Taco Bake - Phase I

[kpw]

When craving tacos/burritos, I came up with this recipe. Unfortnately, the first time I made it, my husband and I polished off the whole thing it was so yummy. Now when I make it, the casserole dish stays on the stove forcing us to get up and go get more helpings if we -really- want it. Thought I'd share. It definitely gets us through the taco/mexican food cravings.

Serves 4:
1 can refried beans (I'm lucky enough to have a Trader Joes that carries organic refried beans with nothing but beans, water, spices).
1 lb extra lean ground beef (I'm able to get 94% lean - groundy turkey can be used too)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper chopped (red's my favorite, but use whatever)
8 oz mushrooms, coarsely chopped (diced, not sliced)
1 can green chilis (like ortega)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or more, if you'd like)
2-3 TB chili powder (your favorite that hopefully has no added sugar)
1 TB cumin
1-2 t garlic powder
2-3 TB tomato paste
2/3 C shredded f/f or l/f cheese, your choice, although I think cheddar is the best

Garnish - any, all work well:
chopped green onions
chopped black olives
l/f, f/f sour cream
chopped lettuce and tomatoes
chopped cilantro
chopped white or bermuda onion
salsa

Preheat oven to 450. Take a flat casserole dish, spray with cooking spray and spread refried beans on the bottom. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute meat, onions, bell pepper, garlic (season with S&P) until onion begins to soften and meat beings to brown. Add mushrooms and cook until they've released their water and meat is thoroughly browned. Drain fat and add all spices, and cook for about 2-3 minutes until spices toast. Add green chilies and tomato paste, along with a little bit of water, if needed. The mixture should be moist but not runny.

Take the casserole dish with the beans, pour mixture on top and top with cheese (sometimes I add olives and green onions at this stage). Bake in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just starts to bubble. Serve with generous heaps of lettuce as a bed (romain, red leaf and iceberg work really well here), and garnish with garnishes of your choice.

[Ruthxxx]

I really think this is Phase I. It'd be II if you had whole wheat tortillas with it. Nummy!

[kpw]

Ruth- I would think so too, but I'm often confused at recipes considered 'Phase I' vs others. There are many in the book that I would think are perfectly fine for Phase I (the Tomato soup recipe, for example), but are in the II or III sections. Possibly because tomatoes are now unlimited and when the book was published they were still limited? My hubby and I ate this on Phase I, and we both still had rapid weight loss on that phase, so... I just try to stick to the 'accepted' foods for each phase and go with that....

had the taco bake last night and man, was it yummy! leftovers for lunch today!

[Ruthxxx]

I love Mexican food and will certainly add this to my collection of recipes.
I am going to change the title to Phase I because we need more yummy Phase I recipes. Thanks for posting this one.

[mompen]

Sounds like a great recipe!

I will be making it sooN!

[Kayzan]

I finally got around to making this and it was fab! Next time, I'll try not to eat half of it in one night!

[gracie-1]

:?: Hi I'm a newbie so I hope I'm doing this right. We have just started our 1st wk of phase 2. Just wanted to see if anybody has tried the Taco shell made out of cheese. I fixed some taco seasoned meat, I have a small teflon coated pan (aprox. 5 inches round), you coat the bottom with shredded cheese (I used FF cheddar)on low heat let it cook til it startes bubble like a pancake when it gets brown flip it & do the same on the other side. My husband wanted a wide bottom to it so he draped it over the edge of our wooden cutting board to cool then you put your meat,lettuce,tomato or whatever filling you want it was really good.
Thanks,
Gracie

[Ruthxxx]

Welcome to 3FC, Gracie-1.
Yes, I've tried that - very good. Ive also made a cheese shell for taco salad! When you hit Phase II, you can use a real whole wheat tortilla.

[chilichick]

I am going to make this for dinner tonight. I am in the mood for something different. I may make it with fround turkey to healthy it up a bit.

[wendyjo]

Just wanted to post and say that this recipe is DA BOMB! Very tasty and very filling!

[chilichick]

It is very filling and it tasted even better the next day. My son ate it and he did not even know he was eating a SBD recipe.

[MommaJenn]

We had this for dinner last night. It was really good. It was our first day on the diet and Greg said he thinks he likes this diet thing!

Jenn

[beachgal]

Made this for dinner last night and it really helped me feel so much better about the diet! Thank you, kpw!!! I even was able to look forward to my lunch of leftovers! Yum!

[wendyjo]

This morning my DH asked me when I was gonna make this again, and when I told him I was making it tonight his response was "Goody Goody Goody Goody Goody!". LOL!

