Taco casserole is a fiesta in a baking dish! With layers of savory seasoned taco meat, crunchy Doritos, and melted cheese, there’s loads to like. I garnish this Tex-Mex casserole with bitter cream, guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes, identical to an actual taco.
This recipe is a bit like a simplified model of my authentic Doritos casserole. For an additional tacky, beefy Tex-Mex dinner, attempt my Frito pie and this simple taco pasta.
As we speak’s taco casserole has layers of Dorito crunch and savory taco meat blended with veggies, corn, beans, and a gooey, melty cheese mix. It’s on the desk in beneath an hour and such a enjoyable option to put a recent spin on taco night time!
What Makes This the Greatest Taco Casserole Recipe
- Crowd-pleasing. I really like that this casserole packs all of the flavors of a taco right into a 9×13” baking dish. It makes cooking tacos for a crowd that a lot simpler! It’s an important choice for a celebration or recreation day menu.
- Easy elements. The filling is simple to make with just a few of my favourite Tex-Mex-inspired elements. All of them are available in grocery shops and sometimes already within the cabinet.
- Massive taco flavors. I fill my casserole with juicy floor beef, tender veggies, savory spices, crunchy Doritos, and loads of melted cheese. It’s loaded with taste and at all times successful every time I make it for taco night time.
Components You’ll Want
You don’t want any fancy elements to load up this weeknight casserole with scrumptious, Mexican-inspired taste. I’ve included my notes on what goes into this recipe under. Scroll right down to the recipe card after the submit for the printable record with quantities.
- Floor Beef – I like to make use of lean floor beef, however you too can make this casserole with floor hen, turkey, or sausage, comparable to chorizo.
- Onion and Bell Pepper – Yellow onion and any coloration pepper you’d like (I exploit crimson), diced up.
- Garlic – Freshly minced, or you possibly can change every clove with ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Taco Seasoning – Select your favourite store-bought taco seasoning, like Previous El Paso.
- Corn and Black Beans – For those who’re utilizing canned beans and corn, drain and rinse them effectively beforehand. You’ll be able to swap black beans for an additional form, like pinto or kidney beans in the event you’d like.
- Rotel Tomatoes – Rotel comes with diced peppers included. If wanted, substitute canned diced tomatoes and add delicate or scorching diced inexperienced chilies to style.
- Shredded Cheese – I like to make use of half cheddar and half Monterey Jack cheese, however any shreddable cheese will work, like Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, or Asiago.
- Doritos – Any taste, or corn chips, calmly crushed (I gently squeeze the bag just a few occasions to interrupt them up a bit).
- Toppings – Lettuce, onions, bitter cream, avocado, inexperienced onions, or any of your favourite taco toppings. See additional within the submit for extra serving options.
How you can Make a Taco Casserole
Let’s get this casserole going. It’s fast and straightforward, with about 5 minutes of hands-on prep. After that, the oven does the remainder! You’ll discover an outline of the steps right here and the total printable recipe within the recipe card.
- Brown the meat and veggies. First, add the bottom beef to a skillet and brown the meat over medium warmth, breaking it up because it cooks. You need the meat to be about half-browned whenever you add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook dinner the meat till it’s absolutely browned and the veggies are softened.
- Add the remaining elements. Stir within the taco seasoning, then the black beans, corn, and Rotel, adopted by about half the shredded cheese.
- Assemble the casserole. Unfold about 2 cups of Doritos into the underside of a 9×13” baking dish. Prime this with an excellent layer of taco meat, then one other layer of Doritos. Lastly, sprinkle during the last of the shredded cheese.
- Bake. Bake the casserole in a 350ºF oven for quarter-hour, till the chips are calmly toasted and the cheese is sweet and melty. Then, scoop and serve!
Recipe Ideas
- Depart the Doritos in large-ish chunks. Don’t crush the Doritos up too finely. You continue to need chunks that received’t soften an excessive amount of contained in the casserole.
- Completely different flavors. I really like Dorito’s Nacho Cheese flavored chips on this taco casserole, however you possibly can mess around with different flavors like Cool Ranch, Spicy, and so forth. For those who’d reasonably use plain corn tortilla chips, that works, too!
- If the highest of the casserole browns too shortly, loosely cowl the baking dish with foil whereas it finishes baking.
Taco Casserole Toppings
Similar to a basic taco, there’s no flawed option to gown up your taco casserole. Absolutely anything goes. These are a number of the toppings you’ll discover on our desk on Mexican night time:
- Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes
- Sliced jalapeños (recent or pickled)
- Guacamole or avocado salsa
- Bitter cream
- Salsa or cowboy caviar
- Enchilada sauce
- Crumbled Cotija cheese
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Hold the taco casserole in an hermetic container within the fridge. The Doritos turn into softer over time, so I like to recommend having fun with leftovers inside 2-3 days.
- Reheat. I prefer to heat the casserole within the oven at 350ºF and sprinkle in some recent crushed Doritos to revive the feel.
- Freeze. Freeze the casserole hermetic for as much as 2 months. Thaw within the fridge earlier than reheating.
Extra Straightforward Casserole Recipes
Description
This simple taco casserole is a fiesta in a baking dish! With layers of juicy seasoned taco meat, Dorito crunch, and melty cheese, it’s loaded with Tex-Mex taste. Simply add your favourite toppings.
- 1 pound lean floor beef
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup crimson bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 package deal taco seasoning
- 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can of corn, drained
- 1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes with diced peppers
- 2 cups shredded cheese (I used half cheddar/half Monterey Jack), divided
- 3 cups Doritos, calmly crushed
- Topping options: lettuce, tomatoes, bitter cream, inexperienced onions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Add the bottom beef to a big skillet over medium warmth. Break the meat into items and cook dinner till it’s about half-browned.
- Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the bottom beef and proceed to cook dinner till the meat is totally browned and the greens are softened.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat combination and stir effectively. Cook dinner for 1-2 minutes whereas stirring continually.
- Add the black beans, corn, and Rotel to the skillet and stir it effectively. Then stir in half of the shredded cheese.
- Place about 2 cups’ price of damaged Doritos into the underside of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Spoon the meat combination over the Doritos into an excellent layer.
- Prime with the remaining Doritos and shredded cheese.
- Bake within the preheated oven for about quarter-hour or till the cheese is melted and the chips are toasted on high.
- Serve along with your favourite taco toppings.
