I grew up in a tiny town called Griswold, which is in a tiny state called Connecticut. I was there until I was 10 and my mom moved us to Myrtle Beach, SC one summer. In full disclosure, she had no idea where we would end up when we left – she just packed up what we could fit in a car with a tow behind pop up camper, and we stopped wherever we were when school started for the year. We just happened to be in Myrtle Beach, SC when it was time for school to start… so that’s where we stayed.
Since my parents were divorced, I would fly back and forth from South Carolina to Connecticut regularly to visit my Dad and his long time fiance Eleanor. It was a big trip for a little kid to take alone so many times a year, but I became a pro at navigating airports pretty quickly and I got to see my Dad and Eleanor a pretty good bit.
Eleanor, or Ellie as I called her, would whip this recipe up every time I landed in Connecticut. She knew it was my favorite dish of hers and always went out of her way to make sure I had it at least once every trip. To this day I make it at least twice a year, and every time it gives me that good back home feeling I miss now as an adult with her and my Dad passed on.

Let me just start by saying that nothing that requires literally 2 pounds of shredded cheese can be considered healthy for you in any capacity, and if you don’t do dairy then I’m sorry friend but this one’s not for you. But! If you want a down home, to die for, new family favorite for the fall and winter that’s easy and cheap to make…. step into my office, because this is about to get good!

What You’ll Need:

• 2 lbs ground hamburger/beef/turkey
• 1/4 cup taco seasoning (one packet)
• 14-16 oz bag of frozen corn
• 2 lbs shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 lbs potatoes
• milk & butter (amount is your preference)
• 3 quart (13X9) casserole/glass baking pan – oven safe
• frying pan
• cooking pot
• cutting board
• potato masher/mixer
• potato peeler/knife (optional)
• aluminum foil

Easy as 1, 2, 3…

1. Grab your cutting board and your potatoes. Wash them off well, and then it is 100% up to you whether you’d like to peel them or not before boiling. If you enjoy skin in your mashed potatoes then just chop and boil until soft! If you’re like me and prefer smooth creamy mashers then you’re going to want to peel them before cutting and boiling. Keep in mind all we’re doing here is essentially making mashed potatoes like we would for anything else… So however you like your mashed potatoes – do that! (Mine are peeled, cut into small-medium sized cubes, boiled in my cooking pot until soft, and just whipped together with a touch of milk and butter – very simple, yet delicious)
   I would NOT recommend using instant potatoes. I have never tried and I can’t say they’d bake well and get you the right consistency… my advice is to always just use the real deal!
   
2.  Next you’re going to want to grab your frying pan and your ground meat. Brown the meat in the pan like you would as normal. Once browned you will drain it and put it back into your frying pan. Add your taco seasoning and water to the meat as if we were making tacos. Let it simmer together completely as you normally would, and then set it to the side with your mashed potatoes.
   (Side note – I use taco seasoning a lot in my house… it’s a quick way to make things have a little more flavor, so if you’re like me then I love having the value size shaker container of taco seasoning!)

3. Grab your oven safe glass or casserole dish, frozen corn, mashed potatoes, ground beef taco meat, and mozzarella cheese… and get ready to make magic happen!
In your dish dump your whole bag of corn in, creating a nice even layer along the bottom.
Then add 1/3 of your bag of shredded cheese as the next layer, completely covering your corn.
The next layer will be ALL of your meat – spread evenly to cover the last two layers. (Think lasagna layering here)
Add the second 1/3 of your bag of shredded cheese, completely covering your meat for the fourth layer.
The next layer will be ALL of your mashed potatoes – and this one is tricky because as you try to spread it sticks to your previous layer. My best advice is to do 5 dollops, one in each corner and then one in the center, to make spreading a bit easier. Whatever you do, don’t give up… it’ll be totally worth it in the end I promise!

And finally… layer 6 will be the last 1/3 of your bag of shredded cheese. Remember now, I told you this wasn’t healthy – just delicious. Make it a treat, not a re-occurring thing.

4. Cover your oven safe baking pan with aluminum foil, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and bake your dish covered for 30 minutes. Set your timer because this is important!

5. After 30 minutes remove your dish from the oven. Remove the aluminum foil and place back in the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes on LOW BROIL. This will give you to beautiful brown top, and a little bit of crunch/hardness to keep it from feeling like moosh in your mouth in the end. Make sure to watch it while it’s on broil, because here at the Miller household we call it the “burn button.” It is important to watch it because you may need to turn it every now and then to evenly brown the top. If your “burn button” works faster, take it out before 15 minutes… if you like a lot of broil, then leave it in. Don’t want any broil? Just bake at 350 degrees the remaining 15 minutes… whatever you like!

That’s all folks! It is super yummy and makes me feel all the warm fuzzies. Unfortunately, we’ve lost both my Dad and Ellie through the years – but when I make this I swear they’re sitting across from me at the table, and Ellie is yelling, “rinse your plate!” when I’m finished…
I would LOVE to see how it turned out for you if you make it. I’d also love to hear what you think either down below or on Social Media. Let’s use the hashtag #elliesfamouspie for this one! Or as always you can leave a comment down below or #themillerswifeco on any social media to share as well!

As the Golden Girls would say, “Thank you for being a friend!”
XO,
– The Miller’s Wife –