Well I have been in a "throw together cheap & easy casserole or slow cooker, sometimes could be called trashy but it's oh sooo good" kind of mood A LOT lately! I don't know why really. I know when fall is upon us, I usually crave soul food and slow cooker meals. I mean I can/have cooked some elaborate meals in my day,. For years I was cooking 3-4 course meals daily. I wasn't a FT working mom with a toddler and 2 teenagers back then. I was a stay at home mom of 2 lil ones (2 yrs apart) and as much work as that is honestly working FT with one lil one is way harder, even with the other 2 now being 18 & 16 . Ok enough of that... My goal for the past few years has been to make as many shortcuts and use the slow cooker as much as possible. This year it is more than that, it is casseroles too. Last time I made casseroles I was a teenager myself, experimenting with my cooking capabilities. Well green bean casseroles and mac n' cheese don't count, everyone makes those ;) The good news is, these cravings are producing some great comfort food results!
So here is another casserole. And it is A...Maz...Zing! This is a great football day grub too! I found a similar version of this on Pinterest. From the Debbie Does Dinner Healthy blog. But I put a different twist on it.
Here are the stars...
This is the right after I took it out of the oven pic.
Spread the cream cheese chunks across the top to make a layer (optional). So now that I am not in "Oh what else can I add to this" mode and am actually thinking it out. I will next time warm up the cream cheese with some milk and the green chilies in a glass bowl and microwave it for a minute and spread it on top the casserole before baking. I will update with better pics next time ;)
These nacho potatoes are so good. If you alternate bites between the both dishes, you will be in heaven :)
Nacho Cheese Potatoes: Start with prepping the potatoes. They take the longest to bake. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix the hashbrowns, nacho soup and half of the green chilies. Pour the hashbrown mixture in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Top with the shredded cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 mins. Remove cover occasionally and test potatoes to see if they're cooked thoroughly. Put back in oven for 10 to 15 mins uncovered (until cheese is brown). These are waaaayyyy better tasting than you would think with how easy they are to prepare.
Cornbread Casserole: follow the instructions on the cornbread boxes (usually 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk for each box). Combine cornbread ingredients in a large bowl. Spread into an 9 x 13 pan greased with cooking spray. Bake in the pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. While the cornbread is baking, brown the ground beef, drain excess grease. Add the taco mix, milk (or water) and red beans to the ground beef and simmer for 3-5 mins. Spread meat & bean mixture on top of the corn bread. Spread the Rotel tomatoes, the other half of green chilies and the olives evenly on top of the meat. (Or add chilies to cream cheese sauce, instructions below). Sprinkle the cubed cream cheese chunks as the top layer. Cover with foil and bake for 20 - 25 minutes longer or until heated through and cream cheese is soft enough to spread. Spread cream cheese (you could just leave it in the soft cubes if ya want). After plating sprinkle with shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce & tomato. So yummy!
Taco Cornbread Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 packages (8 1/2 oz) corn bread/muffin mix
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup milk (for cornbread)
- 1/2 cup milk or water (for meat mixture)
- 1/4 cup milk (cream cheese sauce)
- 1 packet McCormick Cheesy Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1 can red (or black) beans
- 1 can Rotel's Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
- 1 can sliced olives
- 1 4.5 oz can green chilies (use half for each recipe)
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese
- 1 package Mexican style shredded cheese (I used Kraft Natural Shredded Mexican Style Authentic Cheese)
Nacho Cheese Potatoes
- 1 bag frozen chopped hashbrowns (I used Ore-Ida Potato O'Brien since they have onions & peppers built in)
- 1 can Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese
- 1 4.5 oz can green chilies (half reserved from above)
- 1 package Mexican style shredded cheese (I used Kraft Natural Shredded Mexican Style Authentic Cheese)
- Sour Cream (if your lucky enough to have a Kroger owned store nearby, their sour cream w/ chives built in is so yummy!)
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
Cooking Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Nacho Cheese Potatoes: In a large bowl mix the hashbrowns, nacho soup and half of the green chilies. Pour the hashbrown mixture in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Top with the shredded cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 mins. Remove cover occasionally and test potatoes to see if they're cooked thoroughly. Put back in oven for 10 to 15 mins uncovered (until cheese is brown).
- Cornbread Casserole: follow the instructions on the cornbread boxes (usually 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk for each box). Combine cornbread ingredients in a large bowl. Spread into an 9 x 13 pan greased with cooking spray.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
- While the cornbread is baking, brown the ground beef, drain excess grease. Add the taco mix, milk (or water) and red beans to the ground beef and simmer for 3-5 mins.
- Spread meat & bean mixture on top of the corn bread. Spread the Rotel tomatoes, the other half of green chilies and the olives evenly on top of the meat. (Or see #10 to add chilies to cream cheese sauce)
- Sprinkle the cubed cream cheese chunks as the top layer.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 - 25 minutes longer or until heated through and cream cheese is soft enough to spread.
- OR - Warm up the cream cheese with 1/4 cup of milk and the green chilies in a glass bowl and microwave it for a minute and spread it on top of the casserole
- After plating sprinkle with shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce & tomato. Enjoy!
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