This Dorito casserole is layers of crushed Doritos tortilla chips, ground beef, salsa and cheese, all baked together to golden brown perfection. An easy dinner option that the whole family will love!
I’m all about the hearty casseroles, my family’s favorites include beef noodle casserole, chicken and rice casserole and this Mexican style Dorito casserole. This unique dish is quick to assemble and tastes just like tacos!
There’s nothing better than a hot, cheesy casserole on a cold evening. This Dorito casserole is always a huge hit in my house, my kids always get so excited when it’s on the menu. I don’t blame them, chips for dinner is always a good thing!
This casserole makes for a delicious dinner along with Mexican inspired side dishes like cilantro lime rice, southwestern egg rolls and Mexican corn salad.
Dorito Casserole Ingredients
To make this Dorito casserole make sure you have olive oil, ground beef, onion, taco seasoning, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, Doritos chips, tomatoes and green onions. You may want some toppings for your casserole like sour cream, salsa or cilantro.
How Do You Make Dorito Casserole?
This Dorito casserole recipe starts with preheating your oven and heating olive oil in a large pan. Cook your ground beef in the large skillet and add onion. When cooked, add taco seasoning and red salsa. Remove the pan from the heat and stir sour cream into the ground beef mixture. Layer a baking dish with lightly crushed Doritos chips and place 1/3 of your meat mixture on the chips. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the beef. Do two more layers of chips, beef and cheese. The casserole goes into the oven to bake. Take the casserole out of the oven and add your favorite toppings.
Tips For The Perfect Dorito Casserole
- I use 90% lean ground beef. It has plenty of flavor but isn’t overly greasy. If you use beef with more fat you can drain some of the grease after you cook the beef.
- You can use any flavor Doritos you like, I typically make this dish with the nacho cheese flavored chips. Cool ranch and Doritos taco flavored chips would also be good.
- You can use your favorite taco seasoning or make your own taco seasoning.
- Feel free to use a jar of red salsa or make your own red Chipotle salsa.
- I use a blend of cheddar cheese and Monterey jack cheese for this casserole. You could also try a Mexican cheese blend or pepper jack cheese.
Quick Tip
You want to crush your chips into 1/2 inch pieces. If you make them too small, they’ll turn into mush in the casserole.
Recipe FAQs
A Dorito casserole stays good in an airtight container in a refrigerator for 3 days. You can reheat the casserole in an oven or reheat individual slices in a toaster oven or microwave.
You can assemble this Dorito casserole up to 6 hours before you plan to bake it. Place your covered casserole in the fridge until it’s time to put it in the oven. You may need to increase the baking time to compensate for starting with a cold casserole.
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Flavor Variations
There are so many ways to change up this Dorito casserole to suit your tastes, the possibilities are endless!
- Tortilla Chips: Substitute your favorite tortilla chips instead of flavored Doritos.
- Spicy: Use hot salsa and pepper jack cheese.
- Veggies: Add 1 finely diced bell pepper to the ground beef mixture or a small can of mild green chiles.
- Beans: Feel free to add pinto beans or black beans to your meat mixture with the taco seasoning and red salsa.
- Protein: Use ground turkey, ground chicken, rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken instead of the beef.
- Toppings: You can garnish your casserole with a variety of toppings. I typically serve my Doritos casserole with sour cream, diced tomatoes and green onions. Other great options are chopped cilantro, salsa fresca, olives, avocado and Chipotle guacamole.
I have to admit, I was skeptical the first time I made this one. Doritos chips, in casserole form? Trust me though, it really works! It’s like eating a super delicious taco with fixings. I often bring this casserole to potlucks and it always disappears instantly! If you like Mexican food, you’ll enjoy Doritos casserole.
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Dorito Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1/2 cup onion finely diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups red salsa
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheese I used cheddar and Monterey Jack
- 4 cups Doritos chips I used nacho cheese flavor
- 1/2 cup tomatoes diced
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced
- cooking spray
- sour cream, cilantro and other taco toppings for serving optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 2-3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the beef and cook for 4-5 minutes or until just browned, breaking up the meat with a spatula.
