Southwestern Taco Pot Pie

Denise!'s Note:

Ground beef, peppers, corn, onions and cheeses all snuggled up like a pot pie between two crusts!Barry Conway submitted this winning entry to Emeril's Pie Contest. I watched him make this the other night and decided to try it. It's easy to see why this pie was a winner! It is just oustanding and a snap to put together. A great family meal, I would suggest a guacamole salad on the side. Watch the cook time! I only baked for 20 minutes.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 (1 lb) package frozen peppers and onions
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on package
• 8 ounces shredded colby-monterey jack cheese or 8 ounces Mexican blend cheese (2 cups)

Garnish

• sour cream
• taco sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently.
3. Drain.
4. Add taco seasoning mix and water; mix until ground beef is well coated.
5. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat until hot.
6. Add peppers and onions; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
7. Remove from heat and drain excess liquid.
8. Add garlic and onion powders, salt, pepper, corn, and salsa, stir well and set aside.
9. Prepare pie crusts as directed on package for 2-crust pie using 9-inch glass or metal pie pan.
10. Combine salsa and corn mixture with ground beef; mix well.
11. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese evenly in bottom of crust-lined pan.
12. Spread 1/2 of beef mixture evenly in pan over cheese, pat down.
13. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cheese in pan and spread evenly with remaining beef mixture, pat down, top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
14. Top with second crust and flute; slit in several places.
15. Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
16. Cover edge of crust with strips of foil or a pie crust shield after 15 minutes of baking.
17. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
18. Store in refrigerator.
19. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of taco sauce.
20. Also recommended: guacamole, salsa, and diced green chiles.
21. *If using fresh peppers and onions, use 1 1/2 cups chopped onions and 2 1/2 cups chopped peppers and increase prep time and stove top cooking time.

Reviews

[Indiana Debbie]

DH says this recipe deserves more than 5 stars. I used fresh peppers and onions and cooked them right with the ground beef. Will be making this again.

[TinTN]

We absolutely loved this! Very easy to prepare and so tasty! Just three of us in the house and only one piece of pie left. I'll definitely make this again.

[Keolani]

This was very good. I really saw no point in using two different skillets (did I read that right?) so I just browned the onion with the meat (omiting peppers), drained, then added the rest of the ingredients. This was a great spin on both taco casserole and pot pie.