Mexican Taco Pie

Last weekend I decided to switch things up and a) make dinner for a change, and b) try a new recipe. The dish I chose was Mexican Taco Pie, and it was delicious: like a Mexican casserole filled with veggies, beans, and cheese topped with crumbled tortilla chips and served in a tortilla crust.

The original recipe is below. I made several changes when I tried it out, which I've indicated in italics. During dinner, I also served additional tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream (in case it was too spicy!), as well as a side dish of refried beans with melted cheese.

 ~Pie fresh out of the oven~

~Garnish ingredients: lettuce, cheese, tomato, sour cream, tortilla chips~

~Recipe below from cooking.com (link here)~

INGREDIENTS For Pie: Pastry for Single-Crust Pie (I used a layer of corn tortillas laid out across a glass pie dish) 1/2 cup finely crushed corn chips 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper For Filling: 1 pound ground beef (I used black beans instead of meat) 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons chili powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin one 16-ounce can tomatoes, cut up (undrained) one 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained (I used a canned pepper in adobe sauce instead of green chiles) one 4-ounce package cream cheese, cubed one 8-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed, drained (I used corn instead of kidney beans; fresh corn or canned corn both work!) 1 beaten egg For Garnish: 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 medium tomato, chopped 1/3 cup sour cream 1/4 cup coarsely crushed corn chips

DIRECTIONS FOR PIE: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare pastry (you can use this recipe, or instead use a layer of corn tortillas like I did), except stir in 1/2 cup crushed corn chips and, if desired, the crushed red pepper with the flour and salt. Roll out and line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Trim and crimp edge of pastry. In a 10-inch skillet cook beef, onion, and garlic till meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in chili powder, salt, and cumin. Stir in undrained tomatoes, chili peppers, cream cheese, and kidney beans. Stir until cheese melts. Stir about 1 cup of the meat mixture into egg. Return all to skillet and mix well. Transfer filling to pie shell. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until crust is golden. Let stand 10 minutes. FOR GARNISH: Top pie with lettuce, cheese, tomato, sour cream, and 1/4 cup corn chips.