[catlaw99]

I tryed the taco bake last night and was most pleased. It was delicious!

[Barb0522]

I made the Taco Bake last night and was told by my DH that this can definitely come back! It was SO good! I had it with a WW tortilla and DH and DS had it in taco shells. I have a portion all packaged up in my lunch sack ready to assemble. I used refried black beans and they made it so filling that I didn't eat too much but enjoyed every bite!

[lanialy]

Did you mean eating this like a salad? We just made this and used the individual pieces of lettuce as wraps or tortillas (iceberg is one of the best for this). Very good - and gives you the impression you're not eating as healthy!

Thanx! :)

[agb1]

Are refried beans allowed in Phase 1 of SBD? I didn't think they were allowed.

[Ruthxxx]

Canned refried beans usually contain lard and are not allowed. However, the beans as described in the recipe are fine. I usually just drain kidney beans and mash them. Legumes are definitely OK on Phase I.

[Barb0522]

My grocery store sells canned refried black beans that they list as 99% fat free. I haven't found any sources of fat listed in the ingredients. But we do get a wide variety of Mexican products in Texas so they may not be available everywhere.

[wendyjo]

lanialy, I usually just dump the taco bake on top of a big pile of leaf lettuce and spinach and dig in, but your way sounds good too.

[beachgal]

You can use canned Vegetarian refried beans, which do not have lard. I did get some organic mashed kidney beans, but they didn't really do it for me...so bland. You could add your own spice, though.

Refried beans are not actually fried, they are just recooked...cooked whole, then mashed and cooked again.

Try the vegetarian kind...just check the ingredients to make sure there is no added fat or sugar.

[csanna]

I just made this recipe and absolutely loved it!! The kids loved it too. I definitely think this will be added to one of our favorites. Thanks for sharing!!

[sparkie_k]

Hello. Today was my first ever day of the diet. And I made taco bake for dinner. I used chicken instead of beef, and no mushrooms, and it was so PHENOMENAL. Haha, what an awesome recipe. :dizzy:

kristin

[BfL_Cat]

Bump for us new to the Beach!

[emily42897]

Aren't refried beans from pinto beans? I don't think you're supposed to have pinto beans on Phase 1. Just thought I'd ask.

[Barb0522]

I always use vegetarian refried black beans so it isn't an issue.

[Cinnamon68]

Are you allowed refried bean in P1??

[Cinnamon68]

OOps, I didn't read. My question is answered.

[kpw]

Since there was so much discussion on refried beans, I thought I'd share:

I'm lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's where I can get black refried beans with no added anything - ingredient list is black beans, water, spices. I have actually made my own refried beans on occasion - they're really easy and you can do this if you don't have access to SBD phase one friendly refried beans:

1 can black, white, cannellini or red beans (most that I've used have 6g fiber/serving - as far as I know, all of these are acceptable on phase 1)
1 TB olive oil
1 clove smashed garlic
3 TB minced onion (you can leave this out if saving time)
1 t of any spice comination of garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, oregano, etc. - whatever you fancy
salt and pepper to taste

If you like spicy, add 1 minced jalepeno pepper as well.

Drain and rinse beans. In a non-stick skillet (or a really really really seasoned iron skillet), heat the oil over medium-low heat and add garlic and optionally onion/jalepeno and saute for a few minutes until soft (I add a bit of salt here to loosen the onion juices). Add the beans and with the back of a wood spoon start smashing the beans (if you have a plastic coated potato masher, that works great too). Add spices and continue smashing until you get to the desired consistency. If the mixture gets dry either add a little bit of oil, or some chicken stock or water. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

They freeze well in ziploc baggies, so you can make a big batch and freeze 'em.

[hdcanuk]

I am a Newbie to SB and these Phase 1 recipes are easy and wonderful, especially this one. I tried last night and could not believe I wasn't cheating!! Thank you.

[Raelynn]

I made this tonight and it was awesome! My four year old even loved it!!

[Kryss]

Just bumping this as it seems to be an all-time favorite. :D I'm making this tonight!

[Brookie]

I made this last night without reading through all of the posts. I made it with a can of fat-free refried beans - I'm pretty sure they're pinto beans. Is that a big no-no? It was really delicious and I will definitely make it again, probably with refried black beans instead of pintos. Thanks for a tasty recipe!

[Barb0522]

Originally pinto beans were not allowed on phase 1. However, if you take a look at the revised phase 1 list http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49548 you will find that they are just fine now. I still normally get the fat free refried black because I prefer them.

