My family loves a comfort food dinner, they’re always requesting crockpot meatloaf, Instant Pot pot roast, turkey casserole, beef noodle casserole, chicken and rice casserole and this festive taco casserole. You can never go wrong with tacos! I love to do taco night for dinner, but sometimes when I’m in a hurry, I just layer all the ingredients in a dish and bake them together, which is how this taco casserole came to be. This recipe has all of the components of tacos in the form of a cheesy casserole. You can even add your favorite taco fixings on top to take this dish to the next level!
Taco Casserole Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need olive oil, ground beef, onion, taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, tortilla chips, refried beans, cheddar cheese, and whatever toppings you’d like to add after the casserole is baked.
How Do You Make Taco Casserole?
This recipe starts with ground beef, which is cooked in a skillet with onions, tomatoes and taco seasoning. A layer of crushed tortilla chips goes into the bottom of a casserole dish, and is topped with refried beans. The next step is to add your layer of beef, and plenty of shredded cheese. Bake your casserole until it’s bubbling and the cheese is melted, then add some fresh toppings and serve.
Tips For Taco Casserole
I typically use 90% lean ground beef, it has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy. If you use beef with a higher fat content, you may need to drain excess grease from the pan after it is cooked. I recommend grating your own cheese instead of using the pre-shredded variety. The bagged grated cheese is often coated with anti caking agents and does not melt as well as freshly shredded cheese. This dish can easily be doubled for a crowd and makes for great leftovers. To crush your tortilla chips, place them in a resealable bag and use a rolling pin or meat mallet. You want your chips to be coarsely crushed, about 1/4 inch sized pieces.
Taco Casserole Variations
There are so many different ways to customize this casserole to your tastes.
Protein: Use cooked diced chicken or ground turkey instead of beef. Cheese: Try pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese instead of cheddar for a different flavor. Chips: Instead of regular tortilla chips, try a flavored chip such as nacho cheese chips, or you can use a layer of flour or corn tortillas on the bottom. Beans: Use black beans or pinto beans instead of refried beans. Seasonings: Add extra zest with hot sauce, cumin, chili powder and garlic powder. Vegetables: You can add extra vegetables to your beef mixture such as bell peppers or corn. Toppings: You can top your casserole with black olives, sour cream, avocado, salsa, guacamole, more crushed chips, pickled jalapenos, green onions or cilantro.
This casserole is such a fun and easy way to do taco night. I find myself making it on a regular basis because my kids can’t get enough of it! Add some steamed vegetables on the side and you’ll have a dinner that will earn you rave reviews.
