recipes | The Ultimate WAH Mom

I have to share this Taco Bake recipe. My family LOVES this stuff! The recipe will make one 9 x 13 in. pan. We love casseroles in this house. Not only are they pretty easy and quick to whip up but it’s a great way to use up our left-overs. If you have left-over Taco’s in your fridge, this recipe will be your best friend! If you don’t have left-over taco’s, you can still make this from scratch in about 30 minutes.

Here is what you will need:

1. 1 lb of Burger

2. Taco Seasoning

3. Salsa (I used mild for the kids, use what ever your family likes best)

4. 1 roll of Crescent Rolls

5. 1 Bag of cheese. I just used up the left over bag of cheese I had.. the amount of cheese depends on your taste buds 🙂

6. 1 can of refried beans

7. 3-4 cups of Nacho Cheese Doritos. (Again the amount depends on your liking, but you will need enough to layer the top)

1. Start by browning your burger in a skillet. While burger is cooking, warm up the refried beans in a small sauce pan on low.

2. While those are both cooking you can crush up your Doritos. Open the bag.. Eat 1 or 2.. or 10 lol.. then grab a small bowl and a cup to smash them up, Like this:

Crush them up into crumb size pieces.

3. Preheat oven to 400. Drain the burger and place back into skillet. Sprinkle about half the bag of taco seasoning over top of the burger. Then spoon the salsa on top of seasoning. Try to drain the salsa so it is not runny just chunky. You will be putting this mixture on top of the crescent rolls and you do not want them soggy. Mix this all together and turn the heat back on low and simmer this for about 7 minutes.. Basically until its a thick mixture almost like sloppy joes.. Like this:

4. Once the beans and burger are done turn them off and start lining your 9 x 13 in. pan with the crescent rolls. Unroll the crescents together by sticking it to the side of the pan. Continue to unroll the crescents together to the other side of the pan. Press any gaps together with your fingers. Your pan should now look like this:

5. Now scoop your burger mixture on top of this making it a flat layer like you would with lasagna.

6. Do the same with your refried beans. Sprinkle a layer of cheese on top of the beans. Like this:

7. Now add the crushed Doritos to the top and sprinkle some more cheese over the Doritos. It should look like this now:

8. Now pop the pan in the oven for 10-13 minutes or until the crescent starts turning a golden brown color and the cheese is melted.

9. Pull it out.. wait about 5-10 minutes to cool..then dig in!!

Yummmmmmm!

I wanted to share a recipe that my entire family (picky eaters included) loves! We call it “noodle stuff” in my house lol but for blog post title reasons I re-named it 😉 It is pretty simple to make and you can change up the ingredients to fit your own family’s taste buds. The recipe will make one 9 x 13 in. pan, I usually double the recipe each time I make this and do one 9 x 13 pan and divide the rest into 2 smaller freezer tins. I label it, date it, and store it in the freezer for a yummy homemade meal on those nights I don’t feel like cooking!

Here is what you will need for one batch (one 9 x 13 in. pan):

1 box of Rotini noodles

1 large 60 oz or more jar of pasta sauce (of your choice, I like the chunky garden blend)

1 large bag of Mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 lbs of hamburger

1/2 bag of pepperoni (optional)

1/2 can of mushrooms (optional)

1 onion (optional)

Garlic bread (optional, but recommended 😉

1. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 box of rotini noodles. Boil noodles for about 8 minutes (under cook them a little, they will bake in the oven later). Set the oven to 375.

2. While noodles are boiling, brown your burger. I seasoned my burger with Italian and Lawry seasonings, you may use whatever seasonings you like, or just brown the burger plain. When the noodles and burger are both done, Drain.

3. Grab a big mixing bowl and add burger, noodles, onion, pepperoni, mushrooms, and whatever else your family likes. Add a couple of handful’s of cheese to your bowl and then half of the jar of spaghetti sauce. Mix together. It should look something like this:

4. Now for the fun part! Layer this as you would a lasagna. Cover just the bottom of your pan with a layer of your mixture. Add a few drops of sspaghetti sauce and sprinkle a thin layer cheese over this. Add another layer of your yummy mixture. Pour the remaining amount of spaghetti sauce over the top of this and then cover again with cheese, as much cheese as your heart desires! If you are making this as a freezer meal, stop here. cover your freezer pans with tin toil, label, and freeze. If you just can’t wait to eat it… continue 🙂

5. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. I usually take my tin foil off at this point and let it go the last 10-15 minutes uncovered. Bake until cheese melts (usually with in 30-40 minutes). If you are having garlic bread, throw that in when you take the tin foil off so they both are done together.