Walking Taco Casserole

Walking tacos in casserole form! Layers of seasoned ground beef, crunchy corn chips, gooey melted cheese, and your favorite taco toppings create an easy to make, delicious meal that's sure to please everyone at the table.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 229kcal

Author Colleen Milne

Ingredients

Taco Bake

1 pound lean ground beef 80/20
1 cup red onion, diced
4 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
1 10 ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 cups shredded cheese cheddar, Monterey jack, or a blend
1 9.25 ounce bag Fritos corn chips

Optional toppings

sour cream
sliced black olives
green onions sliced
salsa
lime wedges
shredded lettuce
halved cherry tomatoes
chopped cilantro
hot sauce
guacamole or avocado slices

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
In a 10" oven-proof skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and onions, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 7-10 minutes. If needed, drain the fat.
1 pound lean ground beef, 1 cup red onion, diced
Stir in the taco seasoning.
4 tablespoon taco seasoning
Add the black beans and the tomatoes with green chilies and stir to combine.
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained, 1 10 ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies
Remove from heat and spread the shredded cheese evenly over the top.
2 cups shredded cheese
Cover the top with corn chips.
1 9.25 ounce bag Fritos corn chips
Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and filling is bubbling.
Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes to make it easier to serve.
Serve hot, with optional toppings of your choice.

Notes

Skillet: Walking taco casserole is easy to make with an oven-proof skillet. However, you can also transfer the filling to a casserole dish before baking.

Meat: Substitute ground turkey for equally delicious results.

Beans: You can use kidney beans or pinto beans instead, or omit the beans altogether.

Tomatoes: If you want to leave out the green chilies, you can just use diced tomatoes. Other options are enchilada sauce or red salsa.

Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese is great, but you can use Monterey jack cheese, mozzarella, or a Mexican cheese blend. You can also stir some cream cheese into the beef mixture.

Corn: Try adding some corn kernels to the filling. Or try my chili corn salsa as a topping.

Make ahead: Assemble the whole casserole according to the recipe, except for the corn chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When you want to bake it, top with the corn chips and bake.

Leftovers: If you have leftover taco casserole, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, put it in a 350° oven for 10-15 minutes. If the corn chips become soggy from being refrigerated, the oven will crisp them up again.

Nutrition