Taco / Enchilada Filling

A few weeks ago, we were in the mood for tacos for dinner. I usually use a taco seasoning packet but we didn't have any left in our pantry. Instead of sending Joe out to pick up a seasoning packet or just planning something else for dinner, I decided to check out my cookbooks and see if I could find a basic recipe that I could match up with items in my pantry.

I found a recipe for Tacos in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and I had just about all of the ingredients, but as usual, I tweaked it a bit to fit our tastes.

Taco/Enchilada Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup diced chili peppers, drained
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• salt
• hot pepper sauce to taste
• 1 can chili beans

Directions:

• In skillet or dutch oven, cook ground beef, pepper and garlic until meat is browned and onions and peppers are tender.
• Drain fat.
• Stir in the chili peppers, chili powder, and salt.
• Add several dashes of hot pepper sauce to your liking.
• Add canned chili beans and cook until heated through.
  

We made soft tacos that night for dinner and I froze the leftover filling.

Tonight, I thawed the frozen filling and made enchiladas with it. We LOVE enchiladas and LOVE that we now have another type of filling for them.

There is still a bit of the filling left, so later this week, I plan on making a taco pizza using Pillsbury Pizza Crust, some salsa, Mexican blend cheese and the last bit of the taco/enchilada filling for the pizza toppings.

I'll be linking this recipe to the following blogs this week:

• Tasty Tuesday
• Tuesdays at the Table
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday