Easy Layered Taco Bake
This layered Taco Bake is a simple and quick weeknight meal with layers of tortillas, ground beef and salsa con queso!
A Simple, Taco-Inspired Dinner
One food item I always seem to have in my pantry or in my fridge are flour tortillas. They are good for so many things. Tortillas can be made into so many different types of snacks for kids (and grownups). You can cut them up and fry them or bake them. You can make cinnamon chips, quesadillas, tortilla pizzas. The possibilities are endless and easy on the wallet too.
I’ve made this quite a few times already. It’s fast, delicious and easy clean up. So good! I’m making it again as I type!
– Shauna
Tips For Making Layered Taco Bake
- Flour tortillas work best in this but if you absolutely must have corn tortillas, then you can certainly switch it out.
- Ground turkey and chicken can be substituted for the ground beef.
- Try making your own Taco Seasoning for this recipe!
- If you like this recipe, you should give these Navajo Tacos a try!
- A springform pan makes this easy to remove but an 8-inch round baking pan will work as well.
- This meal is delicious served with Spanish style rice
- If you are very sensitive to spices, you can certainly use a regular cheese dip instead of the salsa con queso.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe
- ground beef – you can use ground chicken or turkey as well.
- taco seasoning – grab a store bought packet of seasoning or if you like to control the ingredients, try making a Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- water – you are going to use the amount given on the back of your particular taco seasoning packet. It can vary by brand. If you are using my homemade taco seasoning, I would use 3/4 water.
- flour tortillas (8-inch size) – you could use corn tortillas but they would need to be the larger size. They are a little harder to find near me. Sometimes the packaging will say “Super Size” or “King Size”.
- salsa con queso – this is another ingredient you can grab from the store or make your own.
- shredded Mexican cheese blend – use any cheese you like here. I think Pepper Jack cheese would be great for a little kick of heat.
How To Make Taco Bake
Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.
Stir in taco seasoning and water (following directions on back of seasoning packet.) Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and add in 1/2 cup salsa con queso. Give it a good stir, until thoroughly combined.
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Layer the bottom of the pan with a flour tortilla.
I like to use a springform pan just to make it a bit easier to get out after it is finished baking. But this taco bake is pretty easy to slice up and serve even without the springform pan. Now add about 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling on the the first layer.
Then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Continue until you are done with all the layers: another tortilla, more taco mixture, more cheese.
Bake at 350F degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.
Allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Then slice and serve. I like mine with some sour cream and diced tomatoes on top.
Craving More Recipes?
- Crock Pot White Queso Dip
- Taco Rice
- Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Taco Bell Enchiritos
- Taco Bell Chili Cheese Burritos
- Easy White Chicken Enchiladas (For Two)
- Crock Pot Taco Meat
- Crock Pot Taco Soup
- Taco Bubble Up
- Arroz Con Pollo
- White Chicken Enchiladas
- Tamale Pie
- Cornbread Taco Bake
- Taco Potatoes
Originally published: August 2013
Updated photos and republished: January 2022
Easy Layered Taco Bake (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- water as called for on back of seasoning packet (usually 3/4 cup water)
- ½ cup salsa con queso (see notes below)
- 3 (8-inch) flour tortillas (usually called 'soft taco' size)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (divided use)
Instructions
- Brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef. Drain excess grease.
- Add in 1 packet taco seasoning and water as called for on back of seasoning packet (usually 3/4 cup) following directions on back of seasoning packet.
- Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and add in 1/2 cup salsa con queso. Give it a good stir until thoroughly combined.
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Layer the bottom of the pan with one of the 3 (8-inch) flour tortillas.
- Now add about 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling on the the first layer.
- Then add 1/3 of the 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend.
- Continue until you are done with all the layers: another tortilla, more taco mixture, more cheese.
- Bake at 350F degrees for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.
- Allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Slice and serve. Top with desired toppings.
Video
Notes
- If the salsa con queso is too spicy for you, just use a regular cheese dip.
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.
I always have trouble printing out your recipes! It just shows up dark and I’ve tried different ways but they won’t show up to print. I’m subscribed to your website so I thought I would be able to print off the recipes I want? Thanks!
Hi Julie!
Just scroll down to the end of the post and you’ll see a printable recipe copy. Just click on the “Print” button under the thumbnail photo and a one-page printable copy will pop up for you to print. Hope that helps 🙂
This is delicious and so easy to make. As a "senior citizen" I am always looking for something that does not require a lot of prep but is a meal that my husband and I will enjoy. This reheats very well, so we get the bonus of at least one more meal! I love your recipes, as they are for the everyday cook, not gourmet and complicated. Keep up the good work, Brandie!!!
