Filling & Tasty Taco Surprise!

I find that trying new recipe after new recipe is so fun and educational, however I sometimes find myself getting away from my own "classics." Everyone has them. Your stand-bys. You know your family loves them, they are something you can (usually) whip up pretty quickly and sometimes if we are lucky, its something we can throw together with some basics we keep in the kitchen. I can't believe I haven't made this stand-by in awhile. It is a recipe I learned back in college and I used to make it quite frequently for the Hubs (then boyfriend) and his roommates. They all loved it and recently I got a call from one of our old roommates and he wanted the recipe to make for a gal he is dating! Love it!
Taco Surprise
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Feeds: 5-6

1 lb.      ground beef
1 pkg.   Taco Seasoning
1           onion
Brown hamburger in a skillet with onion. Follow directions on Taco Seasoning packet.

1          box Jiffy corn bread mix
1          can cream corn
1          can diced green chilies
1/2 lb.  shredded cheddar
1          jar of your favorite salsa
Follow the directions on the Jiffy cornbread mix while the beef is browning. Once the mix is mixed, add creamed corn and green chilies to the mixture and stir.
Grease a 13x9 pan, preheat oven to 400 degrees and now we will begin layering. Spread a thin layer of the cornbread mixture on the bottom of the pan. Make sure it is just enough to coat the bottom.

Then, add the beef on top of the cornbread layer. Add salsa on top of the beef layer. (I had some leftover black bean and corn salsa that I had made the day before for a get together so that's why you see those ingredients.)

Sprinkle your cheese over the salsa.

 Spread the rest of the corn bread mixture of the top of the cheese. The cheese may be peeking out in some spots but that's okay, it will all cook together.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes and enjoy!

There are a lot of variations to this recipe. For instance, I made a bigger version (an 11x15 pan) so I could freeze half of the pan. You can add more fixin's to your hamburger while it's cooking, more spices if you like spicy. I have added refried beans over the layer of beef before the salsa layer. We also top it with hot sauce and sour cream when we are ready to dig in. Be creative!