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Easy Taco Pot Pie Recipe

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A slice of taco pot pie on a plate

Are you looking for a new easy, kid friendly supper idea? Check out this simple recipe for taco pot pie! That’s right, taco ingredients in a pie crust. Even my picky eater enjoyed this recipe.

You can switch up the ingredients with out any problem too! Not a beef fan, use shredded chicken. Swap the corn for green beans. You can make this your own which is always great for budget friendly cooking.

This recipe came to be because I had ample amounts of leftover taco meat to use! The perfect time to try something new and Tex Mex flavors are always a hit with the kids.

If you have ground beef in your freezer needing to be used, give this a try.

Taco Pot Pie Ingredients

  • Ground Beef
  • Taco Seasoning (make your own)
  • Onion
  • Bell Pepper
  • Frozen corn
  • Black or Pinto Beans (I cook my own)
  • Rotel (or canned tomatoes and canned green chilis)
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Double Pie Crust (make or buy)
  • Toppings of your choice (Salsa, avocado, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes etc)

Taco pot pie ingredients in a pan

Taco Pot Pie Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown your ground beef. Drain and add taco seasoning. Add the onions and cook until almost tender.

Add the bell pepper, frozen corn, beans, and Rotel. Cook until everything is hot.

Taco pot pie ingredients in a skillet topped with cheese

Stir in the grated cheese.

Place one pie crust in a deep dish pie pan. Scoop in the filling and top with the second crust. Crimp the edges and make several slashes in the top of the pie.

Picture of assembled taco pot pie before cooking

Put pie on a baking sheet (in case anything leaks out) and bake for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. You may need to put foil around the edge of the crust if it gets too dark.

Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before cutting.

East Taco Pot Pie Recipe

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Easy Taco Pot Pie
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex Mex American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
This taco pot pie is an easy, fun, kid friendly supper idea! All of your favorite taco ingredients put inside of a pie. Top with lettuce, sour cream, avocado or leave plain!
Ingredients
  • 2 pie crusts
  • 1 pound ground beef, turkey, or chicken (approximately ⅕ cups cooked)
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 1½ cups frozen corn
  • 1½ cups black or pinto beans
  • 1 cup diced bell pepper
  • 1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1 can mild rotel or 1 cup salsa
  • Toppings of your choice: sour cream, salsa, avocado, lettuce, olives, cilantro etc
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Brown your ground beef. Drain and add taco seasoning. Add the onions and cook until almost tender.
  3. Add the bell pepper, frozen corn, beans, and Rotel. Cook until everything is hot.
  4. Stir in the grated cheese.
  5. Place one pie crust in a deep dish pie pan. Scoop in the filling and top with the second crust. Crimp the edges and make several slashes in the top of the pie.
  6. Put pie on a baking sheet (in case anything leaks out) and bake for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. You may need to put foil around the edge of the crust if it gets too dark.
  7. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before cutting.
  8. Cut and and serve. Top with your favorite toppings.

 

Taco pot pie with a piece cut out

Instant Pot Boxed Mac and Cheese

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Instant Pot and a bowl of cooked Macaroni and cheese

Have you jumped on the Instant Pot train in the past few years? Do you know you can make Instant Pot boxed mac and cheese?

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Before you dismiss the idea (because after all isn’t boxed mac and cheese one of the easiest things to make anyway), let me tell you I prefer this method because the noodles and water go into the Instant Pot and I don’t have to touch it until after the time is up.

There’s no waiting for the water to boil to add the noodles and no having the drain the water after the noodles are cooked.

I actually enjoy making macaroni and cheese from scratch and it’s how I always make it when we have it for dinner.

But boxed mac and cheese has become a fun once a week lunch that the kids look forward to.

horizontal picture of 8 quart instant pot and boxed mac and cheese

Instant Pot Boxed Mac and Cheese Instructions

These are the instructions for an 8 quart Instant Pot. (There’s a recipe card at the end of the post with all of these instructions.)

Take two boxes of mac and cheese. Just your basic size and type.

Place the noodles from both boxes into the instant pot. Cover with 3 cups of water.

Make sure the vent is on sealing. Turn Instant Pot to High Pressure and set the time for 4 minutes.

After the time has completed do a Quick Release and turn pot off.

Open the pot. You will see some water, but that’s okay. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the noodles and stir them.

noodles cooked in the Instant Pot

Pour 3/4 cup of milk over the noodles. Add 4-6 tablepoons of butter. Dump both cheese pouches over the milk and butter. Stir to combine. Add more milk if needed.

(If it happens to be too liquid-y, you can turn the Instant Pot to sauté and cook, while stirring, a few minutes until the liquid absorbs. I do not have this problem when using the amounts listed above, though.)