This is one of our favorite meals! So glad you were able to find something easy to make for the two of you.
Robin- that sounds like a great addition.
Made this tonight and I added a layer of refried beans and green chiles before I added the meat…..delicious!!
So glad you enjoyed it Tamela, this is one of my top viewed recipes of all time. It is certainly a favorite!
Just made this tonight and it was so good! I will make this probably once a week! Thank you for sharing.
I have to say that this is an amazing recipe. I think I found this last year, and it has become a montly recipe for us. It's delicious! Add some sour cream, diced tomatoes, and a bit of salad, and this is an easy spin on tacos. We also use Uncle Ben's spanish rice (minute rice), and it's SO good. Thank you!
We made this and our family loved it! The only modification we made was we used half ground beef and half black bean burger substitute.
I am so happy I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was one of the first meals I made that wasn't a passed on family recipe (I was 20 at the time). The meal is a HUGE hit with my family! I make it about every other week. It is so easy to make and absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing!
I can't find one of the metal round pans, but I have a glass round casserole dish would this be okay or does it affect the cooking temperature and time? I want to make this for dinner tonight if I can use the glass one! Thanks!
Does it get crunchy in the oven or is it soft?
Saw it, had to cook it and in the words of my son "it's outstanding" and it truly is…..
WE MADE THIS LAST NIGHT AND WE CHANGED IT JUST A LITTLE AS WE HAD 10 INCH NOT THE 8 INCH SO JUST ADDED A LITTLE MORE AND ON EACH LAYER WE SPREAD WARMED REFIRED BEANS ON THE TORTILLA BEFORE THE MEAT. IT WAS SO GOOD HE WANTS IT AGAIN TONIGHT FOR DINNER. THANK YOU. DIANNA
I just made this for dinner tonight! It looks amazing! Cooling off now! Can't wait ????
Thank you, thank you for this post. I've been missing the Taco Bake by Old El Paso. Now I have something even better-homemade! I love your recipes.
I made my own salsa con queso with salsa and white cheese! Love the idea of adding in the refined beans! This is one of our favorite dishes.
I love this recipe. I replace the meat on the middle layer with refried beans. Its so delicious.
Thank you for such a tasty recipe! It was easy to make, delicious and my son (the pickiest of eaters) downed two servings! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I like to make this with kidney beans mixed in the beef as well, and I also add a layer of salsa underneath each layer of cheese.
Just had this for dinner and my husband has proclaimed it his second favorite meal…steak beats out everything! 🙂 We had sour cream on top and a lettuce/pico salad on the side. It is definitely a keeper! Thanks so much for sharing it!!
I found this recipe on pinterest. I'm not really into spicy foods, so I thought I would mix together a mild salsa with some cheese whiz. After looking in the Mexican food aisle at Walmart, I found Taco Bell's brand of Salsa Con Queso. It comes in Mild too! Problem solved!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I'm looking forward to making this!
Christina Caswell
Anon, it is pretty much cheese sauce and salsa mixed together. So you could do Cheez Whiz and Salsa, Velveeta and Salsa, or make your own Nacho Sauce (google easy recipes) and add salsa. That's what I use. Homemade Nacho Sauce and Salsa together. 🙂
Hi Im in Australia and can't find Salsa Con Queso in the shops is there something else I can use instead?
Yes. Just make a basic cheese sauce. You can add a bit of spice if you like. Mine turned out great.
I will definitely be trying this recipe tonight! I make my own homemade cheese sauce that's similar to the store bought, so that's all I'm changing. Can't wait to try it.
I and my husband love this recipe and I add both the black beans and the refried beans to each layer. It's great and grandchildren think you're awesome when I set it out !! Very easy for the younger set to make and impress !!
My daughter likes to take the left over shells and put peanut butter and jelly on them and make a sandwich at first I was like I don't think that would be good but it wasn't to bad at all
This looks delicious. Definitely some beautiful inspiration. I think I will try it this weekend but with corn tortillas. I have issues with flour ones. I liked someones comment that they added refried beans. This also brings back memories of my mom making "Mexican lasagna" when I was little. She layed the flour tortillas, seasoned ground beef, cheese, salsa and crushed corn tortilla chips.
