The Covered Dish - Taco Salad Casserole

Grandma Betty’s Taco Salad Casserole was always a hit when the grand kids came to visit. In typical rural style this easy peezy recipe can be enlarged to feed guests quite easily. Tonight I made a double of the recipe. Most of it traveled, some to our son’s home and another large portion to a friend recouping from surgery.
As I recall mom always had the ingredients on hand to make this casserole in the event of unexpected company. Tonight after doing a double batch I was out of several items in the kitchen.
This week we sold my Ford Flex. Besides cooking a double of this recipe,a double of a fresh vegetable salad, and a dozen cinnamon rolls, we spent the day detailing the car. It’s actually something I enjoy! Tonight the old gal is a tired camper, but I’m ready for a girls road trip tomorrow that will be refreshing and fun. Like many of you, the temperatures dropped and we made haste while the heat wasn’t so intense.
The last time I ran this in a column was 2016. I gave some easy tips to switch this recipe out to a chicken taco casserole. For the pasta perhaps use a penne, cream of chicken soup versus mushroom, maybe pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar, throw in some green chilies and maybe corn and still use the taco seasoning, or make up your own set of spices. Ervin says we should do the chicken later this week simply because I have a great deal of chicken in the deep freeze. We eat beef, but I tend to use chicken more frequently.
This dish will also freeze without much change in structure. Do something fun this week and try something new! Simply yours, The Covered Dish.

Taco Salad Casserole
(Serves 8-10 persons)
1 1⁄2 lbs. Burger, fried, drained
1 cup or more finely chopped onion
12 ounces noodles, cooked and drained, al dente
1 can cream of mushroom soup
15-20 ozs. Petite tomatoes
1 envelope of taco seasoning
2 cups of shredded cheese at least!
Fry the burger and onion together, draining if necessary-
While the meat is cooking boil the pasta, just until al dente stage.
Drain pasta, and combine meat/onion mixture, tomatoes, mushroom soup and taco seasoning packet. Select baking dish and spray with vegetable oil. Pour in half the casserole mixture and top with half of the cheese. Fill with remaining casserole and then place the rest of the cheese on top. Bake in 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly. Could serve with sour cream and cilantro sprinkled over the top. Add an interesting salad and dinner is served.