Taco casserole is a fiesta in a baking dish! With layers of savory seasoned taco meat, crunchy Doritos, and melted cheese, there’s so much to like. I garnish this Tex-Mex casserole with bitter cream, guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes, similar 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 straightforward taco pasta.
In the present day’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 below an hour and such a enjoyable option to put a recent spin on taco evening!
What Makes This the Finest 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 incredible choice for a celebration or recreation day menu.
Easy elements. The filling is straightforward to make with a number of of my favourite Tex-Mex-inspired elements. All of them are available in grocery shops and sometimes already within the cabinet.
Large 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 all the time a success each time I make it for taco evening.
Elements 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 all the way down to the recipe card after the publish for the printable checklist with quantities.
Floor Beef – I like to make use of lean floor beef, however you too can make this casserole with floor rooster, turkey, or sausage, reminiscent of chorizo.
Onion and Bell Pepper – Yellow onion and any colour pepper you’d like (I exploit pink), diced up.
Garlic – Freshly minced, or you’ll be able to substitute every clove with ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Taco Seasoning – Select your favourite store-bought taco seasoning, like Outdated El Paso.
Corn and Black Beans – In the event you’re utilizing canned beans and corn, drain and rinse them properly beforehand. You may swap black beans for an additional type, like pinto or kidney beans if you happen to’d like.
Rotel Tomatoes – Rotel comes with diced peppers included. If wanted, substitute canned diced tomatoes and add gentle 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, flippantly crushed (I gently squeeze the bag a number of instances 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 publish for extra serving recommendations.
Tips on how to 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 remaining! You’ll discover an summary of the steps right here and the total printable recipe within the recipe card.
Brown the meat and add the veggies.Stir in seasoning, beans, corn, Rotel, and cheese.
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 while you add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook dinner the meat till it’s totally 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.
Layer Doritos and the filling right into a baking dish.High with cheese and bake!
Assemble the casserole. Unfold about 2 cups of Doritos into the underside of a 9×13” baking dish. High 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 flippantly toasted and the cheese is good and melty. Then, scoop and serve!
Recipe Ideas
Go away 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’ll be able to mess around with different flavors like Cool Ranch, Spicy, and so forth. In the event you’d slightly 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
Identical to a traditional taco, there’s no flawed option to gown up your taco casserole. Absolutely anything goes. These are among the toppings you’ll discover on our desk on Mexican evening:
Refrigerate. Preserve 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.
This straightforward 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 pink bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bundle 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
Add the bottom beef to a big skillet over medium warmth. Break the meat into items and prepare dinner till it’s about half-browned.
Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the bottom beef and proceed to prepare dinner till the meat is totally browned and the greens are softened.
Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat combination and stir properly. Cook dinner for 1-2 minutes whereas stirring consistently.
Add the black beans, corn, and Rotel to the skillet and stir it properly. Then stir in half of the shredded cheese.
Place about 2 cups’ value of damaged Doritos into the underside of a 9×13 baking dish.
Spoon the meat combination over the Doritos into an excellent layer.
High 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.
