Mi Casa Cassoulet with Adobe Twists

A fiesta for your taste buds (also known as Camp Cook's Casserole). Complete the meal with a green salad.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 tablespoons dry taco seasoning mix
1 (15-ounce) can Mexican style chopped tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup ripe black olives cut lengthwise in fourths
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 (11.5-ounce) can refrigerated cornbread twists
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water

Cooking Directions:

1. Sauté beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until beef is no longer pink and onions are limp, stirring to break up ground beef into medium sized crumbles. Drain off drippings.
2. If using fully cooked ground beef, sauté onion until limp, add beef and stir until warm. Proceed as directed below.
3. Open can of tomatoes and discard 2 tablespoons of the liquid.
4. Add taco seasoning mix, tomatoes with remaining liquid, beans, olives and chopped parsley to meat and onion mixture. Mix lightly.
5. Spoon mixture into 9x12-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Divide cornbread twists and press each piece to 10 inches. Twist strips while shaping in lattice pattern over mixture. Press each strip to side of dish making sure they adhere to sides of the dish.
7. Brush twists with mixture of egg and water.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (175ºC) for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of The Beef Checkoff.