Taco Pie. Taco pie, is a fun twist on Taco’s. Now some use tortillas as the base and then on top. Some just place the taco meat in the dish and then cover with tater tots. And well some use tortillas on the bottom and then tatter tots on top. So I switched it up. I just didn’t see a taco pie with tortillas. I saw it with a pie crust as the base, the taco meat in the center and then the tatter tots on top. And it worked it worked well. So well it didn’t last long in the house. My husband ate 3/4’s of the pie in two days. I was lucky I got to it first, and was able to enjoy it for dinner and then lunch the next day.
I flavored the pie crust with taco seasoning with a little extra cayenne sprinkled in, and a good amount on cheddar cheese. Yes, I said it…Cheese. In. The. Crust!
So you have the crust that is flaky and seasoned well with a pinch of flavor. The center was a ground beef filling, that I use for my baked tacos – you can find that yummy dish here https://tfwohmyinc.com/2020/05/12/who-doesnt-love-a-good-taco-so-lets-taco-bout-it/ – I added a can of tomatoes to brighten it up a bit, then with the tatter tots on top adds a nice crunch and the creamy potato center. Different texture, and flavors that blend well together work.
Serves 4-6
Prep Time – 1-1.5hrs
Bake Time – 30-45mins
Ingredients
• 1 bag of Seasoned or Unseasoned Tater Tots
• 1.5 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Stick (1/2 cup) of Unsalted Butter, cut into small cubes and then placed in freezer for 10mins.
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Cup Divided through out of your favorite Taco Seasoning or homemade Taco Seasoning
•1/4tsp cayenne (optional)
• 1Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese grated divided
• 1/8 Cup cold Water
• 1/8 Cup of Distilled White Vinegar
• 1.5lbs Ground Beef
• 1/2 Red Onion diced
• 2 large Garlic Cloves minced
• 1 Cup finely chopped Sweet Potato or Butternut Squash
• 1 Red Bell Pepper chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 12oz can Diced Tomatoes all juices drained in a colander
• 1 12oz can less sodium Black Beans
• 1 Lime zested and juiced
Directions
1) Pre heat oven to 450F. Place frozen Tater Tots in a bowl to start to defrost while preparing the meal. (Trust this process). Cut butter and place in a bowl in the freezer, until ready to use.
2) In a food processor add Flour, Salt, 1 Tbsp Taco Seasoning and Cayenne Pepper. Blend around a few times, so all the dry ingredients are well combined. Add 1/2 cup cheese and pulse around 3-4 times until the cheese starts to crumble a bit. Now your ready to use you butter. Turn food processor on and drop in your butter a few at a time until butter looks a bit larger then a pea size. Drizzle in you water and vinegar to the flour mixture until it all starts to come together and looks like a ball of dough. Remove from the food processor, form into a round disc and wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30mins you want the dough a little chilled, but not too much.
3) While pie dough is chilling start making your taco meat filling. In a small sauce pot add your can of beans (do not drain) 1Tbsp of taco seasoning, 1 minced garlic clove, lime zest and juice, a pinch salt. Stir all together and bring to a simmer. Cook on low until meat mixture is finished cooking.
4) In a skillet drizzle 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil and heat on medium high heat. Add your Onion and sauté for 1-2mins. Add you Ground Beef with onion along with the remaining Taco Seasoning, and last Garlic clove minced. Stir all together. Cook the meat until half way browned, this should take about 5mins. Next add your Sweet Potatoes or your Butternut Squash and combine well. Cook for another 5mins. Now add your Bell Pepper and drained Diced Tomatoes. Stir to incorporate all together. Cook on Medium Low for another 5-10mins. Once the meat mixture is complete, remove the beans from the stove. With a potato masher, mash the beans until they form a paste of some sort. Fold the Beans into the Beef and remove off heat.
5) Take a Pie Dish and with a paper towel spread Butter all over the inside of the Pie Dish. (Make sure you get every crease). Take your Pie Dough out of the fridge and roll the dough out so it’s 1/8 inch thick. Place in the Pie Dish making sure you have gently pressed into the edges of the dish. Do NOT remove extra dough off of edges as of yet. Fill with the Meat filling on top of the Dough. Now in a circle formation take the Tater Tots and place on top of the Taco Meat filling, until Tater Tots have covered the top of the Pie, to act as the top crust. Now trim the extra Pie dough that is hanging over the edge of the pie dish. And then fold in to make the crust of the Taco Pie. Top with the remaining Cheddar Cheese. Bake in the oven at 450F for 15mins then turn oven to 350F and bake for another 45-60mins, until Tater Tots are crispy and crust is set with a light golden brown color, but not burnt. You may need to feel the crust to make sure it’s baked through. Remove from Oven and let cool and set up for 10-15mins, slice and top with Sour Cream and or your favorite Hot Sauce. ENJOY!
Note – you know your oven better then anyone. Pie crusts can be finicky. If you go to long, the crust is not flaky, if you under bake the crust, it can be too doughy and soft. So checking on the crust is always a good idea around the 40min mark with this recipe.
