Amish Haystack Dinner

In college, I took a multi-cultural class and spent a day with some Amish families as part of it. For dinner, they served us "haystacks" which were so delicious! This is a great way to get lots of veggies - a fun variation of a taco salad. Perfect way to feed a crowd because everyone can build their own! (adapted from this recipe)

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 jar Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce
2 cups saltines, roughly crushed
2-3 cups tortilla chips, roughly crushed
2 cups cooked rice
1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped fine
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup green onion, chopped
1 cup red pepper, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (OR Velvetta cheese sauce)
1 (11 ounce) jar salsa

DIRECTIONS:
1. Brown the ground beef with the taco seasoning in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain.
2. Add the Sockarooni sauce and simmer until the meat is cooked through and the liquid evaporates.
3. Place all ingredients in individual serving bowls.
4. Each person can make their own "haystack". The traditional order for layering is lettuce, crushed crackers and chips, meat mixture, rice, each of the veggies, cheese, and salsa.

Serves: 6-8