Layered Taco Casserole

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This layered taco casserole is comfort food without a helping of regret. There are still layers of everything that make taco casserole great: tortillas, seasoned ground meat, chile peppers, cheese, and a mile-high topping of shredded lettuce, fresh tomatoes, avocado and green onions. But the tortillas are Primal- and Paleo-approved, the ground meat is grass-fed, and the cheese is high-quality aged Cheddar.

Traditional taco casserole can be heavy and bland, relying too much on doughy flour tortillas and greasy melted cheese for flavor. To avoid this, Primal taco casserole calls for light and airy homemade tortillas and a just a sprinkle of sharp Cheddar. The tortillas are really easy to make and versatile. Use them for all your favorite Mexican dishes that need a Primal tortilla to scoop things up.

Servings: 4 to 6

Time in the Kitchen: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 pounds ground beef (795 g)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (5 ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (2.5 ml)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (a pinch)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (2.5 ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (2.5 ml)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (5 ml)
• 2 Anaheim peppers or one 4.5-ounce/128 g can chopped green chiles
• 1 cup grated high-quality sharp Cheddar (90 g)

Garnishes: 1 heart of romaine lettuce, shredded, 2 avocados, chopped, 2 green onions, chopped, 2 tomatoes, chopped, plus other toppings like salsa and sour cream

Tortilla Ingredients (makes 8 small tortillas):

• 1/4 cup coconut flour (30 g)
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour (15 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (2.5 ml)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (a pinch)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (2.5 ml)
• 1/2 cup water (120 ml)
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoons Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil (45 ml)

Instructions:

In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of oil and sauté the onion until soft, 5 minutes. Add the ground beef. As it cooks, season with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, sweet paprika and salt. When the meat is almost cooked, stir in the tomatoes. If using canned green chiles, stir them in now. Turn off heat and set aside.

If using fresh Anaheim peppers, set the peppers over the flame of a gas stove, or under a broiler. Cook the peppers, turning as needed, until the entire pepper is blackened. Put the peppers in a sealed bag or container to steam and cool; rub the blackened skin off with your fingers. Chop, then mix in with the meat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, tapioca flour, cumin, chili powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the water, eggs, and oil. Slowly add the coconut flour mixture to the wet ingredients, whisking constantly to eliminate clumps.

Heat a tablespoon of avocado oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Pour a little less than 1/4 cup/60ml batter in the hot pan. Let the batter sit untouched for one minute then put a lid on the pan and cook one minute more. Flip the tortilla and fry for 1 to 2 more minutes. Continue frying tortillas until the batter is used up, making sure there is always a thin layer of warm avocado oil in the pan.

Preheat oven to 375 °F/190 °C.

Coat the bottom of a 2-quart/2 L square or round baking dish with a little oil. Add a layer of 4 tortillas. Cover with half of the ground meat. Add another layer of tortillas. Cover with more ground meat and the grated cheese.

Bake 30 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting. Garnish and serve.

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