This taco casserole is one of our favorite easy dinners. It’s cheesy, packed with bold flavors and perfect for feeding a crowd!
Try this delicious new spin on taco night: Taco Casserole! While I love classic tacos for dinner, it’s always fun to serve our favorite taco ingredients in new ways. This taco casserole has all of the taco flavors that you love, but in cozy, comforting casserole form.
This taco casserole recipe is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight. We start by cooking ground beef and veggies on the stove, then mix in taco seasonings, corn, black beans and salsa. Next we layer it all together with tortillas and cheese and bake it in the oven till its hot and bubbly. This is one of my favorite family dinner ideas, and I think you’ll love it too!
Why You’ll Love this Taco Casserole
- Easy Dinner Idea: It takes about 30 minutes to prep the casserole for the oven. The recipe steps are easy, and while the casserole bakes you’ll have time to clean up the kitchen or make a side dish.
- Comfort Food: This hearty casserole is family-friendly, filled with taco meat, veggies, tortillas and cheese.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can bake this taco casserole right away or prep it up to one day ahead and bake it right before you’re ready to serve it.
Just made this taco casserole! It’s really delicious. The spices are perfect. I topped it with tomatoes, scallions, avocado and sour cream. Love it! Thank you.
Lisa
Taco Casserole Ingredients
- Ground Beef: Ground beef adds protein and flavor. You can lighten things up by using ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Onion & Bell Pepper: An easy way to sneak in some vegetables, these also provide flavor.
- Seasonings: I’ve included the amounts for the individual taco seasoning spices you’ll need. You can substitute 1 tablespoon (or more, to taste) of homemade or store-bought Taco Seasoning in place of the individual seasonings if you prefer.
- Corn: You can use either frozen corn or canned corn. If using canned, be sure to drain it well.
- Black Beans: For added protein and fiber.
- Salsa: While I love making homemade salsa, for this recipe the consistency of jarred salsa from the store works best. I recommend using medium salsa, as we found that mild didn’t provide enough flavor. Even with medium salsa, this casserole isn’t too spicy. If you want more spice you can increase the amount of chili powder or add in a little cayenne pepper.
- Corn Tortillas: The casserole is layered between corn tortillas. Using corn tortillas keeps this recipe gluten-free. Can you use flour tortillas? We find that the texture of corn tortillas is better after baking than flour. If you prefer a taco casserole with rice instead of tortillas, try this Mexican Casserole recipe.
- Cheese: I used sharp cheddar cheese. Mexican blend cheese or Monterey jack would also work well.
Find the printable recipe with ingredient amounts below.
How to Make Taco Casserole
Cook meat and veggies. First, sauté the onion in olive oil. Then add the ground beef and cook, crumbling, until the meat has browned. Add the chopped bell pepper and cook until softened.
Stir in the spices, corn, black beans and 1 cup of the salsa.
Assemble. Spread the remaining salsa in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Arrange 4 tortillas in the baking dish so that they cover as much of the bottom of the dish as possible. Top with 2/3 of the beef mixture and 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Lay the remaining 4 tortillas on top, followed by the rest of the beef mixture and cheese.
Bake until the casserole is hot and bubbly and the cheese just starts to brown.
Serve with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
First, the toppings! While this casserole is definitively tasty as is, it’s even better when you load it up with your favorite taco toppings. Try Pico de Gallo or Salsa, chopped avocado or Guacamole, sour cream, black olives, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped red or green onion or fresh cilantro.
On the side, I usually serve this taco casserole with Instant Pot Mexican Rice and a crisp Green Salad.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can assemble the casserole, cover and refrigerate it for up to one day before baking. If baking the casserole cold from the refrigerator, add about 20 minutes to the covered baking time to get it hot throughout.
More Delicious Twists on Taco Night
Enjoy your favorite Mexican food flavors in these taco-inspired recipes:
- Taco Salad. Perfect when you’re craving taco flavors but want a lighter meal.
- Slow Cooker Taco Pasta. Comfort food at its finest.
- Taco Soup. A favorite on cold days.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup. The easiest way to make taco soup, no chopping needed!
Made this recipe? I’d truly appreciate if you leave a comment and star rating below! Your review will help others who want to try this recipe. Thank you! 💛
Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow or red onion
- 1 pound ground beef, or ground turkey or ground chicken
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen corn or canned corn, drained if canned
- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups jarred salsa, divided, I used medium, one 16 ounce jar
- 8 corn tortillas
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, or Mexican cheese blend, 2 cups
- Optional Toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, chopped red or green onion, fresh tomatoes, black olives, sour cream, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and cook, crumbling, until browned. Drain off any excess grease.
- Then add the chopped bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, pepper, corn, black beans and 1 cup of the salsa. Stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Spread the remaining ½ cup salsa in the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking dish.
- Lay 4 of the tortillas in the baking dish, arranging them so that they cover the bottom of the dish as best as possible.
- Spread ⅔ of the beef mixture over the tortillas and top with ⅓ of the shredded cheese.
- Lay the remaining 4 tortillas on top, followed by the remaining beef mixture and then the remaining cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil (first spray the underside of the foil with cooking spray to prevent the cheese from sticking to it). Bake for 25 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 5-10 more minutes, until hot and bubbly and cheese just starts to brown. Serve with toppings as desired.
Notes
- You can substitute 1-2 tablespoons (adjust amount to your tastes) of taco seasoning for the individual spices.
- Store leftover taco casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can assemble the casserole, cover and refrigerate it for up to one day before baking. If baking the casserole cold from the refrigerator, add about 20 minutes to the covered baking time to get it hot throughout.
I originally shared this recipe in September 2022. Post updated April 2025 with more helpful information.
Made this for the first time and it was very good. I will be making this again .
Loved it, super easy and great flavors!
Made this for my husband and son! They loved it. Putting it into my rotation! Thank you Kristine for another great recipe!
I made this for the first time and it is delicious! I prepared it the day before and cooked it after work. The flavors all meld together perfectly!
This taco casserole is outstanding! It’s better than anything you could get in a restaurant. I can hardly wait to make it again! You can’t go wrong with Kristineskitchen!
Our family has a similar recipe we call Taco Pie, but it’s made with refried beans and a pie crust. This tasted just as good with more veggies! It’s fun to load it up with toppings just like a real taco.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! The extra veggies are a nice bonus. 🙂
Just made this taco casserole! It’s really delicious. The spices are perfect. I topped it with tomatoes, scallions, avocado and sour cream. Love it! Thank you.