Taco Casserole
This easy Taco Casserole is made with seasoned ground beef, salsa, tortilla chips, and melted cheese for a quick, family favorite dinner!
A Simple 30-Minute Casserole Meal
This easy Taco Casserole is a fast, family friendly dinner made with simple pantry staple ingredients you probably have in the kitchen and some big taco flavor. With seasoned ground beef, melty cheese, salsa, and crunchy tortilla chips, it comes together quickly and bakes in minutes, making it perfect for those busy weeknights.
Great taste! My husband really liked this easy Taco casserole! Makes three meals for just the two of us.
– S Duchek
Frequently Asked Questions:
Sure, in fact, I would suggest making my Doritos Taco Casserole. It uses Doritos and is super simple to make too.
Some of my favorite side dishes for this casserole are Mexican Rice and some sort of veggies, like corn, broccoli, etc. A big green salad is another great option.
You can prepare the meat mixture ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Assemble and bake just before serving for best texture.
For more heat, use hot salsa or add diced jalapeños. For a milder version, stick with mild salsa and skip spicy toppings.
Leftovers for this Taco Casserole should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For best results, let the casserole cool completely before storing. When reheating, warm individual portions in the microwave until heated through, or reheat larger portions covered in the oven at 350°F until hot. If the casserole seems a little dry after storing, adding a small spoonful of salsa before reheating helps freshen it up.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- lean ground beef– ground turkey works well too. I like to use lean ground beef for less grease but obviously use what you have and what is within your budget.
- taco seasoning– use whatever brand you have on hand. If you have a low sodium version that you like, now is a good time to use it. You can also make a Homemade Taco Seasoning so you can control all the ingredients.
- sweet onion – any yellow onion will work here and if you don’t like onion, leave it out.
- shredded Mexican-style cheese– you can use whatever shredded cheese you typically use in taco flavored dishes.
- can chili beans– if you aren’t feeling chili beans, try some pinto beans or black beans instead. Besides, chili beans are just pinto beans in chili sauce. I like to use Bush’s Chili Beans, if you don’t want beans, you can leave them out.
- salsa – I like Herdez mild salsa. But you can use whatever brand you prefer or have on hand.
- crushed tortilla chips– use whatever brand you prefer. Any tortilla chips should work. You could even use Doritos.
How To Make Taco Casserole:
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. In a large skillet on the stovetop over medium/high heat, add the ground beef and onion to the skillet. Cook and crumble the meat until it is fully cooked and no longer pink. If your meat produced a lot of grease, you will need to drain it before the next step. Add in the taco seasoning, beans, and salsa to the skillet and stir to combine. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
Add the crushed tortilla chips to the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle half of the cheese over the chips.
Spread the meat mixture over the shredded cheese and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted. Serve the casserole topped with sour cream, black olives, or diced tomatoes. Also pairs well with lettuce.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 ounce packet taco seasoning
- 15.5 ounce can chili beans
- 15 ounce jar of salsa (I like Herdez mild)
- 3 cups crushed tortilla chips
- 4 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese (divided use)
For serving:
- sour cream, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 pound ground beef and 1 cup diced sweet onion. NOTE: If using a lean ground beef, you may want to add a Tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Cook and crumble the meat until it is fully cooked and no longer pink. If your meat produced a lot of grease, you will need to drain it before the next step.
- Add in 1 ounce packet taco seasoning, 15.5 ounce can chili beans and 15 ounce jar of salsa to the skillet and stir to combine. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
- Add 3 cups crushed tortilla chips to the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle 2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese over the chips.
- Spread the meat mixture over the shredded cheese and top with the remaining 2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese.
- Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
- Top individual servings with sour cream, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions (to taste.)
Video
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.
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.
Great taste! My husband really liked this easy Taco casserole! Makes three meals for just the two of us.
Thanks so very much! I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!
So simple to make and love all that cheese its a keeper
Definitely a favorite at our house.