WAY back in March, I wrote about a conversation Rich and I were having that, for some reason, became involved with jello molds in general, then moved on to Horseradish and Lime Jello Salad Mold in particular, and then quickly on to Fractured Taco Casserole – both favorite recipes of my Aunt Buzz, who usually served the one with t’other. While I STILL haven’t gotten around to trying the horseradish and lime jello thingy, I HAVE, FINALLY!, made my aunt’s justly famous Fractured Tacos…
– tho’ without, if you recall the original conversation, the kinda yucky baked iceberg lettuce layer she preferred (I offered a bit of freshly chopped romaine, additional cheese, and some sour cream to top the casserole once it was served).
Crunchy, creamy, and as spicy (or not) as you like, this casserole is a nice, and little bit different, simple dish to set before family and friends. Aunt Buzz liked to keep things simple – she used packaged taco seasoning as the only spice with the ground beef, onion, a combination of cheddar and jack cheeses, some tomatoes, that soggy lettuce, and a plain bag of Doritos.
I used pepper jack cheese (with some nicely aged cheddar as a topping), added scallions, black olives, diced green chiles, and some Tabasco sauce to mine – all of which would’ve gained a scowl from my Aunt, but got a big smile from Rich.
Oh, and I also used Cool Ranch Doritos, ’cause that’s how I roll, dude.
INGREDIENTS
•1 lb. ground beef ground turkey would work, too; as would ground pork for a whole ‘Carnitas’ thing
•8 oz shredded cheese, my aunt used a mix of cheddar & monterey jack, I went with pepper jack
•1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
•3 med. tomatoes, chopped
•1 med. onion, diced
•1 pkg. Doritos, lightly smashed
– I used Cool Ranch
•Shredded lettuce
I also added:
•3 or 4 sliced scallions
•12 or so black olives, sliced
•1 can diced green chiles, drained
•1/2 tsp hot sauce
Brown the meat and onion, drain and add the chiles, olives, hot sauce, taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water.
Simmer until liquid cooks down, then place in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Top with cheese and then tomatoes, then the Doritos.
Bake for thirty minutes.
We had ours with refried black beans on the side and that freshly chopped romaine, some 5 year old cheddar, and a bit of sour cream as toppings.
Nice tacos.
IF a bit fractured…