Beef and Mushroom Crunchy Taco Bake

Today I want to share with you some information about a superfood that you probably already enjoy.  It’s a food so magical that you can chop it up and blend in with your meat and have added nutritional benefits in your dish.  The superfood I am talking about is – MUSHROOMS!  To show you how easy it is to use them, I am sharing with you a recipe for Crunchy Taco Bake that is made with mushrooms and beef.

For the Crunchy Taco Bake, I chopped 8 ounces of baby bellas and added it to 1 pound of ground beef.  I cooked the mixture together in a large skillet until it was done (no pink was left in the meat).  I then added tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

I placed a layer of crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of my casserole dish.  I topped it with half of the meat blend, followed by black beans and cheese.  I added another layer of tortilla chips, the remaining meat blend, corn, and cheese.  I topped it off with more chips and cheese and then baked it.

Once it was finished, I served it with traditional taco toppings such as shredded lettuce, Mexican crema (sour cream), jalapeno slices, black olives, and salsa.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning (or 1 packet)
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 11-ounce bag tortilla chips, coarsely crushed
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can corn, drained
• 8 ounces 4-blend Mexican cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray casserole dish with nonstick spray.
2. Chop crimini mushrooms into small pieces. Place mushrooms and ground beef in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until ground beef is thoroughly cooked.
3. Add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and water. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Place 1/3 of crushed tortilla chips in bottom of casserole dish.
5. Layer with 1/2 of meat mixture. Sprinkle black beans over meat and top with 1/3 of cheese.
6. Layer 1/2 of remaining tortilla chips on top of cheese, followed by remaining meat mixture, corn, and 1/2 of remaining cheese.
7. Top with remaining tortilla chips and finish with cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

About Mushrooms

• People who eat mushrooms have better diet quality.  It’s true.  Mushrooms are little powerhouses full of nutrition- they are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and gluten-free, and they provide important nutrients, including vitamin D, B vitamins, antioxidants, and potassium.
• Mushrooms can easily mimic meat when they are cooked properly.
• Blending mushrooms with meat adds a serving of veggies to your plate.
• Mushrooms = umami without added salt!
• Blending mushrooms with meat is better for the planet.  They require minimal growing space and water and are ready for harvest in a matter of days.

The Trend is to Blend

It is easy to blend mushrooms with ground meat.  Here are three simple steps:

1. Chop them up small.  You want the pieces to be the consistency (size) of ground meat.
2. Blend them with your ground meat.
3. Cook the mushroom-meat blend just as you would normally to complete your recipe.

Become a Blend•i•tar•i•an / ,blend-ǝ-‘ter-ē- ǝn / noun / – one who believes that the mighty mushroom has meaty powers to make meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable, enabling us to do better for people, palate and planet!

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Crunchy Taco Bake

Ingredients

• 8 ounces crimini baby bella mushrooms
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning or 1 packet
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 11- ounce bag tortilla chips coarsely crushed
• 1 15- ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 15- ounce can corn drained
• 8 ounces 4-blend Mexican cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray casserole dish with nonstick spray.
2. Chop crimini mushrooms into small pieces. Place mushrooms and ground beef in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until ground beef is thoroughly cooked.
3. Add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and water. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Place 1/3 of crushed tortilla chips in bottom of casserole dish.
5. Layer with 1/2 of meat mixture. Sprinkle black beans over meat and top with 1/3 of cheese.
6. Layer 1/2 of remaining tortilla chips on top of cheese, followed by remaining meat mixture, corn, and 1/2 of remaining cheese.
7. Top with remaining tortilla chips and finish with cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Click here to learn more about mushrooms from the Mushroom Council.  You will also find nutrition info, recipes, and information on how to select, store, and prepare mushrooms.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.