Layered Taco Pie
Tortillas, beef, sauce, cheese, stacked in a dutch oven over coals. Feeds six out of one pot.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 58
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground beef | 1 1/2 lb | 80/20; browns better than lean |
|---|---|---|
| Corn tortillas | 4 large | |
| Taco sauce | 8 oz | |
| Tomato puree | 8 oz | a small can or a pouch |
| Cheddar cheese | 8 oz | shred it at home |
Method
- Get a chimney of coals going and preheat a 12-inch dutch oven to about 325°F. That is roughly 17 coals on the lid and 8 underneath.
- Brown the beef in the oven, breaking it up as it goes. Lift it out and pour off the grease, or the pie ends up swimming.
- Stir the taco sauce and tomato puree together in a cup.
- Lay two tortillas in the bottom of the oven. Spread on half the beef, then half the sauce.
- Add the last two tortillas, the rest of the beef, and the rest of the sauce. Cover the top with cheese.
- Put the lid on and bake until the cheese has melted through and the edges bubble, 15 to 25 minutes. Rotate the oven and the lid a quarter turn every few minutes so it does not scorch on one side.
- Let it sit five minutes before you cut it or the layers slide apart.
This is a lasagna with the Italian filed off. Corn tortillas hold their shape under sauce far better than flour ones, which turn to paste, so the layers stay readable after twenty minutes of covered heat. Two tortillas per layer is not a shingle job — they overlap and act as one sheet.
Draining the beef matters more than anything else here. A pound and a half of 80/20 throws off a lot of fat, and with a lid on there is nowhere for it to go. Thinning the taco sauce with tomato puree does the same job: straight taco sauce is thin and sharp, and the puree gives it enough body to sit on a tortilla instead of running to the bottom. Everything except the tortillas needs a cooler, so this is a first-or-second-night meal out of the car.
Packing
Shred the cheese and mix the sauce and puree into one sealed jar at home. Beef and cheese ride in the cooler. Tortillas go on top of the food bin so they do not crack.
Variations
- Swap the beef for two drained cans of pinto beans and a spoon of oil. Same layers, no cooler needed for the meat.
- A can of drained green chiles between layers cuts the sweetness of the puree.
- No dutch oven: build it in a foil pan, cover with foil, and set it on a grill grate over low coals.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/layered_taco_pie-1302.asp