The most aggravating aspect of grocery shopping is going to the store to pick up the ingredients that they have carried for up to a year, only to find that they no longer carry them. This doesn’t happen to me very often, but when it does it makes me mad, which makes me get creative.

My family loves my adapted version of the Campbell’s Soup Spicy Taco Bake recipe. So I decided to cook that because it was quick and easy. I sent my husband to the grocery store with a list. He called me fifteen minutes later and told me that our grocery store no longer carries Campbell’s Creamy Ranchero Soup.

At first, I was very disappointed. Then, as I was browsing the aisles tonight, I started brainstorming for a suitable substitute. I wound up buying Tostitos Medium Salsa Con Queso and using that. The result turned out cheesier and tastier than the Campbell’s version, even with my own adaptations.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef.
1 10-pack pkg. flour tortillas, cut into small strips
1 medium jar of Pace Picante Sauce (mild or medium)
1/4 cup water
1 jar Tostitos Medium Salsa Con Queso
1 pkg. shredded Mexican cheese
1 pkg. Lawry’s Taco Seasoning
2 dried arbol chili pods

Directions

1. Crumble ground beef into a a pan. Add the taco seasoning and stir. Brown and drain fat.
2. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, mix the beef, salsa, con queso, tortilla strips and half the shredded cheese. Spread evenly across the dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top, garnishing with the arbol chilis.
3. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375º for 30 minutes.