Taco Casserole | Cookies & Cups

By: Shelly
Posted: Apr 24, 2025

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 one more tacky, beefy Tex-Mex dinner, attempt my Frito pie and this straightforward taco pasta.

Taco casserole topped with a dollop of sour cream in a ceramic baking dish.

At this time’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 solution to put a recent 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 an important possibility for a celebration or recreation day menu.
Easy components. The filling is straightforward to make with a couple of of my favourite Tex-Mex-inspired components. All of them are available in grocery shops and infrequently 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 a success every time I make it for taco night time.

Taco casserole ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Substances 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 publish for the printable listing with quantities.

Floor Beef – I like to make use of lean floor beef, however you can too make this casserole with floor hen, turkey, or sausage, resembling chorizo.
Onion and Bell Pepper – Yellow onion and any shade pepper you’d like (I take advantage of pink), diced up.
Garlic – Freshly minced, or you possibly can 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 – For those who’re utilizing canned beans and corn, drain and rinse them nicely beforehand. You may swap black beans for one more variety, like pinto or kidney beans should 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 a couple 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 options.

How you can Make a Taco Casserole

Let’s get this casserole going. It’s fast and simple, with about 5 minutes of hands-on prep. After that, the oven does the remainder! You’ll discover an summary of the steps right here and the complete printable recipe within the recipe card.

Diced onions, red bell peppers, and onions added to ground beef in a skillet. — Brown the meat and add the veggies.

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 components. Stir within the taco seasoning, then the black beans, corn, and Rotel, adopted by about half the shredded cheese.

Taco meat added to a baking dish. — Layer Doritos and the filling right into a baking dish.

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 calmly toasted and the cheese is sweet and melty. Then, scoop and serve!

A spoon lifting a scoop of taco casserole from a baking dish.

Recipe Suggestions

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 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 on. For those who’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.

Overhead view of a spoon resting in an open serving of taco casserole in a baking dish.

Taco Casserole Toppings

Identical to a traditional taco, there’s no unsuitable solution to costume up your taco casserole. Absolutely anything goes. These are among 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

Overhead view of a serving of taco casserole garnished with guacamole and sour cream on a plate.

Close up overhead view of a serving of taco casserole garnished with guacamole and sour cream on a plate.

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 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 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 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 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 nicely. Cook dinner for 1-2 minutes whereas stirring consistently.
Add the black beans, corn, and Rotel to the skillet and stir it nicely. 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 together with your favourite taco toppings.