Individual Taco Pies

I was invited to participate with 14 other bloggers in a group of posts featuring budget friendly recipes.

I think that budget friendly is “in the eye of the beholder”. Everyone’s budget is different so there are actually many levels to the concept. The recipe I’m sharing today can be made even more budget friendly with a few tips I’d like to mention:

*Lean Ground Beef: Lean is more expensive as ground beef goes, but is necessary for this recipe. I buy it when it’s on sale and freeze it until I’m ready to make this meal.
*Taco Seasoning: You can buy this in packets, but it’s very inexpensive to make your own with a variety of seasonings most people already have on hand.
*Pico de Gallo: I serve this recipe with Pico de Gallo and make my own. Click here for my Homemade Pico de Gallo recipe.
*Mashed Potatoes: When I make mashed potatoes, as for these Individual Taco Pies, I make potato skins as a side dish the next night. I bake or microwave the potatoes and when I scoop the potato out of the skin to make the mashed potatoes, I leave some potato in the skin for stuffed potato skins the next night.
*Vegetables: Whenever I steam fresh vegetables to serve with dinner,  I wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap and freeze in baggies.
*Corn: In the summer when I steam corn I always make an extra ear, cut the kernels off of the cob, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze in baggies.
*Peppers: Whenever red or green peppers are on sale I buy extras. Some I slice and freeze in baggies, others I chop and freeze in baggies.
*Onion: Whenever a recipe calls for less than a whole onion, I chop the rest and freeze in baggies.

There are many recipes that really require the use of fresh vegetables and this is my preference. Other times; in soups, stews, sauces, quiche, certain casseroles and recipes like this one today, I use what I have in baggies in my freezer.

Individual Taco Pies going into the oven

One of the things I love about this recipe is that I make these Taco Pies in individual servings. If your family is anything like mine, we all have different size appetites. For younger children, one is plenty. Older children and adults will have more.

Individual Taco Pies

As always, if you make one of my recipes, feel free to take a picture of it and post it on my Facebook wall or on my Google + page.

Be sure to check out all the other budget friendly posts in this collection by clicking on the links below:

1. WriterMom's Blog's Creamy Chicken & Mashed Potato Casserole
2. Mommifried's Easy Beef Stroganoff
3. City Girl on Hicks Farm's Honey Garlic Pork Chops
4. One Tipsy Chick's Turkey Tostada with Avocado Cream
5. My Individual Taco Pies
6. From Foreclosure to Frugal's Deli Sandwich Roll Up
7. PinkWhen's Baked Pork Chops
8. Joyful Scribblings' Breakfast Pizza
9. Adventures of a Jayhawk Mommy's Sweet & Sour Pork Chops and Outback Baked Potatoes
10. Working on Working Mom's Homemade Vegetable Stock
11. Foody Schmoody's Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Wraps
12. (a)Musing Foodie's Baked Ziti
13. Stop Lookin' Get Cookin's Marinated Grilled Chicken
14. A Peek Inside My Paradise's Weight Watchers Supreme Breakfast Biscuits
15. Close to Home's Stuffed Peppers

 

 

 

 

 Individual Taco Pies

                                                                          ©BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 egg
¼ cup bread crumbs
Taco seasoning mix (one packet or 2 TBSP if you make your own)
2 cups cooked, cooled, chopped mixed vegetables of your choice
½ cup salsa
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 ½ cups (approximately) mashed potatoes, prepared as you like them
1 chopped green onion
paprika
 
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Mix the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs and taco seasoning mix just until everything is incorporated. Roll this mixture into 12 balls, approximately the same size.
*Put the beef into 12 muffin tins and gently form it to the bottom and up the sides (so it looks like a cup).
*Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until they’re just barely cooked. Blot the meat gently with paper towels to remove any fat.
*Mix the vegetables with the salsa and shredded cheddar cheese. Fill the meat cups with this mixture.
*Mix together the mashed potatoes and green onion. Scoop a dollop of the potatoes onto the center of the top of each pie. Sprinkle with paprika.
*Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until hot all the way through.
*Gently run a knife around the edges and remove from muffin tin.
*Serve with  Homemade Pico de Gallo.