Wok's For Dinner: Taco Casserole

I've had this recipe tucked away in my cookbook but had never tried it because my husband doesn't like hard taco shells. But I made a decision a few months ago that I was going to try new foods, and that included meals that I wanted to try, whether or not the meals included ingredients that my family liked. I'm the one who's cooking, so they have no real reason to complain, right? :)

Taco Casserole

Ingredients:
10 taco shells, coarsely broken
1 lb ground beef
1 pk taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup water
1 small onion, diced
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (I used four cheese Mexican)
1 tomato, sliced
sliced black olives

Directions:
In a lightly greased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish, place one half of the taco chips; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 10-inch skillet, brown beef with onion; drain fat. Add taco seasoning mix and water. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce. Spoon meat mixture over taco shells. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Place remaining taco chips over cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Arrange tomato slices and olives on top. Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. If freezing: Place all ingredients into a disposal 8x8 baking dish, excluding tomatoes & olives. Cover with two or 3 layers of foil and freeze. Thaw 36-48 hours in the fridge and bake 20-30 minutes.

Well, hot dog, I found a meal the whole family loved! Even my husband, who is a self-proclaimed hater of hard taco shells, told me that he really loved this meal, and he doesn't dish out compliments like that very often. I think what made this meal a hit for him was that the taco shells weren't hard by the time we ate them. I made this as a freezer meal, so I'm not sure if the shells would soften up if I had baked it right away instead of freezing it first. Regardless, it was a great meal, very easy to prepare, and a cinch to heat and serve this evening.