Standing Taco Bake

We are on a little bit of a gluten-free kick.  After a hard winter with lots of illness, some back injury, and joint pain one thing we decided to try was a gluten free eating plan for a couple of months and see if that helps clear things up a little bit.   That being said, I still need some comfort food I my life, it is still cold after all. 

I have made these tacos for a long time and they have pretty much stayed the same since I found the original recipe in Cook’s Country a couple years ago.  You can count on a recipe from Cook’s Country, if you follow the recipe, it will turn out the way it is supposed to . . . that is kind of their thing.  I swap out the hamburger for Turkey, I figure once it is surrounded by taco seasoning and cheese, who can tell.  I also add some extras like olives before I add the final dose of cheese, there are some people in my house who think the world begins and ends with olives. 

As it happens so many times when I go to cook something, I was missing a couple of odds and ends.  In this case, I forgot to check the ingredients on the taco seasoning packet, and sure enough, there was flour in it.  I ended up using taco sauce and cumin to “season” the meat, and it worked out just fine.  I just thought I’d give you that piece of information, but you are probably a lot more organized than me.

1-10 oz can of Rotel drained, reserving ½ cup of the liquid

1-16 oz can of refried beans

1 Tbsp. Hot Sauce or Taco Sauce

¼ cup Cilantro

3-cups Shredded Cheese (cheddar or a Mexican blend)

1-lb Ground Turkey

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 packet Taco Seasoning

12-Corn Taco Shells

1-can sliced black olives (optional)

Garlic salt (optional)

3-green onions or scallions 

1. Preheat oven to 475°
   
2. Combine half of the Rotel, the refried beans, taco or hot sauce  and cilantro together in a bowl, and then spread it into the bottom of a 13 x 9in baking pan.  If you hate dishes like me, just mix it up in the pan and save yourself a bowl later.  Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese.
3. Cook the ground turkey and onion in a nonstick skillet, over medium heat until the turkey is browned and cooked through until all the pink is gone, give or take 7 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then drain the meat if there is a lot of fat, I used a pretty lean turkey, so I just skipped this.  Add in the reserved tomato juice and tomatoes, and simmer for 5 minutes until it has thickened up.
   
4. Now comes the standing part, stand your taco shells up in the baking pan, gently pressing them in to the bean mixture in the bottom of the pan to help them stay upright. 
5.  Sprinkle a little bit of cheese in the bottom of each taco shell, then top with the meat mixture, and sprinkle on the black olives to your taste.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle on the rest of your cheese, and then if you want, give the dish a light sprinkling of garlic salt, mmmmm salty, melted cheese.    Put this back in the oven and back for 7-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to get golden and crispy.
6. Remove from the oven, sprinkle on the green onions, and let this stand for about 5 minutes.  (This is a crucial step, this dish is absolutely volcanic and you will burn your mouth. . . believe me).    Serve with salsa and sour cream if you wish.