Mexican Food Pile On

This recipe is the perfect recipe for when you are having guests over.  It can all be prepared ahead of time so you can enjoy your guests.  For a larger party, all of the ingredients can be doubled.

The recipe consists of all types of Mexican food toppings & a crockpot full of a meat & bean mixture.  There are 2 ingredients that make the recipe extra special, which I will share with you later in the post.  The foundation of the pile-on is a bed of frito’s, the meat mixture, rice & cheese; but really, your guest can choose to make their Mexican Food Pile On’s any way they would like!

The first time I had this recipe was at a sweet friends house.  I was so intrigued by 2 of the topping ingredients that she set out among all the typical Mexican toppings.  Sweetened shredded coconut and chopped pecans! I piled the typical Mexican food toppings on, and was brave and added the coconut and pecans.  Boy am I glad I did.  Those two ingredients MADE the dish.  The coconut gives a nice sweetness that compliments the savory and spicy of the rest of the toppings.  The pecans add a nice nutty crunch.

The second time I had this recipe it was at a Christmas Party at my dear mentor’s house.  She had quite a group but was not stressed at all about feeding all of us.  She had it all prepared ahead and we just helped ourselves.  Everyone raved about the recipe and what great party food it was.

I decided it was time to make it at my home.  We had some great friends over, I made the meat/bean mixture ahead of time, set out the toppings, and it was the easiest entertaining I had done in a long time.

I’ve made this recipe a couple of times just for our family, too.  The kids love it.

Mexican Pile On

2 lbs ground beef

1 large onion

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 can tomato paste

1/2 tbsp garlic salt

2 tbsp chili powder

1 can chili beans

Cook ground beef and onions in a frying pan together until meat is no longer pink and onions are nice and soft.  Drain.

Put meat and onions into the crockpot.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.  Cook 4 hours on low, or put into the refrigerator to cook on party day for 4 hours.

To Serve:

Time to pile it all on! In separate bowls, offer the add-ons of choice & let your guest make their own pile-on’s:

~frito’s (I like to use Trader Joes brand, as it uses organic corn and no high fructose corn syrup)

~rice

~onions

~shredded cheddar cheese

~tomatoes

~lettuce

~black olives

~picante sauce

~sour cream

~guacamole

~jalapenos

~pecans

~coconut (sweet & shredded)

Enjoy!