This easy taco casserole recipe uses only a handful of ingredients but packs a ton of flavor.
Seasoned ground beef, beans, chiles, salsa, and loads of melty cheese are baked in a cozy casserole dish that will be on regular rotation.
This Taco Casserole Is Always a Winner Because…
- This casserole is easy to make ahead and freezes great!
- Just like regular tacos, this recipe has endless possibilities for add-ins and toppings.
- Game day or sleepovers, this budget-friendly recipe is a fiesta-inspired dish that is perfect for crowds!
Your Essential Ingredients
- Meat: Use lean ground beef (80/20) or ground turkey. I love my meat chopper for the best texture for ground meat.
- Beans: Canned black beans stretch this meal a little further, they can be replaced with other varieties of beans like pinto beans or kidney beans.
- Salsa: Use your favorite jar of mild, medium, or hot salsa, make your own salsa, or use enchilada sauce.
- Cheese: A shredded Mexican cheese blend makes this casserole easy to make, you can shred your own has the perfect flavor, just pile it on!
Mix, Match, and Enjoy
- Swap the beef for ground pork, chicken or turkey
- Leftover chicken or turkey works, too; shred or chop it finely.
- Dice up some bell peppers, shredded carrots, mushrooms, or zucchini.
How to Make Taco Casserole
- Brown the ground beef and onions.
- Assemble the ground beef mixture and pour into the casserole dish (full recipe below)
- Top with reserved cheese and bake.
Add desired toppings before serving or let everyone add their favorite toppings!
Storage and Leftovers
Taco casserole tastes even better the next day. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat portions in the microwave.
Freeze this taco casserole by cooking the meat and assembling the dish, leaving out 1 cup of cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, top with reserved cheese, and then bake as directed.
Did your family love this Taco Casserole? Leave a comment and a rating below!
Taco Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 medium jalapeño optional, seeded and finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ounce taco seasoning 1 packet
- 15 ounces canned black beans 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounces canned mild green chiles 1 can
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 16 ounces salsa or picante sauce
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion, cooking until no pink remains, about 4-5 minutes. Drain any fat.
- Add garlic and jalapeno (if using). Cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in taco seasoning, black beans, green chiles, tomato paste and salsa. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until heated through.
- Take off the heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Transfer the beef mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.
- Top with desired toppings and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
excellent dish. Served for a visit from my son and children. They loved it and took all the leftover meal home with them.
So glad everyone enjoyed it, Elizabeth! That is the biggest compliment.
Delicious , easy, and quick. Family could not get enough. Have to make double casserole. YUMMY !!!!
So glad everyone loved it Jackie!
Love it! Made a double batch. Divided it into 4 smaller meals. Quick and easy. Thank you for posting.
So glad you loved it, great idea to make 4 smaller meals!
Very very good!! I had mine with Tostitos and my family had it in a wrap to make a huge burrito! My son who did not want me to make a new recipe tonight asked for a second huge burrito because he enjoyed it so much!
Hello Brandy. A huge burrito sounds delicious! I am glad your son enjoyed the new recipe.
With the ingredients, toppings, substitutions aswell as the fact that most added toppings can be added and baked a li’l bit more, or raw, is a great idea for a recipe. I really enjoy the idea of Latin cuisine as much as I do of other cultures, in a casserole.
The Salsa for a sauce is a great idea to make it seem more Mexican/S. American and the enchilada sauce sounds tasty.
I would most likely make a chicken taco casserole off this recipe with salsa.
Jalapeno peppers are a must to make it more authentic.
A chicken taco casserole sounds delicious Eric. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I think I’ll add some elbow macaroni to it, and maybe kidney bean instead of black beans.
So delicious. I made it with spendwithPennies homemade taco seasonings. We ate it in soft taco shells with sour cream lettuce tomato cilantro and onions. I’m gonna serve the left over with cornbread. Spend with Pennie’s recipe. So yummy.