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, 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, strive my Frito pie and this straightforward taco pasta.
Right this moment’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 underneath an hour and such a enjoyable option to put a contemporary spin on taco night time!
What Makes This the Greatest Taco Casserole Recipe
- Crowd-pleasing. I 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 a terrific choice for a celebration or sport day menu.
- Easy components. The filling is simple to make with just a few of my favourite Tex-Mex-inspired components. All of them are available in grocery shops and infrequently already within the cabinet.
- Huge 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 a success each time I make it for taco night time.
Elements You’ll Want
You don’t want any fancy components to load up this weeknight casserole with scrumptious, Mexican-inspired taste. I’ve included my notes on what goes into this recipe beneath. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card after the put up for the printable listing with quantities.
- Floor Beef – I like to make use of lean floor beef, however it’s also possible to make this casserole with floor hen, turkey, or sausage, corresponding to 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 exchange 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 – In case you’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 if you happen to’d like.
- Rotel Tomatoes – Rotel comes with diced peppers included. If wanted, substitute canned diced tomatoes and add gentle or sizzling 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, frivolously 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 put up for extra serving strategies.
Methods 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 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 once you add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook dinner the meat till it’s absolutely browned and the veggies are softened.
- Add the remaining components. 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 a good 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 frivolously 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 gained’t soften an excessive amount of contained in the casserole.
- Completely different flavors. I 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 on. In case you’d somewhat 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 unsuitable option to gown up your taco casserole. Absolutely anything goes. These are a few of the toppings you’ll discover on our desk on Mexican night time:
- Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes
- Sliced jalapeños (contemporary or pickled)
- Guacamole or avocado salsa
- Bitter cream
- Salsa or cowboy caviar
- Enchilada sauce
- Crumbled Cotija cheese
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Preserve the taco casserole in an hermetic container within the fridge. The Doritos develop 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 contemporary 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 Simple Casserole Recipes
Description
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
- 3 cups Doritos, frivolously crushed
- Topping strategies: 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 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 effectively. Cook dinner for 1-2 minutes whereas stirring continuously.
- 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 a good 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.