Beef Taco Bake

I know this isn't the best picture but I forgot to take a picture before I served the food. Next time I'll remember to get a picture right from the oven.

I used the last of my packaged taco shells which makes me happy because I'm going to make my own taco shells from here on out. This recipe also called for canned refried beans but I made my own. Also I used my own taco seasoning mix since we are trying to avoid msg and almost all packaged taco seasoning has msg. This recipe took me about 35 minutes from start to finish.

Here's the recipe, which I took from Cook's Country October/November 2007 issue:

2 (10 ounce) cans of Ro-tel tomatoes (or you can use one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes and one 4 ounce can chopped green chiles), drained, 1/2 cup juice reserved

1 (16 ounce) can of refried beans

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 1/2 pounds 90 percent lean ground beef

1 package low sodium taco seasoning mix

12 taco shells

3 scallions, sliced thin

1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Combine half of tomatoes, beans, hot sauce, and cilantro in bowl. Spread evenly in 13X9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with one cup cheese.

2. Cook beef in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Pour off fat, then stir in taco seasoning, remaining tomatoes, and reserved tomato juice. Simmer over medium low heat until thickened and nearly dry, 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Spoon 1 tablespoon cheese into each taco shell and top with beef mixture. Arrange tacos upright in bean mixture, cover with foil, and bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes. Remove foil, top with remaining cheese, and bake until cheese is melted, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.