Skip to main content

Taco Casserole & Harvest Apple Salad

 Hi Friends, 

If you're looking for an easy, delicious dinner that your family will love try this meal: Taco Casserole & Harvest apple salad.

It is one of our fall favorites because it's so filling and feels festive with  fall colors (red & yellow bell peppers). Enjoy!🧡

Taco Casserole: 
◇Ingredients- Filling:
▪︎3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
▪︎1 cup onion, chopped
▪︎1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
▪︎1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (*any bell peppers you have on hand are fine)
▪︎1/2 bag frozen corn (*or 1 11oz can whole kernel corn, drained)
▪︎1 (8oz) can organic tomato sauce (*or homemade sauce)
▪︎1 cup shredded cheese (*I prefer a mix of mozzarella & cheddar)

◇Ingredients-
Topping:
▪︎1/2 cup pancake mix (*prefer Kodiak Cakes/waffle & pancake mix)
▪︎2/3 cup 2% milk
▪︎ 1 egg, slightly beaten
▪︎2 tsp.  Vegetable Oil (*prefer avocado or melted coconut oil)

◇Prep: 
▪︎Preheat oven 350°
▪︎Spray 9×9 or 8x8 glass baking dish with coconut oil cooking spray (*can do 9x11 if  doubling amount of pancake mix)
▪︎Add meat, onion, bell peppers, corn & tomato sauce in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
▪︎Pour meat mixture into baking dish & sprinkle with cheese, then set aside.

◇Topping:
▪︎combine pancake mix, milk, egg & oil in mixing bowl. Whisk together until large clumps disappear.
▪︎pour over meat mixture & spread evenly.
▪︎Bake 30-35 minutes or until top is golden
▪︎Sprinkle top with additional cheese, if desired.

◇Salad: 
▪︎Add a bag of mixed greens to large bowl
▪︎Chop 5 slices of freeze dried apples into medium size pieces
▪︎Chop pecans *or candied pecans
▪︎Add above ingredients to salad greens, toss to combine.
▪︎Sprinkle with shredded white cheddar cheese
▪︎Drizzle Spiced apple vinaigrette over salad


We love to make extra of this easy recipe to freeze  to keep on hand for a really quick meal during a busy week. It's so simple & delicious :)
*To freeze: Add meat mixture to a freezer safe container or freezer bag & seal. Should keep well for 3-6 months.
*Tips: Plan to mix topping to add right before baking to keep topping mixture from mixing with meat mixture & to ensure it will bake properly.
When you're planning to prepare, allow to thaw for 1-2 hours before adding the topping and for best results. Bake for an additional 20-40 minutes depending on how frozen your meat mixture is. Remove from oven and check around the 45 minute mark & check to see if baked evenly, also if topping is browned. If meat mixture is not thoroughly cooked continue baking on lower rack in oven for additional increments of 5-10 minutes and check regularly so topping doesn't over cook. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts or comments if your family loved this recipe or anything you changed or added to it. Leave me a message in the comments or shoot me an email, I'd love to connect with you! :)  Also, for other tips, homeschool insights, travel tips, recipe ideas etc check out my insta pages: 

Happy baking!
~K


 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Travel tips for Glacier National Park: during the Covid-19 Pandemic & post pandemic

  “ Wander here a whole summer, if you can.   Thousands of God's wild blessings will search you and soak you as if you were a sponge, and the big days will go uncounted. (John Muir) Hello friends, I'm so glad you're here to join me in "The Joy of Travel" series, part 3: Glacier National park is a special place for my family, it is filled with wonder and awe at the majestic beauty that surrounds the entirety of the park & the incredible creativity of our creator. The park is surrounded by the most amazing peaks of stunning glaciers, the Rocky mountains and Clark, Lewis and Livingston ranges, with the highest peak being Mount Cleveland. Upon driving into the park visitors are met with gorgeous views that will delight any mountain lover at first glance of the stunning Lake McDonald, flanked by glaciers & all throughout the breathtaking drive along the famed "Going to the Sun" road. There are numerous stops along this amazing highway that is carefull...
Post a Comment
Read more

10 tips to help you plan the perfect trip to Yellowstone National Park

Riverside Geyser O ver the years, traveling has been one of the biggest highlights for my family & I. It's something we love to invest in and make a reality as often as possible. My hope for you friends, is that traveling during this past crazy 14-15 months (of life during the pandemic & all the chaos that has ensued) has been a possibility/reality in one way or another, but for those who've had to put travel plans on the back burner (perhaps due to numerous trips being cancelled or forfeited due to the pandemic) maybe it's time to pull those plans back onto the front burner, crank up the heat & get yourself ready for a trip you won't forget. Join me while we talk about one of my families favorite places to visit in the United States. We hope you will grow to love it & place it on your must see list (if it isn't there already😉) & that these 10 tips will help prepare you & your family or friends for the grand adventure you are sure to have wh...
Post a Comment
Read more

Duel Enrollment programs, what are they and how do they work

   Hello friends, One of the questions I've received most often over the past year is what is duel enrollment and how does it work. Ever since we decided our daughter would participate in the program we have had many questions from family and friends. Mainly out of intrigue and interest, but I’m sure some curiosity about what the program is and how it works ;)  As most of our friends and family know, our daughter began her first year as a duel enrolled student at the beginning of this school year. She is both a junior in high school & enrolled as a freshmen at our local community college. The program she is enrolled in allows her to simultaneously earn both her high school credits and a years worth of college credits while she completes prerequisites at the community college. Depending on your child's interests and level of commitment to the program it is possible for a student that is enrolled to graduate high school & receive an AA degree at the same time. ...
Post a Comment
Read more