This was a hit with my whole family! I doubled it the first time I made it and then tripled it tonight with several more layers so I had enough to feed all of the hungry kiddos and have leftovers for lunch too. Of course, I had to put it into a different container to make sure it didn't spill over the sides as I baked it. I also had to make the servings much smaller because it was much higher. It sure is filling! Thanks for coming up with this recipe!
I just made this tonight, and it was delicious!! Thanks so much!!!
Your family is going to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! I messed up first time and forgot to add taco spice. It was delicious anyway!!! Then I made it with, also delicious! It is sooooo easy and cheesy! Yum, yum good!
Here's how good this is. I totally forgot to put in the taco spice. It was in the oven and I saw it sitting on the counter! Oh no! Haha. It's so good, it was delicious anyway!!! Maybe tomorrow I will try again with taco spice!
This is SO good, made it tonight! I added refried beans to each layer, between the ground beef and the cheese (1 can). I served it with avocado slices. Awesome!!
This looks super good and simple. Gunna try it tonight. As a single mom of 3 I am always looking for yummy fast and easy recipes for the kids so that I can maximize the time we have together. They usually help in the kitchen as well so I think that this will be super easy for them to help with. Cant wait to try it.
I've made this a few times now and love it every single time!
Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour? I'd love to make this, but I have celiac disease and can't have flour shells.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Just made it tonight for the first time. I lined a springform pan with parchment paper which worked really well. My family absolutely loved it! Toppings served on the side were sour cream, salsa, lettuce, diced tomatoes and cilantro. Delicious! Kids and husband have already requested I make it again soon. That's a huge deal, especially coming from my 16 year old who is picky and hard to please.
It was a hit at my house! I added some refried beans to each layer and made my own cheese sauce because I forgot to buy some. I just used 8" tortillas and used my round cake pans. ( made 2, one for hubby and I and one for my daughter to take home for dinner as she was in the middle of a kitchen remodel) . I'm making it again tonight at my husband's request.
I make something a lot like this I add a can if refried beans to the meat. (Taste good and also helps it go alil further). And I add regular mild salsa.may add a layer. First time i made it fo my 6 yr oldstep son he looks at it anf says hee don't like it. I told him this is dinner and its all time till breakfast so he ate nearly half of it. Now when he's with us he asks for "that stuff he don't like".
This looks good I bet green, red and yellow peppers would look good and taste good in this.
Just made this tonight. I remember the boxed kit I used years ago, and now that I live in China, I have to come up with ways to recreate those boxed favorites from home. I was lucky enough to have what I needed in stock at a local import shop. I whipped up a batch for my taco-loving family of 4. At first, my 7 year old could not get past tacos being served like pie, but I would say that her requesting a second piece confirms it is amazing. 🙂 My 6 year old loved it from first bite, and the empty pan left by my husband shows that its a winner all around. I made a second batch and froze it for when I go out of town, AND they are requesting a second pan just in case. 🙂 Thanks for posting- looking forward to trying your Mexican pizza and some of your other goodies you have posted. I am on the lookout for some bisquick mix- that blueberry coffee cake u posted is calling my name. 🙂
I have made this twice now and each time was a hit!!!! I have 3 very picky boys when it comes to anything casserole-like; but this they LOVE!!
Mary
spezzab2be@aol.com
I plan on making this tonight. I was thinking since I don't have a springform pan I'm planning on using a 8" foil pan then when I'm ready to cut it I'll take a pair of kitchen shears and cut down the sides and peel the sides down. I have done this with cheese cake reciepes.
Brandi, can you think of any reason I couldn't use a small-ish pie plate, as long as the tortillas reached the edges of the glass?
Just made this tonight for dinner and it was a hit. Even my picky little girl loved it and asked if I could make it again. Thank you for the recipe!
I made this for my family.We loved it.I added it to my Blog and Facbook page with a link back.Thank you so much for this great recipe.
Made this last night! Made a few changes…..fried the tortillas first and added a layer. Having fried the tortillas first also cut the baking time to 10 minutes. I also added olives to the top. Served it with sourcream and green onions. It was FANTASTIC! Will make again and again. And very easy!!!
Made this and it was a hit with everyone in my family. Even my picky eaters. Gonna have to double it next time so everyone can have 2nds. So yummy!
ive seen people ask about freezing this. im curious as well. once frozen, do u bake from frozen, if so how long? or thaw & bake? if so how long? thanks for any help!
I have made this recipe a few times now. Love it everytime! YUM!
I made it again too! It's on my monthly menu rotation! LOVE IT!!