Creamy Taco Bake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown and drain ground beef. Add half of the diced onions to the meat mixture and let cook for several minutes. Mix in taco seasoning and prepare using package directions.

While meat is browning, add cream cheese to a medium-sized sauce pan and heat over medium low heat till it begins to melt. You’ll want to start adding the half-and-half slowly. Once the cream cheese is melted to a smooth consistency, add 1 cup of the shredded cheese (I used cheddar), the diced chilis, the remaining onions and chili powder. Stir together, adding half-and-half as needed. You want a nice smooth and creamy consistency to the sauce, not overly runny.

Once the sauce is ready, pour half of it over the taco meat and stir together. Let it simmer over low heat. Reserve the rest of the sauce for topping.

Spray your baking dish with Pam, or a similar product. (I used a 10-3/8″ x 7-1/8″ x 2-3/8″ oval pan). Layer the bottom and sides of the pan with tortillas; the bigger the tortilla the fewer you will need. Once the bottoms and sides are covered, pour in the meat mixture and top with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese; spread out evenly. Fold over the tortillas to cover the meat. Add tortillas to the top so the dish is fully covered. Pour the remainder of the cheese sauce over the top.

Tent the dish with foil and cook for 20 – 25 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling. Take the tin foil off and top with the remainder of the cheese and place back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Note: You could make this with ground turkey or shredded chicken as well. If you use chicken, you’ll want to use chicken taco seasoning and you might want to add a splash of chicken stock to the cheese sauce.