[Heidi-ho]

Hello!

I made with w/ my favorite chicken filling:

2 large breasts, baked and shredded
2 cans rotel tomatoes w/ green chili (drain juice)
1 Green pepper diced
1 sweet onion diced

put all together in a pot and simmer 30 minutes.

Put in place of ground beef mixure. Was sooooooo good!

[Brookie]

Barb,
Whew! Thanks for the info! I had that sinking "I just completely blew my diet" feeling. Glad to know that I didn't.
~B

[Vickibart]

This was awesome! It was so nice to eat something that actually tasted illegal! Hubby loved it too - keep these recipes coming.

[Bayleysmom]

This was soooooooooooooooooooo good!! Thanks for posting! I loved it so much I couldn't wait to wake up today and have it for lunch!! I'm going to make it again next week to have on hand for lunch or whatever. Might try that chicken version too, sound yummy!

[beachgal]

Bump
:D

[sonyao]

It was really good, and my Picky meat and potatoes husband even liked it. :lol:

[StraitLover]

What size baking dish does this call for? Will a 8X8 be OK, or does it require a big 9X13?

EDIT: Also wanted to ask, has anyone tried freezing this? I like to cook ahead and freeze meal sized portions when I can. This aLso helps me not to eat the whole thing at once! :lol:

[sonyao]

I used a round corning ware dish and it worked well. I think 8x8 may be to small. But I am not sure. I haven't tried to freeze it yet, let me know how it works out if you do.

:lol:

[Ann-M]

That sounds wonderful. My husband and I just started SBD on Sunday and were looking for something else besides chicken and fish. Can't wait

[kpw]

On size and freezing:

I usually make this in an oval casserole dish (I think it's about 8 inches on the long side?- i think an 8x8 should work, but I've never tried it - you could always put the 8x8 on a cookie sheet in case there's spillage.

I freeze this all the time. I defrost in the microwave for about 5 minutes then either heat it in the microwave, or pop it in the oven at 375 for about 10 minutes. It's one of my 'make a bunch on the weekend and freeze' dishes.

[Islander]

OMG...I been seeing this recipe on SB Forum here and now that I've found it..I'm going to print and try it. YUM!!! :hungry:

[DixieDiva]

I made this last night and it was awesome!! Thanks for the recipe.

[honey_texas]

I keep track of everything in Fitday - so I computed the calorie/fat/carb counts. I know many SBD folks don't watch cals, but I thought some of you might find this helpful for your journals.

Using no fat refried beans, and 96% lean beef here is the breakdown. (Everything else is as shown in the recipe)

Per Serving - 1/4 of recipe:
Calories 363
Total Fat 12.5 g
Total Carb 23 g
Fiber 5 g
Protein 41 g

[Carroll]

I made some modifications since I'm sooo picky and don't like a few things in the recipe....I used petitie diced tomatoes w/ jalepeno's instead of mushrooms, I left out the bell peppers also.

This is sooo good and I don't miss my tortillas at all, yeahhhhhh!!! Great stuff :)

[Sahara1]

Made this last night for dinner. OMG it is so delicious! I added tomato sauce instead of paste, and it still turned out good. I also substituted ground chicken for ground turkey. Yum. Excellent addition to my SB recipe collection. Thanks!!

[jlynnc2003]

My boyfriend doesn't eat vegetables...well some, but a very limited amount and mostly high carbs and junk food. Trying to feed him and stick to this diet is difficult. (I've even tried sneaking veggies into his food!) I've been trying to find meal recipes that will satisfy him as well as being SBD approved. This recipe looks like something he might like so I'm going to try it tonight! Thanks!

[changa]

I made this last night. I used canned mushrooms instead of fresh, but I got the same result. It was good but too many mushrooms for DH, so I'll substitute another veggie next time. Thanks for the recipe! It's so great I'm having it for lunch, too! :)

[Schatzi]

OOooooHHHHH KPW, My first TacoBake .......................


A......B.....C....DElicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You Get 5 Chef Dudes!
:chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef:

Thankyou!
(now whatcha got for dessert ?:lol: )

[fl_mom]

Well I messed this recipe up :mad: I used a big can of beans instead of a regular can so the beans are overpowering in it. Amazingly, it was still GREAT and I ate it for dinner last night and lunch today. mmmmmm yummy! Next time I won't put in so many beans and it will be even better.

