Taco Pie

I love Mexican food, from the traditional to the Tex-Mex versions. I love the heat, the spices, everything about it.  I wouldn’t call it comfort food but it’s one of my go to flavor profiles when I’m cooking.  Unfortunately since I have been trying to get rid of dairy some of the flavors that I’m looking for in that type of food have changed a bit.  Though I have found with a lot of it that I’m not even missing the cheese, it’s quite a revelation.

An example of a Tex-Mex inspired recipe where I didn’t miss the cheese is what I made for dinner yesterday; a taco pie using GF cornbread as the top.  I happen to love cornbread, particularly with chili.  So I thought why not make a chili like filling and top it with cornbread…it sounded good to me!  It was really good; my husband even loved it without cheese.  Other than that I don’t have a lot to say today so I think I will just get to the recipe J

Taco Pie with Cornbread Crust

(Serves 8-10)

½ T coconut oil

1 large sweet onion, chopped medium

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. lean ground beef (I like 95/5 for this recipe)

Sea salt (I use a grinder and do about 3 grinds, you don’t need a lot

2 T chili powder

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp chipotle chili powder (I use more, but I like spicy!)

½ tsp ground coriander

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

½ T beef base (look for a GF version)

½ C water

1 pkg. Bob’s Red Mill GF Cornbread Mix (made with coconut milk and oil)

1.      Sauté onion and zucchini over medium heat for a couple of minutes then add in the garlic, sauté for another minute

2.      Add in ground beef, salt and all of the spices, brown meat breaking it up into small pieces

3.      Add can of tomatoes, beef base and water, mix well, bring to a boil then cover and simmer 10 minutes

4.      Remove lid and let simmer another 10 minutes or until thickened

5.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees

6.      While the meat mixture is simmering prepare the cornbread according to package directions

7.      Grease a 13x9 baking dish then pour in the taco meat, spreading until even

8.      Dot the top with the cornbread mix, covering most of the surface, use a spatula to spread it out as evenly as possible

9.      Bake for 25 minutes, until bubbly and cornbread is cooked through

I hope you enjoy!