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This Ground Beef Taco Casserole is a family-friendly, easy dinner idea! Layers of corn tortillas, taco seasoned ground beef, and cheese are baked until hot and bubbly. It’s a must for a weeknight comfort food dinner!
Looking for another easy ground beef recipe? Make this popular Southwest ground beef sweet potato skillet!
Why I love it
Family friendly – This is a meal the whole family can get behind because who doesn’t love tacos! All the components of ground beef tacos can be found in this casserole, plus you have options for customizing it to what your family likes.
Healthy comfort food – Comfort food often has a reputation for being over the top and indulgent and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. On a night when you’re craving a cozy comforting meal, but also want to keep it balanced this is the healthy casserole you need to make.
Easy dinner recipe – If you’re like me, you live for easy dinners. This taco casserole can be prepped and in the oven in 30 minutes or less.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Ground beef – I like to use lean ground beef, usually 90/10.
- Yellow onion
- Chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder – My go-to spice blend for the majority of my Mexican and Southwest inspired recipes.
- Green chiles – canned diced green chiles are what I normally use unless it’s late summer and I can get fresh roasted ones. Use mild or hot depending on your preference for spicy food.
- Black beans
- Frozen corn – Use fire roasted for smokey charred flavor.
- Salsa – Use your favorite brand. I used salsa verde, but red salsa can be used too.
- Corn tortillas
- Cheese – Colby Jack, cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack are all great options.
How to make ground beef taco casserole
Sauté ground beef and onion – Add the ground beef to a skillet and crumble it. Season it with salt pepper and the dried spices. Once it’s mostly cooked through, add in the diced onion. Continue to cook several more minutes until the onion softens.
Stir in other ingredients – Stir in the green chiles, black beans, corn and salsa. There’s no need to defrost the corn ahead of time.
Assemble – In a 9×13 baking dish, spread some of the salsa on the bottom. Place 3 corn tortillas into the dish, cutting one in half so the bottom is completely covered. Top the tortillas with half of the ground beef mixture. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of the beef.
Repeat the process again then cover the baking dish with a piece of foil and bake at 350° F. for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the casserole is hot and bubbly.
Add the toppings – Add your favorite taco toppings to the baked casserole. I used avocado, black olives, and cilantro. See other topping suggestions below under ‘taco casserole variations’.
Taco casserole variations
- Use ground turkey or chicken instead of ground beef.
- Make it vegetarian and use tofu crumbles or meatless crumbles.
- Use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas.
- Substitute black beans with pinto beans or refried beans.
- Topping possibilities are endless, use your favorite taco toppings. Diced tomatoes, shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce, red onions or pickled onions, crushed tortilla chips, jalapeños, etc.
Storage and Reheating
Storage – The taco casserole can be covered or stored in an airtight container for several days in the refrigerator. If you want to freeze the casserole, let it cool completely after baking then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating – If reheating from the refrigerator, you can reheat individual portions in the microwave or put the whole baking dish in, assuming it’s microwave safe. You can also reheat in the oven at 350° F. for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
If reheating from the freezer, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then follow the same steps above.
More casserole recipes
Did you make this ground beef taco casserole? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Ground Beef Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup salsa
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray it with cooking oil. Add in the ground beef and crumble it. Add in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic powder and season with salt, pepper. When the beef is mostly cooked through add in the diced onion. Sauté for several minutes until it’s softened.
- Add in a 1/4 cup of water to the ground beef mixture. Let is simmer for 2-3 minutes and then stir in the green chiles, black beans, corn, and 2/3 cup of salsa. Let everything heat through for about 2 minutes and then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Spread the remaining 1/3 cup of salsa on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place 3 of the corn tortillas into the baking dish. Cut one of the tortillas in half so that the bottom is completely covered by the tortillas. Spoon half of the ground beef mixture on top of the tortillas and spread it out until they’re covered. Top with half of the cheese. Repeat the process once more.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and put it in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until it’s hot and bubbly. Remove the casserole from the oven and top it with your favorite taco toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this last night and it was very easy and SO good! Cooked the recipe as listed but divided it between two 8×8 dishes because there are only two of us. Ate one, froze one. Topped with tomatoes, avocado, plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) and a few crushed tortilla chips. Fantastic recipe!!