Prepare Today Homemade- Upside Down Taco Bake

Upside Down Taco Bake is a recipe that I converted to use my food storage.  The original recipe calls for ground beef, and being a vegetarian I don't cook with ground beef, so I used Honeyville's taco flavored tvp instead. Using the tvp it also makes this recipe a shelf stable recipe.  You could also use home canned ground beef as well.   Putting together a meal takes minutes when using tvp because all you have to do is reconstitute and bake.  The only ingredient that I don't have a food storage option for is avocados.  If someone can come up with a way to store avocados long term, you will be a millionaire!!

The original recipe calls for 1 1/2lbs of ground beef so I add 2 C of really hot water to a measuring cup and add just over 1C of the tvp crumbles to it.  It only takes about 5 minutes for the water to be absorbed and it's ready to be used in a recipe.

 Here is a side-by-side view of the tvp crumbles from the can (on the left) and reconstituted (on the right).

The topping for this recipe calls for a cornbread mix but I use a homemade mix instead.  I ran out of cornmeal so I quickly ground up some popcorn into cornmeal using my Nutrimill.  Grind the popcorn on the coarse setting.  Check your instructions for your mill to see if you can grind popcorn in it, not all mills will be able to handle the popcorn.

  Tomato sauce and dehydrated onion are two other pantry ingredients that are added to the taco tvp.  I add the onion to the tvp when it is reconstituting so they will be done at the same time.

 Mix together the taco tvp, tomato sauce, powdered egg, and onion.

Spread the mixture into a 13x9 pan and bake for 15 minutes at 350°.

While the "meat" mixture is baking, stir together the cornbread topping ingredients.  

 Stir them together until the batter is smooth and let rest a few minutes.

 Pour the batter onto the top of the warmed meat mixture and bake again for 15 minutes at 400°.

 When serving you can invert the entire 13x9 pan onto a serving platter, or just scoop out individual servings and turn upside down on a plate.  I have found the second way a little less messy.

Upside Down Taco Bake 
1 generous C taco tvp + 2 C hot water (1 1/2lbs ground beef cooked and drained with taco seasoning)
1 egg ( 1 T egg powder + 2 T water)
1 T dehydrated onion
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 pkg taco seasoning ONLY if  you are using ground beef
1 pkg cornmeal muffin mix (or 1 recipe cornbread topping below)

Cornbread Topping
1 C cornmeal
1 C flour
1/3 C sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 C oil
1 egg
1 C milk

Reconstitute the tvp and onion together in the hot water.  If necessary drain before adding other ingredients.  Combine the beef (tvp or beef cooked with taco seasoning), egg, onion, tomato sauce and spread into a sprayed 13x9 pan.  Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.  While the meat is baking, mix together the cornbread topping ingredients.  Stir until combined and let rest.  Spread over the meat mixture when it's done and bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until the cornbread is a little brown around the edges.  Let rest on counter for 10 minutes before serving.  Invert onto a serving platter is desired, or turn each serving upside down when serving. **This meal is easily cooked in the sun oven as well!

Top each serving with your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, avocado, olives, cheese, guacamole, green onions, etc.

Everyone can individualize their own serving and it makes for a complete meal.  Sometimes we will have some fruit with this meal, but it turns into an all-in-one dish.