Taco Casserole

This recipe is a taco in casserole form! Taco Casserole is layers of refried beans, tortilla chips, ground beef, corn, and tomatoes. It’s baked in the oven with cheese on top for a quick and easy to make dinner.

Taco casserole is ideal as a weeknight dinner or to make ahead of time. It uses pantry staples, so can be thrown together last minute. This TexMex recipe stays good in the fridge for up to 2 days if you need to make it ahead of time or save your leftovers.

You could even serve this recipe as a taco dip appetizer for a large crowd, just serve with chips!

Taco Bake Ingredients

To make this taco dinner recipe, you will need the following ingredients (see the recipe below for exact quantities):

• olive oil
• ground beef: I like to use lean ground beef, but you can use any kind you like
• onion
• taco seasoning
• canned diced tomatoes
• canned sweet corn
• shredded cheddar cheese
• canned refried beans
• tortilla chips

How to Make Taco Casserole Recipe

This casserole recipe is so easy to make – just cook, layer and bake.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook the beef. In a large pan over medium high heat, add the oil. Add the beef and cook for 5 – 6 minutes, crumbling it with a wooden spoon or spatula. Drain excess grease.
3. Cook rest of ingredients. Add the onions and cook for 3 – 4 minutes more, until translucent. Stir in the seasoning (along with any additional water that your seasoning packet calls for), tomatoes (drained), corn and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Heat until the cheese begins to melt.
4. Layer the ingredients. Add a layer of refried beans to the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish. (You can use cooking spray to grease the pan.) Top the beans with a layer of crushed tortilla chips. Drain any excess liquid from the skillet and add the ground beef mixture in an even layer on top of the chips. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese.
5. Bake in the oven. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and add any toppings (optional): shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, diced olives, sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro.

Beef Taco Casserole Tips

Drain your meat filling before baking: before you add your meat to your baking dish, drain it to remove any excess liquid.

Keep your layers even: as you add your layers of beans, chips, and meat, work to spread each one evenly so that your casserole bakes through consistently.

Optional Additions & Substitutions

This is a popular recipe to customize, adding your favorite taco ingredients to the filling and on top.

• Meat: this recipe can also be made with 1 pound of ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
• Sour cream: if you love sour cream, add a layer of ¾ cup of sour cream on top of your refried beans and before you add your tortilla chips.
• Black Beans: stir in a drained can of black beans to your meat mixture at the same time as when you add the corn.
• Cheese: instead of cheddar you can use a Mexican cheese blend or Monterey Jack cheese.
• Toppings: customize this recipe with all of your favorite taco toppings. For example: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, diced olives, sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese, cilantro.

What to Serve with This Recipe

This casserole can be a main dish or a side dish. Serve it up for a Mexican dinner feast.

Chips and Guacamole – you can’t go wrong with this classic appetizer, and if you don’t like guac you can try my black bean and corn salsa

Stuffed Poblano Peppers – mild peppers stuffed with cheesy chicken is always a hit

Instant Pot Pozole – this traditional dish is a must for any Mexican dinner night

Enchiladas – cheese enchiladas or chicken enchiladas, your choice

Elote – this street corn (off the cob) is made in a Instant Pot

Steak Fajitas – made easy on one sheet pan

Chicken Tortilla Soup – the ultimate Mexican comfort food

Taco Casserole

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This recipe is a taco in casserole form! Taco Casserole is layers of refried beans, tortilla chips, ground beef, corn, and tomatoes. It’s baked in the oven with cheese on top for a quick and easy dinner.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 (14.5 ounce can) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (15 ounce can) sweet corn
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded & divided
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 1/2 cups tortilla chips, crushed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Add the ground beef and cook for 5 - 6 minutes, crumbling it with a wooden spoon or spatula. Drain excess grease.
3. Add the onion and cook for 3 - 4 minutes more, until translucent.
4. Stir in the taco seasoning (along with any additional water that your taco seasoning packet calls for), diced tomatoes (drained), corn and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Heat until the cheese begins to melt.
5. Add a layer of refried beans to the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13” pan.
6. Top the beans with a layer of crushed tortilla chips.
7. Drain any excess liquid from the skillet and add the beef mixture in an even layer on top of the chips. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese.
8. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and add any toppings (optional): shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, diced olives, sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 366Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 619mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 25g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest