Go to Meal: Bake Thing

You know how there are things you make all the time that are time honoured recipes in your house?  Things that when you don't know what to make, you could always make that?  That's what Kraft Mexican Bake Thing is around here.
Once, back a long time ago, I was flipping through a Kraft What's Cooking magazine and came across this simple recipe that used Kraft Dinner, ground beef, cheese and salsa.  So easy, I made it one weekend.  So easy, I've kept making it.  I've subbed milk for the sour cream, but sour cream is better (it makes the whole thing thicker), I've crushed Tostitos and sprinkled them over the top (I love that).  Any taco seasoning and salsa will do, but I recommend Penzey's Bold taco seasoning and Pace Medium Picante Sauce.  It's pretty spicy like that, though.
The Kraft website give this dish the rather unexciting name, Taco Bake.  Our name comes from J's asking one time what we were having for dinner and my telling him, "You know, that Mexican Bake Thing from the Kraft magazine."  The legend was born.

Ingredients:

1 pkg Kraft Dinner

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

3/4 c sour cream

1-1/2 c shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 c salsa

Method:

 1.  Heat oven to 400F.
 2.  In a large skillet, brown ground beef, adding taco seasoning and water when browned.  Prepare Kraft Dinner, and stir in sour cream.
3.  Spoon half of the Kraft Dinner into a casserole dish.  Top with meat mixture, 1 cup shredded cheese, and remaining pasta mixture.
4.  Top with salsa and remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese; bake, uncovered, 15 min. 

  From Kraft Canada

 This is something that I don't even really need to think about.  I just make it and enjoy.

Here we are, ready for the oven.  I added a layer of crushed Tostitos that I had on hand.  The Tostitos are under the low fat cheese that I used.  I hate low fat cheese.  Have I mentioned that before?  It doesn't really melt.  But it's still all good.