Isn’t that simple!

Finished mac and cheese in the Instant Pot

Things to Add to Boxed Mac and Cheese

We all know there’s nothing fancy about boxed mac and cheese. Here are some ideas to help you jazz it up. And bonus, all of these would work for homemade macaroni and cheese as well.

My mom was a make it from scratch kind-of person (and I tend to follow her in that – thus boxed mac and cheese and store bought bread being something my kids get excited about) but I remember one time she made boxed mac and cheese and added peas and hot dogs to it. A random childhood memory for you.

Now, let’s get brainstorming!

For each of the ideas, you would just stir it in after noodles have cooked. So when, or directly after you mix in the milk and cheese powder.

  • Sliced cooked hot dogs (and some peas if you’d like)
  • Leftover, sliced smoked sausage
  • Taco meat! You can also stir in some diced tomatoes and cheddar cheese.
  • Diced ham
  • Crumbled, cooked bacon
  • Extra cheese (parmesan, smoked gouda, cheddar, monterey jack etc)
  • Cooked ground beef and diced tomatoes (add salt and pepper as well)
  • Veggies: leftover steamed (or roasted) broccoli, mushrooms, sautéed onions, fresh spinach etc
  • Diced or shredded cooked chicken
  • BBQ pulled pork
  • Garlic
  • Chili

Basically, there’s an endless number of options.

Look and see what you have available. Try some different combinations that sound tasty. Any of these will take the standard mac and cheese up a notch.

What are you favorite mac and cheese additions?

If you are looking for some other kid friendly pasta recipes, check these out:
Skillet Lasagna
Healthy Chicken Spaghetti

Instant Pot and 2 boxes of Mac and Cheese

Instant Pot Boxed Mac and Cheese Recipe

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Instant Pot Boxed Mac and Cheese Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
The Instant Pot is a fast and easy way to cook up boxed mac and cheese! Here's exactly how to do it. These instructions are for an 8 quart instant pot.
Ingredients
  • 2 (7.25 ounces each) boxes of macaroni and cheese
  • 3 cups water
  • ¾-1 cup milk
  • 4-6 tablespoons butter
Instructions
  1. Place the noodles from both boxes into the Instant Pot. Pour 3 cups of water over the top.
  2. Secure lid. Set valve to sealing. Turn to High pressure and put the time at 4 minutes.
  3. After the 4 minutes are up, do a quick release and turn the pot off.
  4. Remove lid and use a wooden spoon to break up the noodle clumps. (It's okay if there is extra water, the noodles will continue to absorb it.)
  5. Pour ¾ cup milk over the noodles and add however much butter you'd like (between 4 and 6 tablespoons). Sprinkle the cheese powder from both boxes over the mixture. Stir everything until combined.
  6. Add additional milk if needed.
Notes
If there is too much liquid (I've not had this problem following these steps), turn the pot to sauté and cook and stir a few minutes until the excess liquid is absorbed.

If you'd like to stir in any additional ingredients (as talked about in the post) do so after the final step and set to sauté and stir if needed to heat through.

 

 

Easy Baked Tostadas

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Crispy baked tostadas piled on a napkin

Anyone else have a family that’s a huge fan of Tex Mex? These easy baked tostadas are a great way to switch things up.

Now, you can go to the store and purchase a package of fried tostada shells, or you could simply get a bag of corn tortillas and crisp them up by baking them in your oven.

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Why You Should Bake Your Own Tostada Shells

I always choose the latter option. Why?

  • You will save money. You can get a big pack of 80 corn tortillas for just a few dollars. I store the leftovers in the fridge to use for more tostadas, enchiladas, tacos etc.
  • It’s better for you because they aren’t fried in vegetable or soy oil. I’ve even seen a brand that added yellow dye to their tostadas.
  • Baking them is so simple. It really adds barely any extra work to your dinner prep. If your house is like mine, time is a precious commodity and fast meals are so helpful.

This is one of those recipes that you feel silly writing out. It’s a semi-homemade recipe for baked tostada shells, after all. But sometimes it’s helpful to just know that it is even possible.

upbaked corn tortillas on a baking sheet

How to Bake Tostada Shells

You have to choices for these baked tostadas. Both work great, one will taste just slightly better than the other. 😉

Option 1: You can bake the tostada shells dry, just as they are. You will place them on a large cookie sheet or you even can lay them directly on your oven rack.

For the cookie sheet, I use the large basic half sheet pan or jelly roll pan I have. I think these USA sheet pans would be amazing though!