- Add the onion and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and red salsa. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream.
- Lightly crush the Doritos. Spread 1/3 of the chips over the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 1/2 of the meat mixture on top of the chips, then add 1/3 of the cheese in an even layer.
- Repeat the process with another 1/3 of the chips, the rest of the meat, and 1/3 of the cheese.
- Add the remaining chips, then the final layer of cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes and green onions over the casserole, then serve. Top with additional taco flavorings such as sour cream, olives, etc. if desired.
Notes
- You want to crush your chips into 1/2 inch pieces. If you make them too small, they’ll turn into mush in the casserole.
- I use 90% lean ground beef. It has plenty of flavor but isn’t overly greasy. If you use beef with more fat you can drain some of the grease after you cook the beef.
- You can use any flavor Doritos you like, I typically make this dish with the nacho cheese flavored chips. Cool ranch and Doritos taco flavored chips would also be good.
Turned out amazing! Wasn’t sure how it would turn out with it being my first time trying or making a dorito casserole, but my entire family loves it. Will definitely be making it again. I left out the extra ingredients on top of the casserole, well I still sprinkled shredded cheese of course. But wow just yummy 😋
It was very good but a little spicy for me. I used Nacho Doritos and Mexican blend cheese. I’ll use cheddar cheese next time.
Thank you! I used to make something similar but knew the kids would like Doritos. Added corn and lack beans and used ground turkey.
DOES ANYONE KNOW IF YOU CAN FREEZE THE DORITO CASSEROLE???
It doesn’t seem like it would be any good when it defrosts. I’ve never tried it but I will if we have leftovers and post my results.
Yes, it can be frozen. I’ve done it twice already as it makes a lot of casserole for the two of us. I just let it cool, cut the casserole into sections, and use a spatula to put the portion in a freezer bag and throw it in the freezer. Just microwave until heated thoroughly (165 degrees) and enjoy.
I made this meal and it was very good I love to cook and I love new recipes and cassorel thankyou.
thank you.
Can u I cover with something else? I have no foil.
Any oven safe cover is fine!
Ty for the recipe….my family likes it alot even my picky eater lol…..
I made t and we liked it alot. We liked it and I plan on making it again. The texture was great. Not runny, and the tomatoes and green onions make it beautiful. Thank you for the recipe.
Can I freeze this ahead if time?
You can just be aware that the chips will soften and not be crunchy anymore!
Game this casserole at least a dozen times one of our favorite ty do much for this receipe
Could you add a layer of refried beans . On top of meat mixture?
Yes that would work!
Laval, QC, Canada le 8 octobre 2019
Bonjour Sara,
Je suis retenu à la maison par le fait que ma douce moitié est en début d’Alzheimer. Je dois faire tous les repas depuis environ 2 ans pour elle et pour moi et je vous dis que vous êtes la meilleure présentatrice de cuisine que j’ai consulté jusqu’à présent. Merci pour votre aide immense.
René
I’m wondering what kind of salsa did you use?
A jarred mild salsa such as Pace works well!
Amazing casserole! ! We all love it !! ❤❤ 2nd time making it was tonight
Finally a casserole recipe that doesn’t have a cream soup in it! Going to make this tonight
Made tonight it was delish thank you
The recipe calls for 1 cup sour cream but I don’t see where you added that anywhere. I thought it was for toppings but you added that as an option at the end does sour cream go in the layers??
It’s listed in step 5!
I recently made some Mexican food and everyone loved it. I need to try this recipe soon! It looks amazing!
The recipe sounds really great and truly it is worth a try. And I will give it a try.
I love finding a new recipe to try. I’m always so scared I am going to mess it up somehow. This looks easy enough for me though. Thanks!
Oh my goodness, Doritos are my favorites and I can have them with meat, extra cheese and other toppings? Great combination
Do you think next time I could add a layer of refried beans or would it be runny?
That should be fine!