Mexican Pie

I met my BFF in September of 1986. We’ve lived less than 6 miles apart and more than 600 miles apart during our 30 years of life and 25 years of friendship, but I’m happy to say we settled down within about 70 miles of each other, albeit divided by the Red River. (Hi, C!)

Some of my favorite childhood memories with C revolve around her dad’s then-restaurant. Started as a hamburger joint, the super-successful endeavor soon expanded into all things Texan — barbeque, Tex-Mex, chicken fried steaks and a host of other delicious items. We spent a lot of time in that restaurant, whether it was eating with our families or working there during high school, and ate just about everything on the menu (and a few things we created ourselves, like corn fritters dipped in queso) at one time or another.

That restaurant is no longer there, but her family does have another location with the same great food and the childhood nostalgia factor. But since I don’t get to eat there as often as I’d like, tonight I decided I’d make my own version of one of their best dishes — the Mexican Pie.

Here’s what you’ll need to make 2 of your own:

6 Flour tortillas

1 can refried beans

1 pound ground beef

Hot taco seasoning

Queso (Need a good recipe? See here.)

Mexican blend cheese

Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Start by browning the ground beef. When it’s good and brown, add the taco seasoning and water and simmer according to package directions.

While the beef is cooking, warm the refried beans. If you want them to taste better-than-canned, add a little vegetable oil and cheese as they cook and stir well.

Warm the tortillas.

On an oven-safe plate, add 1 tortilla. Cover in a layer of refried beans. Add a second tortilla. Cover in a layer of ground beef. Top with one last tortilla. Cover in queso. Sprinkle a little Mexican blend cheese on top and add a couple of pickled jalapenos. Repeat on second plate and stick under the broiler until the cheese melts. It’ll look like this, and you’ll be really, really happy: