Burrito Bake ~ Easy and tasty

Here's some simple, homey food. I made this tonight and it was a hit AND pretty. I should've taken a picture, but didn't think of it until now. You probably don't want a picture of the empty, dirty dishes proving it was a hit. LOL!!

Burrito Bake

1 can refrigerated breadsticks*
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained**
1/2 cup dried onions
1 cup salsa
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese

Optional Garnishes
sour cream
sliced green onions
chopped fresh tomato

Lightly grease 9x13 pan***.
Brown ground beef and onions ~ **I used the extra lean ground sirloin, the kind that's only 4 g of fat per serving; spread in prepared pan.
Scoop refried beans over the top, relatively evenly. I used fat free canned refried beans.
Pour salsa over top. I think i used more than 1 cup of salsa, but I didn't measure. Surprised?
Sprinkle cheese over top.
Unroll breadsticks and either cut into little chunks and scatter evenly or go to the trouble to make a cute lattice. It'll impress the kids.
Bake for ~15 minutes at 375°.
Serve with sour cream and chopped green onions and tomatoes, if desired.

* The original recipe called for a Bisquick mixture. I was thinking I could make my own, homemade whole wheat bread recipe and make it into "worms" for a lattice. Think that would work?
*** The original recipe also called for all this to be in a pie plate! That would be one filling serving. I spread this across a 9x13 and I think it was a reasonable amount. But you could double it if you were concerned. We won't have any leftovers, and maybe could've eaten more (okay, I for sure could've) but I didn't NEED more, I'm quite full. I served the adults' servings over a bed of shredded lettuce with extra salsa (HOT!) on the side, and sour cream on the side. I would've added red onions but apparently I'm out. And it's really not the season to buy fresh tomatoes in Michigan. Bummer.

Oh, and Leslie, this is the kind of thing I'm cooking these days, we're really not doing the low fat vegan at all ... It's NICE to be a good cook again, LOL!!! But I'm still trying to lean towards "healthy" versions ~ with the very lean ground beef, fat free refried beans, and thought about making a healthy topping. LOL!