Tortilla Crust Taco Pie

This isn’t just a healthy main dish, it’s also super fun to prepare, and even more fun to eat!! Plus it’s a great meal prep food if that’s your thing. Using my own taco seasoning recipe instead of a pre-packaged taco seasoning mix has cut the sodium level to super low and healthy. Make your own taco seasoning, and you’ll have plenty leftover for other dishes in the future.

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING:

· 1 lb ground turkey breast or ground turkey (or ground beef)

· 1 – 15 oz can of refried beans

· 1 – 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

· 1 cup shredded low fat Mexican cheese, divided in 2 parts

· ¼ cup onion, chopped

· 1 cup frozen sweet corn

· ½ cup sweet bell pepper, chopped (any color)

· 1 package 8” flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)

· Olive oil

· 3 TBLSP low-sodium homemade taco seasoning (recipe below)

·

INGREDIENTS FOR Taco Seasoning Mix (Low sodium version!)

(Original recipe – Me!)

· 4 TBLSP chili powder

· 2 TBLSP cumin

· 1 TBLSP paprika

· ½ TBLSP salt

· 1 tsp cayenne pepper

· 1 tsp garlic powder

· 1 tsp dried minced onion, or ½ tsp onion powder

· 1 tsp dried oregano

· 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

· In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the taco seasoning ingredients*. Set aside.

· In a medium sized cast-iron skillet** (or other oven-proof skillet) sauté the peppers, onions, ground turkey/beef and 3 TBLSP of taco seasoning until meat is no longer pink. Set aside.

· Lightly oil the cast-iron/oven proof skillet. Line the skillet with tortillas, making sure to leave about ½ of the tortilla sticking up above the rim of the skillet. (Should look like a flower!) Place one tortilla in the center, over the others, covering the bottom of the skillet.

· Spread a generous layer of refried beans on the tortillas. (Don’t use it all. You’ll need some to use as “glue” later!)

· Sprinkle with ½ of the cheese.

· Spread the ground turkey/beef mixture evenly on top of the layer of beans and cheese.

· Top with the remainder of the cheese.

· Place one tortilla in the center on top of the turkey/beef mixture. Spread a thin layer of refried beans on it to act as “glue.” Fold the tortillas (the flower pedals!) in over the top of the center tortilla. Hold together with toothpicks.

· Brush with olive oil.

· Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until tortilla starts to crisp. If the center isn’t heated through, you might have to cover loosely with tin foil to prevent the tortilla from burning.

· Once fully heated, remove from the oven and allow it to rest until you can safely handle the skillet. Using a spatula, lift and flip the tortilla pie out of the pan and onto a serving plate. (That’s the tricky part!)

· Cut into 8 pie shaped sections and serve with your choice of plain fat-free greek yogurt, salsa, avocado or other favorite toppings!

*You’ll only use 3 TBLSP of the taco seasoning mix. Store remainder in a jar in your spice cabinet.

**I used a 12” cast iron skillet