Taco Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1 can Ranch Style beans
8 oz. macaroni, cooked and drained
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
sour cream and salsa for serving

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet, brown meat and drain off fat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, onion, taco seasoning, soup and water. Simmer over medium-low heat until everything is well combined and heated through.

Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Pour cooked macaroni into dish.  Top with 1 cup of cheese.  Pour meat mixture over noodles.  Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream and salsa

Comment:  This is so easy to make yet so delicious!  This dish actually came from a 1980's cookbook.  I wasn't sure about a can of cream of chicken soup but it actually added to the dish by creaming it out some and keeping it from being too harsh.  I made no changes in this recipe.

Comments from Carol:  Ground beef, beans, taco sauce (slightly hot) mixed with macaroni and topped with cheese melted in the oven make this recipe a popular one for a variety of ages.  We toyed with the idea of chopping some tomatoes and putting sour cream on top of the serving but decided that the dish was good just as it is and we didn't want to mess with the balance of flavors in this recipe.  This is a great dish for making a lot so that you can have multiple meals out of it.