Taco casserole is a fiesta in a baking dish! With layers of savory seasoned taco meat, crunchy Doritos, and melted cheese, there’s quite a bit 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.
Immediately’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 solution to put a contemporary spin on taco night time!
What Makes This the Finest 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 elements. The filling is simple 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.
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 all the time a success at any time when I make it for taco night time.
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 right down to the recipe card after the submit for the printable checklist with quantities.
Floor Beef – I like to make use of lean floor beef, however you may as well make this casserole with floor hen, turkey, or sausage, equivalent to chorizo.
Onion and Bell Pepper – Yellow onion and any colour 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 – In case you’re utilizing canned beans and corn, drain and rinse them properly beforehand. You’ll be able to swap black beans for an additional type, like pinto or kidney beans in case you’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 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 submit for extra serving strategies.
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 complete 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 whenever you add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Prepare 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.
Layer Doritos and the filling right into a baking dish.Prime with cheese and bake!
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 over the past 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
Go away 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 possibly can 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 mistaken solution to costume up your taco casserole. Absolutely anything goes. These are a few of the toppings you’ll discover on our desk on Mexican night time:
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.
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 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 properly. Prepare dinner for 1-2 minutes whereas stirring always.
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’ 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.
