Kid Friendly Taco Bake Recipe – Very Quick, Very Easy Family Weeknight Meal

If you, like me, sometimes struggle for inspiration for a low-prep, low-mess, low-time, family friendly weeknight meal, then this kid friendly taco bake recipe is for you! Read on for the recipe and some tips when cooking! The content is full of tips for preparing or feel free to scroll to the bottom for just the recipe. I have even more kid tested and approved recipes over on the Recipes page.

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The Struggle

I don’t know if it’s just me. Maybe it is. But, for some reason, I struggle to find incentive to cook a big meal for my family when my husband isn’t home. Is that weird?

I’ve tried to self-analyze to figure out the reason. (Raise your hand if you are own best psycho-analyst…. Guilty as charged over here!) I think it may be for a few different reasons.

When my husband is not home, I have no one else to occupy the kids while I cook; so it automatically becomes much more difficult. Even though there is only one less mouth to feed, my kids are just as or more happy with chicken nuggets and popcorn as with a cooked meal. So why go to the trouble? And the last reason might be: I have done the day/afternoon thing; now I will cook, serve, and clean up the meal; then I will do the bedtime thing – alone. It doesn’t sound very appealing to a tired mama.

The Problem

At the time of this post, my husband’s work schedule has been a lot of evenings. The kids and I have been doing suppertime and bedtime without him most nights. As described above, I struggle with the desire to cook nutritious meals for just the kids and myself.

I need meals that are not junk food-y, at least semi-nutritious, and yummy enough for that sophisticated child palate. But that’s not all! I also need meals that are easy enough to accomplish with a toddler on my hip. And meals that are quick enough to throw together so the kids don’t burn the house down or get into too big of a knock-down-drag-out while I’m slaving over the hot stove to prepare a savory meal for the nourishment of their ever-so-grateful little bodies.

Is that too much to ask?

The Solution

In light of all this, one night I felt creative inspiration and out came this yummy and kid friendly taco bake recipe! If you’ve made my Kid-Friendly Enchilada Recipe, then you will already have a leg up on the general idea. It is based off of a similar principle, but much quicker and easier!

Begin by browning the meat with some sautéed peppers, onions, and garlic. Once the meat is browned, you can add veggies of your choice. I used corn and tomatoes. Black beans would also be yum!

While the veggies are warming through, add in the seasonings and a bit of water. I kept it to the basic taco flavors in this dish, just a bit of chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.

As the water cooks down, butter or oil one side of your tortillas and place them greased-side down on the bottom of a baking dish. (I love my Pyrex 13″ x 9″ casserole dish. I use it for everything!)

After the meat mixture is ready, spoon it over the tortillas. Add a bit of cheese on top. Layer another set of tortillas – this time greased-side up – on top of the meat. Cover with cheese and bake!

I had gotten a whole bunch of flour tortillas at my local discount grocery (4 packs for $1, eek!); so I used flour tortillas in the one for the kids. My hubby is gluten free, though. So I made a separate, smaller one for just him using gluten free corn tortillas.

There were no leftovers, as you can see. Everyone loved it! This kid friendly taco bake could not have been easier.

Kid Friendly Taco Bake

Ingredients

• 1lb ground beef (ground turkey, ground sausage, or even shredded chicken)
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (I buy pre-minced just to make my life easier. It would be about one clove fresh.)
• Extra veggies of choice. (Some great options would be: corn, diced tomatoes, black beans, even some zucchini or squash would work.)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2-3/4 cup water
• 1 pack of 10 tortillas (Flour or corn. Mine were soft taco sized.)
• Butter, oil, or cooking spray to lightly grease the tortillas.
• 8oz shredded cheese (I love to use a fiesta blend for just about anything.)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375*.
• Sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic until slightly soft. Then add meat and brown. If using pre-cooked, shredded chicken, save meat until after sauté is complete.
• Next, add in all seasonings, veggies, and enough water to dissolve seasonings and simmer.
• While the mixture is simmering, lightly grease one side of half the tortillas and place greased-side down on the bottom of the casserole dish.
• After the liquid has mostly evaporated, spoon meat and veggie mixture on the tortillas and top with 1/3 of the cheese.
• Layer the rest of the tortillas greased-side up and top with the rest of the cheese.
• Place in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are starting to brown on the edges. Enjoy!

I’d love to hear how your family enjoyed this kid friendly taco bake! What veggies did you use? Did you make any of your own tweaks? Let me know in the comments! I’m always up for new ideas!

For other kid-tested and approved recipes see the Recipes page. I especially recommend Cheeseburger Casserole and my delicious Enchilada Bake or my kids’ favorite: Barbecue Pie.

I do more than recipes! Check out the pages of Activities, Reviews, and Moments to see more great family-oriented content.

Follow Chasing Those Moments on Pinterest for plenty more family friendly recipe ideas.