My family thought this was really good. I did make a couple of changes - I substituted a jar of salsa for the diced tomatoes and added about 1/4 cup chopped green pepper. I mixed the taco seasoning packet and about 3/4 cup water with the beef mixture (and heated it according to the taco seasoning directions) prior to adding the soup, salsa, and pasta in order to really get the seasoning flavor into the beef. I also used shredded Mexican blend cheese, and mixed about half of the total amount of cheese I used (about 1 cup) into the beef mixture before spooning it into the casserole dish and topping with the remaining cheese. I didn't feel the need to bake it for much longer than 10 to 15 minutes because all you really need to do at that point is melt the cheese since everything is already cooked. Finally, I added crushed tortilla chips just prior to serving to ensure they remained crispy.
Made this for a girls weekend and although good, it wasn't spectacular. So I tried, tried again.... 2nd time around, added kidney beans for more fiber and cooked the meat in a combination of regular and hot taco seasoning with 3/4 cup minced onion, 2 tsp minced garlic and 2 tsp cumin, added a small can of chopped ortega chilis and 1/2 a small can of minced olives. Tried 1/2 soup and 1/2 salsa in place of whole can of soup to make it less sweet (much better). Used 1 can Del Monte fire roasted tomatoes with garlic to give the casserole an extra boost. Tripled the cheese and then divided it. Took 2/3's of the cheese and melted it into the pasta and meat mixture and then assembled the remainder as written. NOTE: Do Not overcook the pasta - cook al dente as the oven will finish it off. 3 stars based on the recipe. 4 stars with the modifications....
Very good,with modifications!*LOL* I didn't have tomato soup on hand, so I added a cup of salsa and 2 diced roma tomatoes.I also added dashes of red pepper to add more spice! Instead of tortilla chips, I added chili and lime flavored Fritoes, YUM! I,too,sprinkled cheese before the layer of chips, then more cheese after the chips. Baking time should be reduced to 15-20 minutes. Thank you!!
Thanks for a great recipe! The macaroni gave it a fabulous twist. My family of "expert" food critics LOVED it, particularly my finicky nine-year-old, who had two helpings. I used a little more cheese and enough tortilla chips on top to cover the casserole.
NOTE: After making this a few times, I've decided to heat the tortilla chips separately and put them on top of each individual portion. This dish leaves lots of leftovers and soggy tortilla chips are not good.
Super good and super easy! Just be sure and drain the cooked beef before adding the other ingredients. I made my casserole as lowfat as possible by using very lean beef lowfat tomato soup and very little cheese. The second time I made this I added 3/4 cup chopped bell pepper and what a difference it made in the color - turned out so pretty. You don't need to bake it more than 15 minutes or it tends to dry out. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I chose this recipe because I had everything on hand and wanted something different for supper. I made it per the instructions only adding some garlic and used a 28oz can of tomatoes as others said it tended to be dry. We enjoyed it but these are the changes I will do the next time I make it. I will cut the macaroni in half and add a layer of refried beans on the bottom per another review. I will use 2 pkgs of season mix put in a layer of cheese and use salsa in place of tomato soup. I think the soup made it too sweet. It definately is a keeper and I would like to thank Debi for sharing it.
I'm a sucker for most casserole dishes and I really liked this one. I used medium salsa in place of the tomatoes and added a can of chili beans. The chips don't stay crisp long after it comes out of the oven but they are a nice crunch when first served. I also added a few shakes of hot taco sauce because I like it.
This is tasty and easy. I made some changes: I browned ground turkey and seasoned it with the taco mix and moved it to a big bowl. In the same pan I sweat the onion until translucent and put it in the bowl with the meat. I skipped the condensed tomato soup but to the bowl I added 1 can of Rotel Original diced tomatoes and green chilies and 1 can of southwestern jalapeno black beans with lime juice and only 4oz of cooked macaroni. Mixed it all together - put in in the baking dish and topped it with cheese. Just before it was done I added the tortilla chips and a sprinkle of some more cheese. YUM. This has a great kick - but isn't too spicy.
Very good! To give this a veggie boost I added some canned kernal corn and for spice a couple of chopped jalepeno slices. I reduced the cheese as well. This is very good and I will most definitely make again. Thanks.
