Beef Taco Rice Casserole
Beef Taco Rice Casserole is an easy, toss together dinner layered with seasoned beef, rice, cheese and creamy queso for a simple, family friendly meal!
A Filling Casserole Recipe
This Beef Taco Rice Casserole is an easy oven-baked dinner that comes together in so easily, making it perfect for busy weeknights. It’s a great option when you want something filling that can feed a family with minimal prep and cleanup. Serve it with a simple salad or vegetables for a complete meal. You know it’s my kind of meal when it’s simple, filling, and rave worthy for the whole fam.
Frequently Asked Questions:
No. I don’t feel like this casserole is spicy. For a spicier dish, use a medium or hot salsa and add diced jalapeños to the rice mixture.
With every single baked casserole recipe I share, I always get asked if it can be made in a crock pot .Every single one – ha! The truth is, I don’t know until I test it and I never like to guess unless I have personally tried it. Ingredients are way too expensive these days to guess. Sometimes you have to tweak recipes a bit to make them work for slow cookers and I test every recipe at least twice to make sure it works before I share it on here.
My guess is this would work in a slow cooker, you just have to be careful about the rice burning (especially around the edges) with newer slow cookers these days. And it’s possible it could require a bit more liquid added, I just couldn’t say unless I tested it so unfortunately I don’t have a solid answer for you here. If you decide to test it out, please let me know how it goes for you!
Add-ins like black beans, corn, or diced bell peppers can be mixed into the rice layer for extra flavor and texture. Garnish with additional toppings like diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, or a dollop of sour cream for extra flavor.
If you don’t like cheese, this is not the recipe for you. It is cheesy because of the shredded cheese and the queso. I suppose you could cut them in half if you don’t like as much cheese but this is a recipe for those who like cheese.
I like keeping it simple so I just serve this with salad and a steamed veggie (I absolutely love keeping those bags of steamed vegetables in my freezer!)
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F or in the microwave until warmed through. This can be frozen (if properly stored) for up to 3 months.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- ground beef– Substitute ground turkey or chicken for the ground beef if preferred.
- taco seasoning – use a packet of whatever brand you prefer or use your Homemade Taco Seasoning. If you are concerned about salt or if you think this would be too salty for your tastes, please use low or no sodium options.
- water– as needed, per taco seasoning packet instructions
- Knorr taco rice– If you don’t have Knorr taco rice (paid affiliate link), you can use another brand of seasoned rice, but adjust the liquid amounts according to the package instructions.
- beef broth – you can use low or no sodium broth as well. In fact, I recommend it if you have any sensitivity to salt or are worried this could be too salty.
- salsa – you are going to want to use a salsa that you already know you enjoy the taste of. I really like Herdez salsa.
- Mexican blend shredded cheese
- queso– any brand of your favorite queso should work, or you can use some of your Homemade Queso Dip if you have some ready to go. I do feel like the queso really takes this over the top. You don’t have to add it if you’re worried it will be too much. Sam’s Club sells a really good white queso (not a paid affiliate link) if you can get your hands on it. It’s a larger container so you’d only use about 2 cups for this recipe.
How To Make Beef Taco Rice Casserole
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the ground beef until fully cooked.
Drain any excess grease, put back in the skillet then stir in the taco seasoning and the amount of water specified on the packet. Cook according to the packet instructions, then set the taco meat aside.
In a 9×13-inch casserole dish, combine the taco rice packets, beef broth, salsa, and 1 ½ cups of water.
Stir everything together until well mixed.
Evenly sprinkle the cooked taco meat over the rice mixture, distributing it across the dish. Sprinkle the Mexican blend cheese evenly over the top of the taco meat.
Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil. Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
While the casserole is baking, warm the queso in the microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and pourable. Note: Do not warm it up with the lid on top. Cover with a paper towel and put it on a plate in case it spills over.
After 45 minutes, remove the foil from the casserole dish. Pour the warmed queso evenly over the top of the casserole. Return the dish to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro before serving. Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ounce packet taco seasoning (see notes below)
- water (use amount needed on back of seasoning packet instructions)
- 2 (5.4 ounce) packets Knorr taco rice
- 1 cup beef broth (can use low or no sodium)
- 16 ounce jar salsa (use your favorite, see notes below)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
- 15 ounce jar queso
- fresh cilantro or parsley (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the 1 pound ground beef until fully cooked. Drain any excess grease, put back in the skillet then stir in the 1 ounce packet taco seasoning and water (use amount needed on back of seasoning packet instructions). Cook according to the packet instructions, then set the taco meat aside.
- In a 9×13-inch casserole dish, combine the 2 (5.4 ounce) packets Knorr taco rice, 1 cup beef broth, 16 ounce jar salsa, and 1 ½ cups water. Stir everything together until well mixed.
- Evenly sprinkle the cooked taco meat over the rice mixture, distributing it across the dish.
- Sprinkle the 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese evenly over the top of the taco meat. Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil.
- Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
- While the casserole is baking, warm the 15 ounce jar queso in the microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and pourable. Note: Do not warm it up with the lid on top. Cover with a paper towel and put it on a plate in case it spills over.
- After 45 minutes, remove the foil from the casserole dish. Pour the warmed queso evenly over the top of the casserole. Return the dish to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley (optional) before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- If you are concerned about this being too salty for your tastes, I recommend you use low or no sodium options where possible.
- This is a cheesy casserole. You can use less cheese and less queso to suit your tastes/preferences. It is also delicious without the added queso.
- It is important you use a salsa that you know you enjoy the taste of or use your favorite homemade version. It brings a lot of flavor to this dish so it’s important you know that you enjoy the flavor you are using. This can add a lot of flavor and spice to this casserole if you use one you know you are going to really love.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Fast and very good ‐ ĺeftovers make good breakfast!
Made this last night! Took your advice and used some low sodium options because we’re both watching our weight. This was great and we loved it so much!
So happy you were able to easily tweak it to fit your dietary needs. Thanks so much for coming back to comment!