I have many pantry staples that I always keep on hand for putting together quick and easy dinners. Some of those include frozen hash brown potatoes, taco seasoning, cream cheese, and stewed tomatoes.
In the winter, I like to make a variety of casseroles – the oven keeps the house a little warmer and casseroles are so often those oh-so-yummy comfort foods. I recently came across this recipe for Taco Hash Brown Casserole and was intrigued. The thought of hash browns with taco meat sounded interesting. Plus, hash brown dishes are typically served as breakfast or bunch instead of dinner.
This casserole is a delightful blend of taco spices paired with sour cream potatoes. This is definitely a win!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp (2 cloves) garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ground chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- 5 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 lb (half a bag) of shredded hash brown potatoes
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ tbsp Ranch dressing mix (or half a packet)
- Velveeta cheese (shredded cheese would also be great)
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small casserole dish.
- In a skillet, brown the beef with the onion. Once beef in browned, add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and tomato sauce. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, sour cream, and Ranch dressing mix.
- Place the hash browns in the casserole dish. Pour milk mixture evenly over the hash browns. Cover the hash brown mix with the ground beef mixture.
- Lastly, top the casserole with thin slices of Velveeta Cheese and cherry tomatoes
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
