Taco casserole is a fiesta in a baking dish! With layers of savory seasoned taco meat, crunchy Doritos, and melted cheese, there’s a lot to love. I garnish this Tex-Mex casserole with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes, just like a real taco.
This recipe is a bit like a simplified version of my original Doritos casserole. For another cheesy, beefy Tex-Mex dinner, try my Frito pie and this easy taco pasta.
Today’s taco casserole has layers of Dorito crunch and savory taco meat mixed with veggies, corn, beans, and a gooey, melty cheese blend. It’s on the table in under an hour and such a fun way to put a fresh spin on taco night!
What Makes This the Best Taco Casserole Recipe
- Crowd-pleasing. I love that this casserole packs all the flavors of a taco into a 9×13” baking dish. It makes cooking tacos for a crowd that much easier! It’s a great option for a party or game day menu.
- Simple ingredients. The filling is easy to make with a few of my favorite Tex-Mex-inspired ingredients. All of them are readily available in grocery stores and often already in the cupboard.
- Big taco flavors. I fill my casserole with juicy ground beef, tender veggies, savory spices, crunchy Doritos, and plenty of melted cheese. It’s loaded with flavor and always a hit whenever I make it for taco night.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You don’t need any fancy ingredients to load up this weeknight casserole with delicious, Mexican-inspired flavor. I’ve included my notes on what goes into this recipe below. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for the printable list with amounts.
- Ground Beef – I like to use lean ground beef, but you can also make this casserole with ground chicken, turkey, or sausage, such as chorizo.
- Onion and Bell Pepper – Yellow onion and any color pepper you’d like (I use red), diced up.
- Garlic – Freshly minced, or you can replace each clove with ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Taco Seasoning – Choose your favorite store-bought taco seasoning, like Old El Paso.
- Corn and Black Beans – If you’re using canned beans and corn, drain and rinse them well beforehand. You can swap black beans for another kind, like pinto or kidney beans if you’d like.
- Rotel Tomatoes – Rotel comes with diced peppers included. If needed, substitute canned diced tomatoes and add mild or hot diced green chilies to taste.
- Shredded Cheese – I like to use half cheddar and half Monterey Jack cheese, but any shreddable cheese will work, like Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, or Asiago.
- Doritos – Any flavor, or corn chips, lightly crushed (I gently squeeze the bag a few times to break them up a bit).
- Toppings – Lettuce, onions, sour cream, avocado, green onions, or any of your favorite taco toppings. See further in the post for more serving suggestions.
How to Make a Taco Casserole
Let’s get this casserole going. It’s quick and easy, with about 5 minutes of hands-on prep. After that, the oven does the rest! You’ll find an overview of the steps here and the full printable recipe in the recipe card.
- Brown the beef and veggies. First, add the ground beef to a skillet and brown the meat over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks. You want the beef to be about half-browned when you add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook the meat until it’s fully browned and the veggies are softened.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the taco seasoning, then the black beans, corn, and Rotel, followed by about half the shredded cheese.
- Assemble the casserole. Spread about 2 cups of Doritos into the bottom of a 9×13” baking dish. Top this with an even layer of taco meat, then another layer of Doritos. Finally, sprinkle over the last of the shredded cheese.
- Bake. Bake the casserole in a 350ºF oven for 15 minutes, until the chips are lightly toasted and the cheese is nice and melty. Then, scoop and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Leave the Doritos in large-ish chunks. Don’t crush the Doritos up too finely. You still want chunks that won’t soften too much inside the casserole.
- Different flavors. I love Dorito’s Nacho Cheese flavored chips in this taco casserole, but you can play around with other flavors like Cool Ranch, Spicy, etc. If you’d rather use plain corn tortilla chips, that works, too!
- If the top of the casserole browns too quickly, loosely cover the baking dish with foil while it finishes baking.
Taco Casserole Toppings
Just like a classic taco, there’s no wrong way to dress up your taco casserole. Just about anything goes. These are some of the toppings you’ll find on our table on Mexican night:
- Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes
- Sliced jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
- Guacamole or avocado salsa
- Sour cream
- Salsa or cowboy caviar
- Enchilada sauce
- Crumbled Cotija cheese
Serving Suggestions
I serve my cheesy taco casserole topped with garnishes (see above), with stick of butter rice or a Frito corn salad on the side. These air fryer biscuits also pair great with any casserole! For some extra veggies, I love this Southwestern Cobb salad or quinoa salad, and in the summer we’ll make corn on the cob. Wash everything down with a frozen sangria and enjoy a slice of chocolatey Texas sheet cake for dessert!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Keep the taco casserole in an airtight container in the fridge. The Doritos become softer over time, so I recommend enjoying leftovers within 2-3 days.
- Reheat. I like to warm the casserole in the oven at 350ºF and sprinkle in some fresh crushed Doritos to revive the texture.
- Freeze. Freeze the casserole airtight for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Easy Casserole Recipes
Taco Casserole
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Description
This easy 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 flavor. Just add your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 package 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
- 3 cups Doritos, lightly crushed
- Topping suggestions: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Add the ground beef to a large skillet over medium heat. Break the beef into pieces and cook until it is about half-browned.
- Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the ground beef and continue to cook until the beef is completely browned and the vegetables are softened.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat mixture and stir well. Cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring constantly.
- Add the black beans, corn, and Rotel to the skillet and stir it well. Then stir in half of the shredded cheese.
- Place about 2 cups’ worth of broken Doritos into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Spoon the meat mixture over the Doritos into an even layer.
- Top with the remaining Doritos and shredded cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chips are toasted on top.
- Serve with your favorite taco toppings.