[jlynnc2003]

Made this for dinner as planned, mine was a little soupy. I didn't have any tomato paste so I subsituted some chopped tomatoes and half a small can of plain tomato sauce. Renamed it Taco Chili...that was about the consistancy of it. It was soooo yummy. My picky boyfriend even said that if that was diet food, he was into it. Will definately make it again!

[April_Showers]

This recipe was amazing...loved it!! We used ground chicken instead of beef because that was on sale last week. My boyfriend didn't even miss the "taco" part!

[wendyjo]

I use a thick chunky salsa instead of tomato paste.

[nubiennelady]

This was fabulous...I really thought I was cheating...Great recipe.

[laceyreebee]

this was very yummy and I have a feeling it will reheat well tomorrow for lunch, can't wait!

[pearshape]

I made my own mini version of this for lunch with ingredients I had in my fridge. I used seasoned black beans (1/2C) mashed them up and baked as per the recipe, then sauteed a small diced pork tenderloin with onions, garlic and 1/2 a red bell pepper with cumin, coriander, tumeric, and chili powder (those are mexican spice right??), topped the baked beans with that and cheese and baked like the recipe said. I topped it off with lettuce tomato, sour cream, and salsa! Yummy! I should've made this instead of cheating at Taco Bell the other day!! A+++++ !!

[therubyslippers!!]

Soooo Good!! After I took the casserole out of the oven and turned the oven off, I tossed in a few gorditas - they heated up while the casserole cooled down. Then hubby and kids put their portions on the gorditas and chowed down. I had mine plain, and didn't miss the corn stuff at all!

[Artemis__]

This is really fabulous!
I had to leave out the green chillis and only use 2TBSP of chilli powder because DH doesnt care for spicy food,it still tasted superb.

[gracelikerain]

Just wanted to add my approval for this recipe. It is delicious, and I didn't miss the "missing ingredient" :cool: My whole family loved this (even if I didn't tell my mushroom hating daughter all of the ingredients :devil: ) !!!

[Anderooni]

I thought it was good, too. I could see using this as a dip at a party, too!

[the_beach_or_bust]

this was SO SO SO good i felt like i was cheating!!! delicious recipe and defintely hits the craving for mexican!!!

a new favorite

[KimberlyHeidi]

Ditto. Had this my first night on SBD and was expecting the worst and it turned out really yummy!

[LoserLisa]

I have a similar recipe called Taco Bake that you use Tortillas in and layer it all like lasagna. (it has the meat, the beans, sour cream and salsa) Come to think of it however, I could make it without the tortillas and just buy them for the boys to use like a "dip"...

[H-ko]

Just made this for dinner last night (first night of Phase 1) - yummy! DH liked it, too, and so did our 17 month old DS, even though he doesn't like meat very well. We all love Mexican, so I'm sure I'll be making this again. I made it in an 8x8 Pyrex, and I forgot to add the chilis. I also cut the bell pepper in half (I'm sensitive to bell pepper - but not chilis! Weird, huh?). We had it on a bed of shredded lettuce, with olives, lf sour cream, salsa, and cherry tomatoes on top. Mmmm! It was very filling, too. There were even leftovers for DH's lunch!

I think next time I'll use 2 cans of beans as DS loves them so much. Oh, for the record, we buy Rosarita brand ff refried beans - DH can't eat pork (including lard) so we've been buying those for years. I don't even like beans made with lard anymore - they taste funny to me.

[Linky]

So yummy. We made it with jalepenos and wow, it had some kick! Thanks ;)

[JessieW]

We had this Friday night, SO delicious!! I love the little crusty pieces of bean that are almost burnt. Heehee.

Jessie

[cyndy]

This was FABULOUS!!! Everyone loved it, I will be sure to make it again. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!

[Loving~Mommy2~4]

OMG that was excellent and I am soooo stuffed

[Caity]

Oh My Gosh!!! This stuff is sooooooo good!!!

[dee6583]

Made this for supper tonight. It was sooo good!

[Iambeached]

This sounds so good....Will have to copy this one! I was craving some mexican food something kinda fierce last night!!!

[elizabethhoye]

I'm making this today. My only concern is that the refried beans has 20 g of carbs (1 sugar and 8 fiber). Is this bad? It is organic.

[Barb0522]

Remember that this is a good carb rather than a low carb diet. The carbs in beans are important to your body. You do not want to go into ketosis in phase 1 when you are not getting carbs from the usual sources.

The important thing is that the beans are fat free. I use a vegetarian fat free black refried bean and it is really good. Just check your ingredients.

