John Wayne Casserole ***

We had a little flooding issue in our house a few weeks ago, and I've basically been having to stay out of the kitchen ever since.  Thankfully, all of the reconstruction mess is finished, and we can get back to home-cooked meals again.  Woo hoo!  This has been on my list to try (courtesy of Pinterest), and I was pretty excited to have time to cook tonight (the only night this week we didn't have a scheduled ball practice for one of the kids).  So then I get a text from one of the boys' coaches that they're calling a last-minute practice to try to make up for some of the rained-out ones we've been having lately.  Thankfully, hubby took off early and headed home to throw supper in the oven for me.  That tells you how easy this is.  Not that he can't cook.  He just doesn't like doing the more complicated recipes (not that I really do either, lol), and I try not to make him if not absolutely necessary.  So this one was mega-simple, but oh-so-good.  It's not 5-star or anything like that, but it's hearty and filling and tasty.  It has a kind of Mexican flavor to it (thanks to the taco seasoning), but not a strong one.  We made it with ground turkey, and it was perfect.  Both kids loved it, and they even ate the tomatoes on top!  That's a pretty big deal around here, since neither of them really care for tomatoes.

Photo of original recipe at The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife

JOHN WAYNE CASSEROLE
(The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife)

2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained
1 (1.25-ounce) packet taco seasoning
4 ounces sour cream
4 ounces mayonnaise
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 cups biscuit mix
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 (4-ounce) can sliced jalapeno peppers

1. Heat oven to 325. Brown ground beef and add taco seasoning and water, according to packet instructions; set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, 4 ounces of cheddar cheese, and half of the onions; set aside.
3. Stir biscuit mix and water (directions on box) to form soft dough. Pat dough on the bottom and one-half-inch up the sides of an 9 x 13 in. greased casserole dish.
4. Saute remaining onions and bell peppers until slightly tender.
5. On top of biscuit mix, evenly distribute ingredients in the following order: ground beef, tomato slices, green peppers, onions, jalapeno peppers, sour cream mixture and end with remaining shredded cheese.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until edges of dough are lightly browned.