Oven Tacos

Sometimes I see something and think "Who comes up with this stuff!?"  These Oven Tacos are one of those things.   And not in a bad way.  In a I-wish-I-had-time-to-sit-around-and-come-up-with-cool-ideas kind of way.  They take a little more work than "regular" tacos, but the entire family loved them.  Devoured them.

One of the great things about these Oven Tacos is the shell gets tender at the bottom where the meat is so they don't crack when you take a bite.  Not that it bugs me when my taco shell cracks, but for some of the littles, it's pretty much the end of the world. :)

These Oven Tacos make a ton!  Like, I can feed my family 1 1/2 times with a single recipe.  And that's really saying something when I have a husband, a 14 year old with a hollow leg (He has to!  I can't see where else he would put all that stuff he puts away!), and a 12 year old with a hollow leg.  Seriously.  She ate 5 tacos!  In one sitting.  I ate 2.  And she's such a skinny little thing.  Maybe I should play soccer, too....

2 pounds ground beef
1 small onion diced
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 package taco seasoning
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups cheese, shredded (I used cheddar)
30-36 hard taco shells

In a large skillet brown ground beef and onion over medium heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Add chilies, refried beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes.  If you don't have 30 minutes to spare, I hope you're a more careful taco filler than I am.  That meat stuff is HOT!  Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (or 2) standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through. Remove from the oven and top with desired topping (I just used lettuce and diced tomatoes).

Recipe adapted from Mommy? I'm Hungry!