• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Dinner at the Zoo

  • All Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Appetizers
  • Dessert
  • One Pot Meals
  • Slow Cooker
  • Asian Food

Home » Dinner » Taco Casserole Recipe

April 8, 2019 By Sara 65 Comments

Taco Casserole Recipe

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This taco casserole is layers of tortilla chips, refried beans and beef, all topped with plenty of cheese and baked to perfection. Add your favorite taco fixings such as lettuce, tomato and olives for a hearty and family friendly meal!

My family loves a hot cheesy casserole, they’re always requesting beef noodle casserole, chicken and rice casserole and this festive taco casserole. You can never go wrong with tacos!

Taco Casserole Recipe | Mexican Casserole | Beef Casserole #casserole #tacos #beef #dinner #cheese #dinneratthezoo Taco Casserole Recipe | Mexican Casserole | Beef Casserole #casserole #tacos #beef #dinner #cheese #dinneratthezoo

Taco casserole in a baking dish topped with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato and olives.

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!

Crushed tortilla chips in a casserole dish.

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.

A layer of refried beans on top of a crushed tortilla chips.

Tips for taco casserole

  • I typically use 90% lean ground beef, it has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy.
  • 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.

Cooked taco meat in a casserole dish.

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 instead of cheddar for a bit of a spicy kick.
  • 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 or pinto beans instead of refried beans.
  • Vegetables: You can add extra vegetables to your beef mixture such as bell peppers or corn.
  • Toppings: You can top your casserole with sour cream, avocado, more crushed chips, pickled jalapenos, green onions or cilantro.

A spoon serving up a portion of beef taco casserole.

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.

A serving of taco casserole topped with melted cheese.

More great Mexican food recipes

  • Chicken Enchilada Casserole
  • Chile Relleno Casserole
  • Mexican Casserole
  • Dorito Casserole
  • Taco Salad
Taco casserole in a baking dish topped with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato and olives.
Print Pin
5 from 30 votes

Taco Casserole

This taco casserole is layers of tortilla chips, refried beans and beef, all topped with plenty of cheese and baked to perfection. Add your favorite taco fixings such as lettuce, tomato and olives for a hearty and family friendly meal!
Course Main
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword taco casserole
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 435kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
  • 1/2 cup onion finely diced
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes do not drain
  • 1 1/4 cups tortilla chips crushed
  • 16 ounce can refried beans
  • 1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • Toppings such as shredded lettuce, diced tomato and sliced olives
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 inch square pan or 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5-6 minutes, 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 diced tomatoes. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
  • Place a layer of tortilla chips in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread a layer of refried beans over the top.
  • Pour the beef mixture over the beans and top with the cheese.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  • Add toppings if desired, then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 709mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 925IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 270mg | Iron: 4.1mg

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: Ground Beef, Mexican Food, Taco

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

« Mexican Stuffed Shells
Tortellini Soup with Sausage »

Comments

  1. Suzzette says

    August 25, 2019 at 9:39 am

    5 stars
    I had a package of corn tortillas that were cracked and couldn’t be used for taco’s. So I broke them up and I used my crock pot. I did 2 layers. Since the crock pot add its own moisture, I put parchment paper between casserole and lid so it wouldn’t become soggy. It turned out delicious. Next time I won’t cook it as long. But using the crock pot in summer helps bc I can plug it in, in the garage so not to heat up the house. This is a big hit. It’s definitely going into the menu rotation. I think I’ll use nacho chips next time. Thank you for this delicious recipe.

    Reply
  2. Suzzette says

    August 24, 2019 at 12:26 pm

    I’m going to make this tonight. I have plain Tortilla chips, but I think I’ll use nacho chips instead. I’m hoping it turns out well in the crock pot. I don’t like using the oven in summer, but I love anything Taco 😁 and this looks and sounds amazing. Thx

    Reply
  3. Laro says

    August 20, 2019 at 3:29 pm

    Made this tonight! It was so good! We used a mix of beans!

