Man, I wish all my kids ate mixed foods. Because how easy is a casserole made with tortillas, some veggies, cheese, and rotisserie chicken. This Easy Taco Pie is simply that (with a few spices). It’s easy, simple, fast, and a great crowd pleaser… if your little people like mixed foods.

We normally have some sort of taco dish quite regularly. Usually its a Mexican crock pot shredded chicken of sorts served as tacos or bowls with allllll the sides - there’s the rice, the beans, the corn, the cheese, the sour cream, the salsa, the shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocados - I’m exhausted, I’ve used all my bowls, and the floor is COVERED in toppings.

This Easy Taco Pie solves all those problems. The veggies and beans and cheese… all the things… are in there. We just top it with avoacdo or sour cream and salsa. If I’m feeling extra fancy I’ll serve it with a salad, but most of the time I plop a bowl of fruit and a bag of tortilla chips on the table and call it a day!

Now… let’s talk about what to do with our little people that won’t touch a casserole. I have one. And while we’re working on trying and accepting all these foods on their own, there’s no way he’s going to touch this. I don’t care how small of a bite I put on his plate and how much I expose him to something like this (I expose A LOT), he’s not touching it. I think with age and practice this will change, but my goal right now is to make meal time pleasant and anxiety free. There’s no pressure, no forcing… nada. While gentle pressure works for some kids, it back fires for others doing more harm than good.

Where I once might have put all the ingredients separately on his plate, untouched by sauce and spice, I just don’t have that sort of time anymore… not with three hangry kids. So, he gets a pile of shredded cheese, some chips, and if I’m feeling nice, a big pile of frozen corn straight out of the bag (he loves it!). Sometimes I have leftover rotisserie chicken that I’ll offer as well. We’ll pass around the casserole dish, serving ourselves, and he’ll decide if he wants to try it or not. We’ll talk about what’s in it, maybe how the peppers and zucchini are grown, how the cooked cheese looks different than the shredded cheese on his plate… things like that. My friend Hannah made up a great '“scavenger hunt” game where he kids “hunt” for different ingredients in mixed dishes… I thought this was genius and might work well with some kids.

Wes loves this dish, no games needed (surprise, surprise)! And, baby Kate also eats it because I cook the veggies until they are tender enough for her to eat with her 6 tiny teeth! I just cut up the casserole into bite-sized pieces and let her dig in with her hands.

So, if you love dishes like this but don’t make them because you’ve got a kid with a “no casserole policy”, just try it. Coming from a registered dietitian, my oldest eats a meal of chips, cheese, and fruit about once a week. It’s fairly balanced, he loves it, our meal is peaceful, and I get my delicious and easy casserole!

Enjoy!

Yield: 6

Easy Taco Pie

Create a fun twist on your typical Taco Tuesday with this easy, crowd pleasing casserole. Top it with all the toppings and eat it with a fork or piled high on a tortilla chip.

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 zucchini, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (I use rotisserie chicken)
2/3 cup salsa
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese
4 whole wheat tortillas

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a pie plate with non stick spray and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and peppers and cook until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine the chicken through the corn. Add the zucchini and peppers. Stir until combined.
Place a tortilla in the bottom of the pie dish. Top it with 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese over the chicken and then place another tortilla on top. Continue with the layers. Place the last tortilla on top and sprinkle it with the last 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (or more cheese, if you want!). The pie dish will be very full. Sometimes I have to press everything down to get it to fit.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the pie is heated through and the cheese on top is golden and bubbly.
Allow to cool slightly, cut into wedges and serve with avocado, sour cream, and salsa.