I Make This Martha Stewart Casserole for My Family All the Time

It’s so easy and perfect for busy weeknights.

My childhood best friend’s mom always made the food my mom didn’t—the kind of food I craved as a kid. With three kids, each with a busy schedule, she didn’t have much time to create anything complicated. Her slow cooker was always on and her kitchen was constantly buzzing with grazing kids, adults, and a dog.

One of my favorite meals she served was a taco casserole made with ground beef and topped with tortilla chips. I never got her recipe, but luckily Martha Stewart’s version comes pretty close.

If there’s anything I’ve learned as a mom, it’s that as your kid gets older, the less time you have for cooking. I’ve turned into my best friend’s mom, chauffeuring my daughter to and from school, practices, games, parties, sleepovers, and everything in between.

I don’t always have time to braise a chicken in the oven or whip up a homemade quiche. That’s why I love dishes that come together quickly, like Martha’s Taco Casserole. It turns classic beef tacos into a simple, easy-to-whip-up casserole. The best part is that everyone in my family loves it.

Like tacos, the dish is easy to customize. This means my daughter can skip the sour cream topping but load up on guacamole, and I can cover my serving with a healthy handful of shredded romaine lettuce.

How To Make Martha Stewart’s Taco Casserole

Taco casserole begins with cooking diced onions and green bell pepper in a large oven-safe skillet. Once those are softened, a pound of ground beef is browned in the same hot skillet. Next, spices and seasonings are added, followed by tomato paste and a can of diced tomatoes.

Finally, tortilla chips and shredded cheese are piled on top, and the skillet heads to the oven for just a few minutes to melt the cheese. It’s ready in no time for serving with lots of toppings.

Tips for Making Martha’s Taco Casserole

Making the dish is simple, but here are some ideas for how to make it even better!

1. Make swaps: I often swap out the ground beef for other ground meats like turkey, chicken, or pork. I’ve also had success with using tofu or seitan crumbles for a vegetarian twist. I also love swapping fire-roasted tomatoes for regular diced tomatoes for a touch of smoky flavor. As for the beans, you can use black beans, garbanzo beans, or kidney beans in place of the pinto beans. If you’re looking to save even more time, consider using a packet of prepared taco seasoning in place of herbs and spices.

2. Make additions: There are plenty of ways to add more flavor to the dish. I almost always add a can of green chiles to turn up the heat. I also like cooking up a few additional vegetables like red bell pepper and poblano pepper to make the dish heartier and give it a boost of nutrition.

3. Layer the cheese: Instead of tossing the shredded cheese with the tortilla chips, I add them separately and layer them. This ensures the cheese is equally distributed over and under the chips so that you get that delicious “nacho-cheesy” crust.

4. Load up on toppings: Treat this casserole as you would tacos and load it up with toppings. I love shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, pickled red onions, sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, guacamole, and salsa. Leftovers are also great toppings. I’ve been known to serve last night’s sautéed vegetables as a topping as well as leftover cooked bacon crumbles and salad scraps.

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Read the original article on Simply Recipes.