[changa]

I have made the recipe before, but I had a craving for chicken enchiladas. I'm going to use the same recipe but using shredded chicken breast (or cubed) in place of the ground beef and mix it with a red and green pepper, no mushrooms. Instead of all the spices, I was going to mix in some cans of green chile sauce. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Schatzi]

Changa, I've combined the taco bake with the Salsa chicken recipe -- a definite keeper that one! I just followed the salsa chicken recipe, but baked it on a bed of refried beans that I mixed some of the salsa in ... A B C DELISH!!!! :chef:

[athensmomof3]

Made this tonight and it was very good but it made a TON! We had two huge servings and only ate 1/3 of the casserole. I would say it would serve 6 if you serve it on lettuce, and many more if you were using it to fill WW tortillas.

Thanks for the recipe - lots of leftovers! :carrot:

[lovemy3boys]

I made this and my whole family just loved it. I will be keeping this one for sure. :D

[Auralei]

We had this for our day 3 dinner tonight, over salad with salsa and ff sour cream. Delicious! I didn't even eat that much and am so full and content - something I've noticed about these recipes. Lots left for lunch tomorrow, too :)

Are you sure I'm not cheating, because this was almost sinful lol

[murphmitch]

It is, isn't it. It's the recipe that won my husband over.

[Andysgma]

This has got to be the best ever! Soooooooooo good and
filling.I have no reason to go to our local Mexican resturant
anymore.
Thanks so much KPW! You're a lifesaver.........

[errantbehavior]

Best SB recipe yet! Thanks for sharing it. I use extra lean ground turkey & Amy's refried beans. (vegetarian) It won my boyfriend over as well :)

[DeeAnnMokhtari]

I made this for a dinner party and everyone loved it. My husband makes me make it every week! He loves it..and is not on SB! It is an excellant thing to make ahead for the week also!

[grneyedmustang]

This was absolutely great! I made homemade guacamole and salsa to go with mine, and topped it with LF sour cream, lettuce, black olives, and green onions. It also makes plenty of leftovers - so I won't have to cook for a few days!

I LOVE THIS DIET!

[Loriann7]

I made a huge pan of this. I had my son over who is by far the finickiest of eaters, and his friend who's allergic to everything, including dairy, tomatoes etc. WEll, Dustin hasn't been bad and knows what he can eat in very low doses, so he allowed himself some of this. I had two pieces, and the pan is gone. My son said "This is diet?" I said no, just the right carbs and dairy, right food.

I used an entire jar of pesto in mine (four tablespoons instead of three). I also used black beans in place of refried. My son wanted sour cream on top. But he liked it without the sourcream!

So, from two teens, EXCELLENT RECIPE. Dustin even took the recipe for his mother to make at home.

[KBella]

THANK YOU for this recipe!! I am on day 6 of Ph1 and was seriously getting bored with my meals- sometimes to the point where I didn't want to eat. But this AWESOME recipe totally saved me last night! It was so delicious and satisfying- even my 5 yr old son loved it! This has just reinforced my will to find different recipes and options to keep me satisfied and keep on keepin' on!!

Blessings~
KBella

[zeffryn]

Lori - Pesto in your taco bake? interesting...

I make this a lot on P2 as well....sometimes wrapping it up in a ww tortilla and other times adding brown rice to the beef mixture. Both are excellent!

[KO]

Here's a twist on the taco bake (not a complicated one)
I assembled mine on Monday night after making black bean chili (with beef for a change) and I wanted to pump up the veggies a bit So I drained the juice from a 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (you could Use Rotel)
1 layer ff RF beans
1 layer chili
1 sizeable layer tomatoes
1 layer rf cheese
Since everythings cooked you can nuke it for 10-15 min on 50% power or do what dh did when I was out and scoop and nuke individually
The tomatoes make it really fresh!

[AlphaGal]

My taco Bake is a tad different too...I got the recipe off the Yahoo! South Beach group years ago...

1lb Ground Beef or Turkey, browned
Rotel
Taco Seasoning
Cheese
FF Refried Beans

Preheat oven to 350
Layer the Refried Beans into a casserole plate and add a layer of cheese (how much is up to you). Put in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes
While that is cooking, brown the meat, drain, add the Rotel (drain) into the meat along with the Taco Seasoning.
Take the Refried Beans out of the oven and layer the Meat/Rotel mixture onto the beans. Add another layer of cheese. Cook for 20 or so minutes.
This is really delicious and easy to make!

[bertinecranston]

we made this and enjoyed it, but I wasnt keen on the taste of turkey. Next time I make it (and I will!) I will definitely use ground beef and maybe sneak some red peppers in there somehow....