If directly on your oven rack you will want to be sure to flip them every 5 minutes so they don’t end up curling around the rack. It’s not fun having to break them to get them out of the oven. 😉 The benefit of having them directly on the rack is that you can do a lot more at one time.

So which way to go is a toss off. The pan is more hands off with only 1 flip needed but you are limited as to quantity.

Option 2: With this option you lightly brush the corn tortillas, on both sides, with an oil of your choice. You can also just use your hands and rub the oil on each tortilla. Then you can sprinkle the tortillas lightly with salt. This method you will want to be sure to put on a large sheet pan. Flip once part way through the cooking process.

LEFTOVERS:

Make sure the leftover tostadas (plain, untopped) are cooled completely. Store in a zipped storage bag for up to a week. Please note, if the humidity at your house is high they might lose their crispness sooner.

Baked tostadas on a napkinTostadas baked on the rack are on the left and baked on a pan on the right.

How to Use Baked Tostadas

If you’ve never bought tostada shells before, you might be wondering what all you can do with them. These are great to have on hand for any simple lunch or supper. It’s easy to always have the ingredients on hand for some type of tostada.

  • Top just like you would fill a taco.
  • Mexican Pizza. This was an option on the kids’ menu of the Tex Mex restaurant I used to work it. All you do is top a tostada shell with taco meat and cheddar cheese and place in oven to melt. You can make it fancier by throwing some other topping on it.
  • Crunch them up to serve on top of soup.
  • Bean Tostadas. I have a basic “recipe” for these here. Spread with refried beans (that’s the link to how I make my own) and cheese. Melt. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc.
  • Beef Tostadas. These next three are the same as the bean tostadas, just start with a different base. I think shredded cabbage makes a great topping as well.
  • Chicken Tostadas
  • Fish Tostadas

Don’t forget you can also make your own salsa (using canned tomatoes makes it so easy) and guacamole to use with your baked tostadas!

I’m sure you already know this, but I feel like I have to remind you that tostada shells that have toppings on them will not keep as leftovers. The shell will become soggy. 🙂

Overhead shot of baked tostadas on a white napkin

Baked Tostadas

3.0 from 2 reviews
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Baked Tostada Shells
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex Mex
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Easy baked tostada shells made from corn tortillas! Perfect for an easy dinner.
Ingredients
  • 12 Corn Tortillas
  • Oil, optional
  • Salt, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Two Methods:
Method One - No Oil
  1. Spread tortillas out on a large sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake another 5 minutes. Check and bake up to 2-3 minutes longer, if needed.
  2. OR place directly on oven rack. Bake for 15 minutes flipping every 5 minutes to help keep the tortillas from curling quite as much. After 15 minutes, bake 2-3 minutes longer checking every minute, if needed.
  3. Cool and store leftovers in a zipped storage bag.
Method Two - With Oil
  1. Brush or rub oil on both sides of the tortillas. Lightly sprinkle with salt if desired. Place tortillas on a large sheet pan, no overlapping. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake for another 5 minutes. Check and bake an additional 2-3 minutes if needed.
  2. Cool and store leftovers in a zipped storage bag.

Originally published July 22, 2014. Updated July 24, 2020.

Baked Tostada Shells. The easiest thing in the world! Avoid yucky oils and other ingredients by baking them!

Easy Mexican Haystacks Recipe

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mexican haystacks ready to eat on a place

This Mexican Haystacks recipe is the perfect easy, cheap, and customizable supper! I even make this vegetarian so it’s the perfect meal for meatless Monday. But if you want to add meat, you can easily do so!

My kids already love tacos, taco salad, and quesadillas so this is sure to be a kid friendly meal idea. They will love being able to build their own haystack with their favorite toppings! Build it yourself suppers are always the most fun for kiddos.

If you’ve never had these before, you simply start with a bed of rice, add some ranch style beans, and then finish with crushed chips and whatever toppings you’d like.

The ingredients for Mexican Haystacks on a table

Here are some ideas for your Mexican Haystacks:

  • cooked rice (brown or white)
  • ranch style beans
  • chips
  • shredded lettuce
  • salsa
  • sour cream
  • avocado
  • cheese
  • olives
  • cilantro
  • tomatoes

If your family needs meat to make it a meal, brown up some ground beef and add it to the beans. You could also shred or dice some chicken cooked with taco seasoning or salsa. Like I said, this recipe is so easy to make fit the needs of your crew.

You can purchase a can of ranch style beans or you can do what I did and make your own! I’ll share how I made them in a post soon. Very easy and flavorful and you get to control the ingredients.

If you want to use salsa, be sure to check out this super easy and delicious recipe! It takes seconds to come together.

