Easy Baked Taco Pie Recipe

This easy baked taco pie combines two of your favorite foods of all time: tacos and pie! It's such a simple and tasty way to make your go-to dessert savory. Created by recipe developer Jason Goldstein of Chop Happy, this delicious treat is very simple and doesn't require too many ingredients to come together. Keep in mind that if you choose to make your own pie crust, that will definitely add extra time to this recipe. If you buy a frozen one from the store, you can bake that the night before or the morning of preparation to cross that step off the list. We listed a pre-baked pie crust in the ingredients, as it makes a super quick meal to make for during the week.

Below, you'll find all the instructions you need to make this scrumptious taco pie, as well as a few optional ideas to dress it up or make some tweaks to suit your personal preferences. This is one recipe you'll certainly want to whip up again and again.

The first step of making an easy baked taco pie is getting all the ingredients together. You'll need olive oil, ground beef, salt, pepper, chili seasoning, salsa, sour cream, a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, store-brought pie crust, cheddar cheese, and a lime. There are a few ways you could modify this recipe if you choose to do so. You could use a packet of taco seasoning in place of the chili seasoning to obtain the same flavor. You could also leave out the cilantro if you don't like it.

If you decide to buy a pie crust that needs to be baked, like Goldstein did in this recipe, you can either bake it either the night before or the morning of. Simply take it out of the freezer and let it thaw, then bake it according to the package instructions. Our pie crust baked at 400 F for about 15 minutes, but this can vary based on what pie crust you choose.

Place the thawed crust into the pie dish, and prick it with a fork. This will ensure the crust doesn't puff up while baking. Once the crust is baked, pull it out, and let it completely cool. You could also make a pie crust from scratch if you have a recipe you like.

When you're ready to make the taco pie, chop up the scallions and cilantro, and set them aside. You'll also want to preheat the oven to 375 F at this time.

Next, place your large skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and allow it to heat up before adding the ground beef and spices. Break up the ground beef using a wooden spoon or similar utensil. Mix the meat around in the skillet to make sure the spices are evenly distributed. Cook thoroughly, about four minutes. 

Once cooked, drain most of the liquid out of the meat, and place it back on the stovetop.

After you've placed the skillet with the meat back on the stove, add in the scallions, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro. If you don't want the cilantro, go ahead and leave that out of this step. Mix all these ingredients into the meat until thoroughly combined. This should only take a couple minutes. Once everything is combined nicely, remove the pan from the heat. Now, it's time to assemble the pie!

Sprinkle ½ cup of cheddar cheese in the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Layer the meat mixture on top of that, and spread it evenly around the dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese on top of the meat, and cover with tin foil to prevent from burning. Place the dish into the oven, and bake it for 15 minutes to warm the meat back up and melt the cheese on top.

Remove the pie from the oven when the cheese is melted, and top it with the optional extras. You can use extra sour cream and scallions. And if you like cilantro, you can also add a sprinkling of that on top. A squeeze of fresh lime juice from the cut limes will add some extra zing. 

The cooked taco pie will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for three to four days. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. You could even bake up a couple pies at a time to store in the freezer for quick meals on busy nights. When you're ready to eat one, give it proper time to thaw in the fridge, then pop it in the oven to warm through.