March 14, 2014 by MsDo Leave a Comment
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Is Taco Bell one of your no brainer, drive thru dinner options when you have no other plans? I’ll be honest, it is for us. There are two problems with this for us though. Taco Bell is on the other side of town. By the time we get there and back, it’s been at least a half an hour. The second problem is that it’s expensive! In order to get what I want and what my daughter wants, it’s typically around $16. I’m also still somewhat limited with my options because of having the gluten intolerance issue.
Instead of making a run for the border and spending this kind of money on a drive thru, I would prefer to cook my own food here at home. I almost always have cooked ground beef and pinto beans in my freezer. So, by keeping my ingredients on hand and preparing my own at home, I have more economic and healthier food options. However, plain old tacos and beans get boring. I used to love getting tacos and burritos at Taco Bell, but burritos aren’t an option any more because of the (wheat) flour shell. So, I’ve never actually had a Taco Bell Double Decker Taco. If I’m going to eat gluten, it’s going to be something much better than a wheat flour shell!
So, instead of pouting about what I can’t have, I make it at home, and it’s gluten free. If gluten isn’t a problem for you, you can just use regular flour shells in place of the Udi’s GF Shells that I use in my recipe. The Udi’s GF Shells don’t have quite the same texture as a regular flour tortilla, but they’re awesome in comparison to the other regular go to choice of corn tortillas.
If you’ve seen my recipe for my Perfect No Fail, No Fall Tacos, I just added a few more steps to finish these to perfection and created my own Taco Bell Double Decker Taco copycat recipe.
Ingredients
- Refried Beans (Canned or Homemade)
- 1 lb. Ground Beef, Chicken, Turkey, etc.
- Garlic Salt, Seasoned Salt, Mrs. Dash
- ½ package Taco Seasoning
- Taco Shells - Crunchy & Soft (Udi's Gluten Free)
- Grated Cheese
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Salsa
Instructions
- Season ground beef with garlic salt, seasoned salt, and Mrs. Dash to taste. Brown ground beef in pot, skillet, or microwave. Break the ground beef into small pieces as it cooks. Don't worry about getting every clump broken as tiny as possible, just small enough to make sure it is cooked thoroughly. Add taco seasoning to the meat at the end just as it is finished cooking.
- Remove meat from the heat and IMMEDIATELY dump into a colander. Typically, mine is allowed to drain in the sink, but catch the grease in a pot then pour into a jar or can before discarding, if needed. Allow to cool in the refrigerator if necessary before placing in garbage container.
Optional:
- If you like the texture of ground beef at restaurants, want to stretch your ground beef a little further, or have big clumps you can't break apart - this step is for you. Put the ground beef, a few ounces of water, and ½ pack of taco seasoning into a food processor. Pulse to chop the ground beef and to mix the seasoning. The water is needed to help blend the seasoning into the meat.
- Return meat too the colander to drain any excess water or grease that wasn't drained earlier.
Ready to Heat the Taco Shells with the meat?
- Find your Muffin Pans and foil. Use the foil to wrap the cup side of the pan.
- Flip the muffin pan upside down. The foil will prevent anything from spilling through the muffin pan hole and dripping onto the bottom of the stove. Place taco shells between muffin cups, fill with taco meat.
- Heat at 400* until shells and meat are warm, about 5-8 minutes.
- Remove tacos from the oven and add desired toppings. I put the cheese on top of the meat to let it slightly melt. It also prevents the lettuce from wilting.
- Now comes the secret, nutritious ingredient. Notice how pretty and dark green the lettuce is? It's because it's not all lettuce. The really dark green stuff is spinach! I can't tell a difference between the two and love the extra vitamins I get from the spinach.
- Top with tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, and other toppings as desired.
- Heat flour shells individually in a skillet or in a stack in the microwave. If heated in the microwave, place the tortillas between wet paper towels on the top and bottom of the shells. This is VERY important if using gluten free shells. It will add the moisture needed to keep them from breaking.
- Spread shells evenly with heated refried beans.
- Feeling adventurous? Spread part of the shell with beans and the other half with guacamole or sour cream.
- Wrap the soft shell, spread with your favorite topping, around the crunchy taco.
- Serve with a side of guacamole, rice, or beans and you have a full meal that is satisfying and filling.
- Don't want your tacos to fall over on your plate? Serve them in small serving dishes like mine in the Perfect No Fail, No Fall Tacos. Even when it gets down to one, it can be turned sideways and should still remain upright.
Make sure you also check out:
- Jay’s Mexican Cornbread Casserole
- Perfect No Fail, No Fall Tacos
- Picadillo Beef Quesadillas
- Pinto Beans Make Great Refried Beans
- Seven Layer Dip is Great During the Game
- Seven Layer Fiesta Burger
- Spanish Rice with Peas and Carrots
You May Also Be Interested In:
- Perfect No Fail, No Fall Tacos
- Picadillo Beef Quesadillas
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Beef Tips with Rice in a Slow Cooker or Stove Top
- Beef Stir Fry Noodles