    Reply
  4. brook says

    August 19, 2019 at 6:01 pm

    could you add a layer of rice in here?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      August 19, 2019 at 10:43 pm

      Yes that would be delicious!

      Reply
  5. Gail says

    August 17, 2019 at 1:27 pm

    5 stars
    Do you drain and mash the black beans ?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      August 18, 2019 at 7:39 am

      You would rinse and drain black beans. You can either mash them or leave them whole!

      Reply
  6. Gail says

    August 17, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    5 stars
    I would like to know could you rinse the black beans?

    Reply
  7. Terri says

    July 15, 2019 at 2:18 pm

    5 stars
    This was GREAT! Satisfied four teenaged boys. My only question…am I the only one that found it impossible to spread refried beans on the tortilla chips?? I had to heat the beans up and smoosh them on the chips. Still tasted great.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      July 15, 2019 at 7:43 pm

      I also heated up the beans to spread them, then used an offset spatula to gently spread them around!

      Reply
    • Margie Smuck says

      August 17, 2019 at 12:58 pm

      I heated the beans and mixed a little sour cream and salsa, spread really easy.

      Reply
  8. Terri says

    May 21, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this tonight and topped it with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, diced avocado, sour cream and sliced black olives. It was A huge hit with all my family members. My 19 year old son who is very picky ate 3 heaping helpings and my 16 year old so. Had two and my 13 year old who isn’t a big Mexican food fan even cleaned his plate. It’s a keeper for sure!

    Reply
  9. Chris Downie says

    May 13, 2019 at 6:24 pm

    Great recipe !!! You rock!!!!!!

    Reply
  10. Ryan Tehada says

    May 2, 2019 at 5:31 pm

    Hi, Was wondering but could you make this dish and freeze it for future use? Im looking for casseroles where I can prepare , freeze and then reheat at a later time to save time.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      May 2, 2019 at 11:56 pm

      You could do that, just be aware the chip layer on the bottom will turn soft after being frozen!

      Reply
  11. Jacque says

    April 21, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    5 stars
    What a great dish for Cinco de Mayo! My friends would love this; glad I saw this recipe!

    Reply
  12. Jen says

    April 18, 2019 at 5:05 am

    5 stars
    Tried this with ground chicken, added a dollop of guacamole and used low carb tortillas for an excellent Taco Tuesday meal. For my carb conscious guests, it hit the spot!

    Reply
  13. Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says

    April 14, 2019 at 2:16 am

    5 stars
    This will quickly become a favorite in our house!

    Reply
  14. Melanie Bauer says

    April 11, 2019 at 1:22 am

    5 stars
    Can’t wait to dive into this! Love all the flavors going on and I’m so excited to make this!

    Reply
  15. Jade Manning says

    April 10, 2019 at 1:49 pm

    5 stars
    This looks like my kinda dinner, I love Mexican!

    Reply
  16. Catalina says

    April 10, 2019 at 4:20 am

    5 stars
    I love taco everything! I am sure I will love this recipe!

    Reply
  17. Katerina @ diethood .com says

    April 10, 2019 at 3:38 am

    5 stars
    WOW!! This looks incredible!! I bet it tastes ahhmaazing!! YUM!!

    Reply
  18. Chrissie Baker says

    April 10, 2019 at 12:18 am

    5 stars
    I’m a HUGE fan of tacos and casseroles, so when they’re combined in one, you better believe I’m in heaven! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  19. Bee says

    April 10, 2019 at 12:17 am

    5 stars
    This sounds delish. We are going to party in a couple of weeks and i am taking this cass for sure!

    Reply
  20. Beth Pierce says

    April 9, 2019 at 8:32 pm

    5 stars
    I will be adding this to my dinner line up for the week! This looks amazing!

    Reply
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
category category category category category category category

Categories

Sites I am featured In
PRIVACY POLICY © Sara Welch and Dinner at the Zoo® LLC, 2015-2018.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • All Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Appetizers
  • Dessert
  • One Pot Meals
  • Slow Cooker
  • Asian Food