Hotdish or Casserole?

This recipe for Taco Hotdish was a favorite of our family and our harvest crew.  I haven't made it for quite some time because the recipe calls for a roll of crescent rolls and it covers a 9 x 13 pan.  (We would be eating taco hotdish all week - that's not a bad thing - however my hubby isn't a super fan of leftovers - WHAT?!?)  So...... I found the cutest crescent roll package at our local grocery store.  I had no idea that crescent rolls came in a smaller tube.  The ahh moment came to me that I would make Taco Hotdish and could use a smaller pan.

Start out by gathering the ingredients needed.  We purchase our beef from a neighbor cattle farmer and have it processed at our local meat market, hence the white package of ground beef.  My favorite kind of taco chips to use are the Tostitos multi-grain chips.  (It makes me feel like I'm eating healthier chips and they are good)!

Brown the ground beef and drain any fat.  The beef that we purchase is pretty lean so not much fat is collected - love that!  Stir in the taco seasoning with 3/4 cup of water.  Cook until most of the water has evaporated and the meat/taco seasoning mixture has a thicker consistency.

Brown hamburger until you see no pnk.

Add taco seasoning .

Open the can of crescent rolls and lay the rolls on the bottom of the pan, pinching edges and perforations together to form a crust.

Pat crescent rolls into bottom of pan

Layer in the following order: crushed taco chips (I just crush in my hand), meat mixture, sour cream, shredded cheese and more crushed taco chips

Crushed taco chips on top of the crescent rolls.

Layer meat mixture on top of the taco chips.

Spread the sour cream on top of the meat mixture.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the sour cream.

Final layer of crushed taco chips.

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

Take out of oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes so the hotdish is easier to cut.  As we say here in Minnesota "Oh for Yummy!"

I usually serve Taco Hotdish with lettuce, tomatoes and sliced black olives and a side dish of mexican rice. My favorite is the box mix from Rice-A-Roni.  (I do appreciate the semi-homemade cooking option).

Taco Hotdish with garden lettuce (thanks Teresa Thoennes), cherry tomatoes and spanish rice.
(Whoops, forgot the black olives)

I was once asked by a Kansas farm wife what I was making for dinner and I said Taco Hotdish.  She had this funny look on her face and said "aren't all your dishes hot?" -( in Kansas it would be Taco Casserole)
What do you call it - hotdish or casserole?


Taco Hotdish -  Serves 4-6  people, can be doubled to serve 8-10
Click HERE for a printable version

1 lb. ground beef
1 can of crescent rolls
1 package of taco seasoning
3/4 c, water
2 c. taco chips- crushed
4 large tbsp. of sour cream
1 c. shredded mexican cheese

Brown the hamburger, drain any fat.  Add taco seasoning and 3/4 c. water, cook until water is almost evaporated and mixture is thickened.  Press crescent rolls into bottom of greased 8 x 8 pan.  Sprinkle 1 c. of crushed taco chips on top of the crescent rolls.  Pour the meat mixture on top of the taco chips.  Spread the sour cream on top of the meat mixture.  Layer the shredded cheese on top of the sour cream and finish with the remainder of the taco chips.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until browned on the edges.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.  Add any condiments that you prefer such as:  lettuce, tomato, black olives, sour cream, salsa, etc.