Walking Taco Casserole

Q: Why room-temp cream cheese?

A: Cold cream cheese curdles in hot sauce. Room temp = silky texture (science, not superstition).

Cloud-soft Fritos swimming in crimson chili silk, cradling golden cheese confetti. Dust Bowl sky in a pan.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 18 Minutes

Total Time: 38 Minutes

By: Aunt Bea (Oklahoma Panhandle)

Category: Main Dishes

Difficulty: Easy

Cuisine: Dust Bowl American

Yield: 8 Servings

Full Recipe

Ingredients

1½ lbs ground beef (80/20), chilled

1 Vidalia onion, soaked 10 mins in cold water + hand-chopped

1 can (4 oz) Hatch green chilies, hand-diced

15 oz Old El Paso enchilada sauce, undrained

2 oz Philadelphia cream cheese, room temp

1 bag Original Fritos, frozen solid

1 bag sharp white cheddar, block-grated

¾ cup iceberg lettuce, hand-torn

½ cup heirloom tomato, seeded + diced

16 oz salsa

8 oz full-fat sour cream, room temp

1 tsp sorghum syrup (Aunt Bea’s secret)

Bacon grease (for greasing pan)