It’s not every day you see two nine-year-old kids inhale a meal full of veggies and then opt for a second helping instead of dessert (which was chocolate cake), but that’s exactly what my niece and her friend did last weekend. Any meal that has that kind of power is just plain magic.
Tacos are always a fantastic way to get kiddos to eat more veggies. Beef and cheese topped with lettuce confetti and tomato sprinkles…what kid doesn’t love that? (I remember my brother went through a “taco only” phase when he was about four years old; it was kind of a pain – especially when we’d eat out at a restaurant that didn’t offer tacos on the menu so they’d have to make them especially for him – but definitely pretty cute.) Anyway, since this taco pie contains veggies that kids sometimes aren’t familiar with (like kale!) it is an even better way than regular tacos to get those extra veggies in.
The great thing about sneaking veggies into a meal that’s sure to be a hit is that once your picky eaters eat a food and realize that they love it, you can tell them what’s in it! And next time you won’t have to sneak those veggies in.
I developed this recipe as part of the National Taco Day Sidecar Event sponsored by California Ripe Olives and Kitchen PLAY, and I wanted to come up with something that would be a hit with kids as well as adults, which this really is! If you really want to spice it up to suit adult tastes, once the meat/veggie mixture is cooked, you can add cayenne pepper and/or crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Be sure you don’t skip the Olive Salsa; it adds a burst of fresh flavor (and even more veggies), and is much lighter than other common taco toppings like sour cream or additional cheese.
- Taco Pie:
- Butter, to grease the dish
- ½ lb lean ground beef
- 1 (3.8 oz) can sliced California ripe olives, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium-large onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 6 oz kale, rinsed, tough center ribs removed, and chopped
- ¾ cup water, divided
- 3-4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5) oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with juices
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 (8-inch) whole wheat soft tortillas
- Olive Salsa:
- ¼ cup sliced California ripe olives (reserved from the 3.8 oz can)
- ½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- ¼ small onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pinch black pepper
- Preheat oven to 375F; lightly butter a 6 cup/1.5 liter capacity casserole dish (I used a round dish about 8 inches in diameter so the tortilla shells fit in nicely).
- Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks. Drain the meat (discarding the fat) and set aside.
- Rinse and drain the olives, then measure out ¼ cup and set aside.
- Wipe out the skillet that the meat was cooked in and add the olive oil; heat the skillet over medium heat, and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until the veggies start to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat up to medium-high and then add the kale and ¼ cup water; cover the skillet and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the remaining ½ cup water, olives (except the reserved ¼ cup), canned tomato, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Turn heat down to medium and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To assemble the casserole, spread about ½ cup of the meat/veggie mixture in the bottom of the prepared dish. Place 1 tortilla shell on top, spread ⅓ of the remaining meat/veggie mixture on top of the shell, and sprinkle ⅓ of the cheese onto the meat/veggie mixture. Place the 2nd tortilla shell on top and repeat with the meat/veggie mixture and the cheese, then place the 3rd tortilla shell on top and repeat with the last of the meat/veggie mixture and the cheese.
- Bake until the cheese on top is melted and starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting and serving along with the Olive Salsa for topping.
- While the casserole is baking, combine all ingredients for the Olive Salsa and refrigerate until serving with the casserole.
Join Kitchen PLAY, California Ripe Olives and some of your favorite food bloggers for a Twitter Party on October 16th, 7:00 PM EDT. Learn about this tasty, nutritious and versatile food. Have fun testing your olive knowledge. Win great olive prizes! Register here.
Beginning October 1, read all ten posts at Kitchen PLAY celebrating National Taco Day with California Ripe Olives for clues. Each post contains an “olive fact” that may appear as a trivia question during the Twitter Party. A new post and fact will be revealed each day, Monday through Friday, until October 12.
My California Ripe Olive fact: Olives are actually a fruit.
Disclaimer: Compensation for this post was received; however, as always, the opinions stated are my own and were not influenced by such compensation.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
A wonderful way of making kids eat veggies. This taco pie looks mighty scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
I want to devour that with the kids – it looks amazing!
This is crazy- I made a taco pie not too long ago, too! I wish I could share, but it is destined for greater things than the blog… Anyhow, more proof positive that great minds think alike. ;) Love how you really packed the veg into yours!
This is my kind of taco pie – I love all the veggies you added and the olive salsa sounds incredibly delicious!
Very clever and looks delicious for kids of all ages!
I love how you loaded this with veggies! I’m always looking for ways to add more veggies to my kids’ meals. I know they’d love this.
Looks great…my boys would love this..they are crazy for olives! Great way to get veggies in the little ones :)
That IS a magic pie. Great job, Faith! This is something I’d like to try for us. And I love your olive fact–I think it’s the first time I realized they are fruits, though if I’d really thought about it, I’d have figured it out. Hmm…you could have some fun creating a “fruit salad” with all the savory fruits together: tomato, avocado, and olives. Sounds like a Mexican dip waiting to happen! :)
Delicious and vegie heavy my kid wouldnt eat it but I would
Tania, You might be surprised! My niece is a super healthy eater (she eats healthier than most adults I know, lol!) so I knew she’d like this, but her friend isn’t…I was floored when her friend devoured this and asked for more!
I’m cooking for my family tonight and I think something like this is going to have to be on the menu! LOVE how veggieful it is!
The epitome of comfort food! Yum!
This is not only kids-friendly Faith it is adults-friendly too! It looks super scrumptious!
ooey, gooey and yummy!
A taco only phase?? Awesome :). I love mexican flavors and dig this meal idea! I want to make a veg only version
This looks so tasty! I bet you could hide all sorts of veggies in there. Kale is a great choice, and I’m thinking zucchini could work too.
nice take on a pie, faith! i make something similar to this which i call mexican lasagna, and it’s one of my top five favorite meals to make and eat!
This looks warming and delicious – and yes, certainly youngster friendly. I make a very similar Mexican style bean casserole that our entire family (kids inclus) adores… love your olive salsa! Scrumptious recipe Faith.
We are thinking alike again, but you beat me to it! MIne is vegetarian, with homemade spice mix, but I really like your version as we do eat meat too, and the olive salsa sounds a perfect complement. I will hold off on my humble version for awhile! My daughter even had leftovers for breakfast but she’s always been good with her veggies – so lucky with that one. Gorgeous photos.
Kellie, I can’t wait to see your recipe! It sounds delicious and I love that it’s vegetarian; I was thinking about making a version using beans or lentils. Also, I’m excited to see which spices you use and whether they’re the same as the ones I use! :)
Fabulous family friendly meal that hits all the right notes, looks easy, healthy and delicious. Bookmarked:-)
We featured this recipe in our weekly Food Trend Friday post. You can check it out here:
http://blog.recipelion.com/food-trend-cheesy-casserole-recipes/
Thanks for all of the great recipes.
Hi, thanks for a great idea!
My question is that taco shells are usually hard and U shaped. Do you mean to put a flat, regular tortilla in the bowl, or fry up a regular tortilla to be a flat, crispy tortilla?
Thanks for clarifying.
Amanda, Thanks so much for your comment! Sorry for the confusion – in this recipe I used soft tortillas (like what is pictured here on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortilla), not hard taco shells. In the recipe above I just noted that the tortillas used are soft, in case anyone else has the same question. Thanks again – hope you enjoy the recipe if you make it!
Hello! I just discovered and signed up to your site and and am anxious to try this veggie dish and the cauliflower hash and I know there will be so many tips and helpful recipes to try. We are doing the protein low carb no carb and have just gotten into a whole new way of eating and really enjoying this! Thanks