Plate and ingredients for Mexican Haystacks

Tortilla chips are my go to, but you could also use a Frito like chips. To make it healthier you could take corn tortillas and brush them with some oil, cut them into wedges, and bake until crispy. Whatever you prefer.

One more tip, I love using my rice cooker to make rice. It makes it easy and hands off. While the rice is cooking you will be able to get all your other ingredients ready. This is a 30 minute meal, so perfect for even busy weeknights.

Another great thing about this Mexican Haystacks recipe is that the leftovers are great. In fact, I always cook enough rice and beans and chop enough toppings that so that we can have it again the next night. Just store everything in separate small containers.

Now, on to the “recipe”!

Mexican Haystacks on a plate with a white text box and words

Yummy Mexican Haystacks Recipe

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Easy Mexican Haystacks Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex Mex
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 4.5-6 cups cooked rice (approx 1.5-2 cup dry)
  • 3 cups ranch style beans (1 large can or use homemade)
Toppings
  • Chips
  • Lettuce, shredded
  • Tomatoes, diced
  • Cheese, shredded
  • Olives, sliced
  • Salsa
  • Cilantro
  • Onions, diced
  • Avocado, diced
Instructions
  1. Warm the beans and make sure the rice is cooking.
  2. Chop the toppings you want to use and put in individual dishes.
  3. Put rice on plate. Scoop beans over rice and finishing with desired toppings.
  4. Enjoy!
Notes
You will want between ¾ and 1 cup cooked rice per person!

 

What other easy Tex Mex recipes does your family enjoy? Any toppings you love to put on your Mexican Haystacks that I need to know about?

 

Easy Butter Chicken

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Bowl off easy butter chicken on a wooden board

This easy butter chicken recipe is so delicious! It’s my husband’s favorite Indian dish. Indian should probably be in quotation marks, because I’m sure this is a thoroughly Americanized version. But that’s okay, because everyone enjoys it!

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Another plus is that except for one ingredients, you probably already have everything in your kitchen or can grab it inexpensively at your local grocery store. So don’t the list of ingredients scare you! This easy butter chicken recipe is so simple and comes together quickly.

Plate with spices on it

Garam masala, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves.

What’s the one special ingredient? Garam masala. This spice mixture smells amazing. You can find it at an Indian store or even try to make your own blend. You’ll find flavors like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon in the blend along with others! Doesn’t it sound intriguing?! Of course, it’s also available on Amazon!

You can also use garam masala in this delish appetizer: Indian Layer Dip.

Butter Chicken is a favorite in our house. It is even one of our go to options for company. Most of our guests haven’t had it before but this dish is loved by everyone.

Serve over rice (or cauliflower rice if you prefer). Of course it’s amazing with naan or you can simply have a salad or roasted broccoli to round out the meal.

pot of butter chicken on the stove

The leftovers taste just as amazing as the first day, so this is a meal you could prepare the night before and pull out and gently reheat on the stove while the rice is cooking on a Sunday after church.

Aren’t those types of meals the best?

You will want to be sure to check out this recipe for homemade naan, as well! The prepackaged super market variety doesn’t compare. My kids love it.

Easy Butter Chicken Recipe

A plate of easy butter chicken served over rice

4.5 from 2 reviews
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Butter Chicken
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
Sauce
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 T. finely minced garlic or garlic paste
  • 1 T. finely minced ginger or ginger paste
  • 2 T. butter
  • 2 T. lemon juice
  • 2 t. garam masala
  • 1½ t. cumin
  • 1 t. chili powder
  • ¼ cayenne pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1½ cups tomato puree
  • 1½ cups half and half
  • ¼ cup plain yogurt
  • 1 t. salt
  • pepper
Chicken
  • oil
  • 1½ pounds chicken cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 t. garam masala
  • ⅛ t. cayenne pepper
  • salt
  • 1 T. arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
  • ¼ cup water
  • Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
Sauce
  1. In a large pan saute onions until tender. Add in ginger, garlic, butter, lemon juice, garam masala, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, and bay leaf.
  2. Cook until ginger and garlic are done.
  3. Add tomato puree and stir and heat through.
  4. Add in half and half and yogurt. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust other seasonings if needed.
Chicken
  1. In a skillet heat a small amount of oil and brown chicken.
  2. Add garam masala, cayenne pepper, and a little salt
  3. Add a few spoonfuls of cooked sauce and let the chicken finish cooking.
  4. Add cooked chicken to the sauce mixture.
Finish
  1. Combine and arrowroot powder and water and add to the butter chicken. Cook until the mixture thickens and is heated through.
  2. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Bowl of butter chicken with a gray dish towel in the background