cheese (the more the merrier) on top of the veggies. Repeat this process until you get to the top of the casserole dish - but make sure you end with cheese!
• Bake for 25 minutes and let cool for 15 minutes or more before topping with salsa, sour cream, avocado, or whatever additions make your tummy happy and enjoying your creation!