This Walking taco casserole recipe is a flavorful and delicious dish. The cheesy casserole dish has a comforting texture. The recipe's savory taste brings together flavors of Tex-Mex Mexican food. You also get a crunchy texture from the tortilla chips. This is an easy weeknight meal that the entire family will love. So next taco night change it up a little with this easy taco casserole.
If you love Mexican-style recipes make use to try the Mexican Ground Beef Soup and the Spicy White Bean Stew
Why you will love this recipe
It comes together quickly with minimal ingredients you can find at the grocery store. Plus, not only is it hearty and delicious, but easy casserole is also a crowd-pleaser that everyone in your family will enjoy. Finally, with this taco casserole recipe, you can rest assured knowing the prepping and clean-up are minimal so you can move on to enjoying the meal instead of stressing out over it.
Why is it called walking taco casserole?
Have you ever wondered why it's called a walking taco casserole, even though there are no tacos in sight? Well, this kid-friendly dish originated with an ingenious idea: to combine the flavor of classic tacos and simple ingredients with the convenience of carryout food. With creamy beans, cheesy nacho chips and all other kinds of deliciousness layered and baked together in one pan, walking taco casserole is a great recipe that will become a family favorite!
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Ingredients
- Tortilla chips
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Kidney beans or black beans
- Frozen corn
- Shredded cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend cheese
- Green onions
- Roma tomato diced
- Cilantro
- Black olives
Favorite toppings: sour cream, diced avocado, salsa, enchilada sauce, green chiles, pico de gallo and shredded lettuce.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375˚F
Place the crushed tortillas in the bottom of the baking dish.
In a large skillet over medium heat brown ground beef, and add the diced onion, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook until the beef mixture is completely cooked, about 8 minutes
Transfer the meat mixture to the baking dish on top of the tortilla chips.
Top with kidney beans, corn, and cheese
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and garnish with green onion, diced tomato, cilantro, and black olives.
Serve warm.
Variations
- You can use ground turkey, ground chicken instead of beef, and even shredded chicken.
- Change the kidney bean for black beans or pinto beans
- Use frito corn chips instead of the tortilla chips
- Use a Mexican blend of cheese, Monterey jack cheese in place of the cheddar.
Equipment
- Medium skillet
- 9x13 baking dish
- Oven
Storage
To store your taco casserole, make sure it has cooled completely before placing it in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Store the dish in the refrigerator for up to five days. When reheating, you can either microwave or place a portion of the casserole in an oven-safe dish and cover it with foil before heating it at 350°F for around 15 minutes.
You can also freeze your taco casserole for up to three months. To do this, prepare the recipe as directed but don't bake it. Let the dish cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and label it with the date. When ready to eat, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking as directed. The taco casserole will last 3 months in the freezer.
FAQ
There are many delicious sides that can be served with it. For a classic pairing, serve the taco casserole with refried beans, Spanish rice, and warm tortillas. Another great accompaniment is a hearty Mexican salad tossed in a tangy lime vinaigrette.
Yes! If you’d like to make a vegetarian version of this taco casserole, simply swap out the beef for vegan crumbles or diced mushrooms. You can also add extra beans and vegetables if desired!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Walking Taco Casserole
Equipment
- 1 cooking dish 9x13
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups tortilla chips crushed
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cup frozen corn
- 1 can 17 oz kidney beans
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Green onions
- 1 Roma tomato diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 12 cup black olives sliced optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F
- Place the crushed tortillas in the bottom of the baking dish.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, add the diced onion, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook until the beef mixture is completely cooked, about 8 minutes.
- Transfer the meat mixture to the cooking dish on top of the tortilla chips.
- Top with kidney beans, corn, and cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with green onion, diced tomato, cilantro, and black olives.
- Serve warm.
Amanda Dixon
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was a huge hit! It had the perfect kick of spice with loads of cheesy goodness. Delicious recipe!
Sophie
Amanda, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe- thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Kate
I love how easy prep is for this recipe. I also have most of these ingredients in my pantry so this would be a great one for when I'm all out of dinner ideas haha. My kids would love this!!
Sophie
Hi Kate,
It's always a pleasure to hear back from someone who enjoyed my recipes! I'm all about creating something delicious with ingredients that are easy and convenient - so happy you took the time out of your busy day to let me know what you thought.
Katie Crenshaw
This was such a fun meal. The whole family loved it. It turned out delicious and it was so easy to make. This is perfect for busy weeknights!
Sophie
Hi Katie,
You're welcome! It's so satisfying to make a delicious dish with basic pantry staples. - it makes cooking enjoyable and stress-free.
Cathleen
I'm obsessed with this casserole! One of my favourites for sure. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Sophie
You are so Welcome Cathleen!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
This was such a fun recipe to make for dinner and love that it is so adaptable. We can add more or less of any ingredient to make it to our liking.
Sophie
Hi Sandhya, that's exactly it !
Dennis
I made this for friends yesterday and they all raved about how delicious it was! It was so easy to make and will definitely be a regular game day treat!
Sophie
Hi Dennis !! that's right it's definitely a great recipe for game day 🙂
Hayley Dhanecha
I've never heard of walking taco before but I simply had to try the recipe as I love mexican flavours! It was delicious!
Sophie
Thank you Hayley I'm glad you liked it !
Kristina Tipps
This is a delicious casserole full of flavor. I would change nothing about it! We added avocado and salsa as a topping and it was fantastic.
Sophie
Thanks Kristina, so glad you love it !
Madelyn
This was a really easy dinner to throw together with tons of flavor. My family loved it and already requested it again.
Sophie
Hi Madelyn, It's also fun to find easy recipe that your family love.
LaKita
This casserole was so delicious and flavorful! I love a good casserole, especially during the week, and this one did not disappoint.
Sophie
Thanks Lakita!