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This taco casserole recipe has tender ground beef, all the best taco flavors, tons of cheese, and a layer of Doritos! It’s the ultimate easy comfort food for busy families.
Love casseroles? Try my Simple Ground Beef Casserole, Simple Breakfast Casserole, or check out all my casserole recipes.
Why you’ll love it
Your whole family will thank you for making this simple taco casserole since it’s just so tasty. They’re going to get really excited for next taco night. It’s also super customizable, so everyone can load it up with their favorite fresh toppings!
Taco flavors, black beans, salsa, and ground beef all dressed up in a hot and cheesy casserole with a warm spice blend… who says no? Even your pickiest eaters are going to devour this meal. It’s also a fairly inexpensive casserole for any weeknight.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for frying the ground beef
- Ground beef – I like to use lean ground beef. Try 90%
- Doritos – use your favorite flavor. I picked nacho cheese. You can also add some on top for an extra crunch!
- Onion – makes a great savory base
- Chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin – this trio makes a delicious homemade taco seasoning
- Beans – I prefer black beans, but you could do a layer of refried beans instead!
- Corn – we’re using canned corn to make this hassle free
- Salsa – pick up a jar of your fave brand
- Cheese – I used a Mexican blend, but cheddar would work great
Suggested toppings:
- Fresh tomatoes
- Chopped cilantro and scallions
- Avocado
- Black olives
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Iceberg or romaine lettuce
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the skillet I use for sauteing, and here’s my preferred 9×13 baking dish.
- Break up the beef with a meat chopper.
- These disposable aluminum baking pans are perfect if you’re bringing it to a potluck or making several.
How to make taco casserole
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven. In a cast iron skillet cook the beef in the olive oil. After a few minutes, stir in the onion and spices. Continue cooking through, and then spoon out any excess fat.
Add in the corn, salsa, beans, and half the cheese. Warm until the cheese melts.
Place an even layer of Doritos in a baking dish. Spoon the beef mixture over top.
Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, and then bake uncovered until hot and melty! Serve as-is or with toppings of your choice suggested above.
Can I make taco casserole ahead of time?
- You bet! Simply cook the onion, spices, and beef mixture, assemble the layers in a baking dish, let it cool, and then tightly cover.
- It’ll keep in the fridge for a day or two, or you can freeze it for up to a month.
- If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight before baking. Since it’ll be starting out cold, it’ll need a bit more time than in the original instructions. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, and then uncover it cook for another 15 minutes or so until it’s hot.
Substitutions and variations
- You don’t have to use Doritos. Other tortilla chips or Fritos will definitely work in this taco bake!
- Use a ready-made taco seasoning blend if you prefer not to use the individual spices.
- You could add more veggies such as red bell peppers to this casserole. I’d add them in at the same time as the onion.
- Feel free to swap the black beans with another kind if you prefer, like kidney beans or pinto beans.
- If you want to add some heat, use a medium or spicy salsa, hot cheese blend, add some cayenne pepper, or you could even toss in some spicy chopped green chilies.
What to serve with taco casserole
- Make it with a side salad with this Chipotle Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing, and you’re all set. I also recommend this Avocado Corn Salad.
- Start the meal off with chips and my Easy Guacamole Recipe.
Leftovers and storage
- If you have any leftovers, they will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days in a covered container. Keep in mind the Doritos will lose firmness over time.
- Reheat in the oven for best results, but you can also microwave until heated through.
- Leftovers can also be frozen. I portion them up in individual containers.
More Tex-Mex recipes you’ll love
Did you make this taco casserole with Doritos? Talk to me in the comments below and leave a star rating! You can also find me on Instagram.
Easy Taco Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups crushed Doritos I used Nacho Cheese flavor
- 1 (14 ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 (12 ounce) can corn drained
- 1 (15.5 ounce) jar salsa use your favorite kind
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (or use cheddar) divided
- Toppings (optional, to taste): tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, avocado, black olives, sour cream, lettuce, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and move the rack to the middle position.
- Add the oil and ground beef to a skillet. Cook, breaking up the meat as you go along, for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Stir in the onion, chili powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the crushed Doritos in an even layer to the bottom of a 9×13 (or similar size) casserole dish.
- If there's a lot of excess fat in the skillet, spoon most of it out. Stir in the beans, corn, salsa, and half the cheese. Let it warm through (until the cheese melts).
- Spoon the beef mixture evenly over the Doritos.
- Top the casserole with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until it's warm and the cheese is nice and melty. Meanwhile, prep the toppings.
- Serve casserole as-is or with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Serves 6-8 depending on how much people eat.
- You can also find this recipe in the casseroles chapter of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on December 17, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Loved it ! Didn’t bake it just put it over jasmine rice and topped it with tortilla strips shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you!
It was ok…. Chips on bottom were soggy and tasted pasty. I put chips on the top as well and they were crisp. Next time I think I would just leave them off the bottom and put on top only.
Great recipe! I did a few substitutions, though ground turkey as it has less fat and is healthier, added five chopped Roma tomatoes for color and flavor, added a bag of frozen red, green, and yellow peppers on sale at the $.99 store, used frozen fire-roasted corn instead of canned, I really like the flavor. Also, I used blue corn tortilla chips, less salt and no artificial ingredients. Huge hit at our monthly church food making fest, and we made several more casseroles to provide meals for the homeless. Love your recipes, thanks!
You are very welcome, Laurie!
Hi Natasha! Just tried to do a review and it like disappeared. 😱🤪 At best I would call myself a hesitant cook. I had to make a casserole to take to a widows group at church. Lutheran women are a tough crowd because they’re all great cooks. I put the casserole together the night before except for the chips and then I got up the next morning and finished the casserole. This was a great recipe. It goes together fast and easy, it tastes great, and was fun. Thanks so much. I’m checking out more of your recipes since everyone prefers to take desserts ha ha ha.
I’m so happy this was a hit, Jeana!! 😀 Thanks for your review! Definitely let me know what else you try lol.
I just got it out of the oven…. Yummy
😀
I haven’t put it in the oven yet and it tastes great. My adult kids are going to love this
Yay!!! 😀
Can ground chicken be substituted for ground beef?
Sure!
I like your recipe. Easy Cheesy Taco Pasta was very easy simple, but with a good taste. thank you
You’re very welcome, Lucila!
Hi Natasha. Could this be prepared the night before?
Hi Kim! See the “Can I make taco casserole ahead of time?” section in the blog post. 🙂 Hope you like the recipe!
We enjoyed this recipe. I didn’t put Doritos on the bottom, but put tortilla chips on top with chopped tomatoes and avocado. I had some leftover rice and put that in bottom of bowl with casserole on top. Soooo good.
That’s great!! 😀 Thanks, Barb!