This easy Taco Casserole recipe is packed with full-flavor taco meat in a tomato sauce, tons of cheese, and black beans in layers of tortillas.
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Taco casserole is Mexican comfort food at its best โ a wonderful taco-like southwest casserole that is easy enough to be a weeknight recipe. Others might call it Taco Bake or Tortilla Taco Casserole. A great recipe to make ahead in the fridge for a few days or as a freezer meal.
This recipe had its original inspiration from several Mexican Lasagna recipes that used dry lasagna pasta and relied on fluid to cook the pasta. But this is more of a taco meat version of my popular Healthier Chicken Enchilada Casserole in 60 Minutes and has only a slight relationship to the inspiration recipes.
The great taste of this recipe depends on my Best Ground Beef Taco Meat, which is also the base for Taco Chili.
๐จโ๐ณHow to Make this Taco Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐ conventional.
- Chop one small onion. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown 1 pound of ground beef with the onion. Add crushed garlic near end of browning and drain when done.
- Add tomato sauce, spices, and drained black beans.
- Make 3 layers of cut tortillas, meat mixture, and cheese. Use double cheese on the top layer.
- Bake until golden brown with an internal temperature of 165ยฐโabout 30-35 minutes.
๐ฎIngredients
The Meat
Ground beef with an 80/20 fat content is the most common, and there is a point where excess fat can be drained to work. But lower fat ground beef is also acceptable.
There is lots of taste in this casserole, and ground turkey or ground chicken will work fine and only have a minor effect on the flavor.
One pound of ground meat is enough but if you like a meaty casserole as we do, use 1 ยฝ pounds of meat.
The Tortillas
Flour tortillas hold up better than corn tortillas, but corn will still work. Choose a size that works best when cut in half to fit in your baking dish.
Corn chips are frequently suggested, but most are thin and get soggy, and fall apart.
The Seasoning and the Sauce
This recipe combines the seasoning of the meat and the sauce using my Best Ground Beef Taco Meat and Homemade Enchilada Sauce as a model with some adjustments.
The seasoning and tomato sauce is added to make a spicy beef mixture used in the casserole. Those ingredients will simmer in the casserole, so there is no need to simmer separately.
You can make separate taco meat and enchilada sauce like my linked recipes. Or even substitute a commercial taco seasoning with enchilada sauce if you want.
The Cheese
My preferred choices are a good quality cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, or a Taco cheese blend of some type.
โFAQs
This smaller recipe is for a 6X9 or 7X10 baking dish. It also fits nicely in an 8X8 or 9X9 baking dish.
A double recipe fits nicely in a 9 by 13 full-size casserole dish, the same as a cake pan.
Top with the usual taco condiments. Common are chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions, sour cream, sliced black olives, shredded lettuce, or cilantro.
Side dishes of refried beans, Mexican Rice, or tortilla chips with salsa are excellent compliments.
Yes, seal tightly and refrigerate for two days.
To freeze before cooking, seal tightly with plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap before cooking.
Baking cold out of the refrigerator will take longer, so cook to 165ยฐ and not by color only.
Refrigerate for up to 4 days and freeze for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
๐Tex-Mex Recipes
Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole in 60 Minutes
Easy Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Spicy Taco Meat
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ยฐ conventional.
Chop one small onion. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown 1 pound of ground beef with the onion. Near the end of cooking, add 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic and cook additional 1-2 minutesโdrain any fat.
Add 3 tablespoon chili powder, ยฝ teaspoon ground cumin, ยฝ teaspoon salt, ยฝ teaspoon black pepper. Stir in a 4 oz can of green chilis, 15 oz tomato sauce, and 14 oz can of low sodium black beans drained and rinsed. Add optional 1 cup frozen corn. Mix well.
Cut six 6-inch flour tortillas in half.
Prep an approximately 6X9 baking pan with cooking spray. Start by covering the bottom of the pan with four tortilla halves with the straight cut edges to the sides and ends of the pan.
Add โ of the meat mixtureโabout 2 cups and sprinkle with ยฝ cup of shredded cheese.
Repeat layering with tortilla, filling, and cheese twice more, but use the remaining cheeseโ1 cup on the final layer.
Bake in the preheated oven at 350ยฐ for 30 to 35 minutes until nicely brown and an internal temperature of 165ยฐ. Serve with the topping of your choice.
๐ Recipe
Easy Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef - may use up to 1 ยฝ pound
- 1 small onion - chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic - crushed
- 15 oz black beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn - optional
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 4 oz green chilis
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon pepper
- ยฝ teaspoon cumin
- 6 flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded cheese of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐ conventional.
- Chop one small onion. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown 1 pound of ground beef with the onion. Near the end of cooking, add 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic and cook additional 1-2 minutesโdrain any fat.
- Add 3 tablespoon chili powder, ยฝ teaspoon ground cumin, ยฝ teaspoon salt, ยฝ teaspoon black pepper. Stir in a 4 oz can of green chilis, 15 oz tomato sauce, and 14 oz can of low sodium black beans drained and rinsed. Add optional 1 cup frozen corn. Mix well.
- Cut six 6-inch flour tortillas in half.
- Prep an approximately 6X9 baking pan with cooking spray. Start by covering the bottom of the pan with four tortilla halves with the straight cut edges to the sides and ends of the pan.
- Add โ of the meat mixtureโabout 2 cups and sprinkle with ยฝ cup of shredded cheese.
- Repeat layering with tortilla, filling, and cheese twice more, but use the remaining cheeseโ1 cup on the final layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350ยฐ for 30 to 35 minutes until nicely brown and an internal temperature of 165ยฐ. Serve with the topping of your choice.
- Serve with topping of your choice.
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Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- You may use up toย 1 ยฝ pounds of ground meat.
- Ground turkey should be fine in this recipe.
- Many would make this recipe with taco seasoning and enchilada sauce. You will like mine better.ย
- After cooking,ย good refrigerated for 2 days after cooking and frozen for 3-4 months.ย
- May be frozen before cooking for 3 months or refrigerated for 2 days.
- Easy to double and use a full-size casserole or cake pan.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
ยฉ 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Editor's Note: Originally published on December 3, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Wendy Dennis says
Excellent! I was looking around just to get the proportions of sauce and cheese for a smaller amount of tortillas as all I had was six 7" ones. Since your recipe was for 6" tortillas, I popped a medium-to-large tomato in my NutrIbullet to add a bit more to the sauce, added more of the spices (I like things a bit stronger) and used leftover chicken in lieu of the ground beef and used an equal amount of home-cooked white beans from my freezer for the black beans. No corn this time but I am sure I'll use it in future renditions. Thanks! And now to peruse the rest of your website. :)
Brian Mooney says
DrDan,
Wow. Just wow. Easy to make yet the results are simply great eating. Five stars from both my wife and I for the recipe โas is.โ
Thank you for yet another culinary hit! Your site is my go-to โcookbook.โ
gail says
I made this recipe added some bell peppers because I wasn't sure if the chilies would be too spicy for me. It was 5 stars all the way. I doubled the recipe. The portions were very filling. My hubby usually eats two plates for everything but not this time. I gave my sister some and I still have more for tonight's supper. I'll be making the beef and broccoli next
Gail says
Me again Do the can of chilies make the recipe hot and spicy?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Gail,
About the panโI am not too sure about the plan for a foil-type "dam" in a larger pan. But the exact pan size is not too important here. So just get close to the right size. An 8X8, a 8 or 9 inch round, or a corning ware type dish.
About the "heat", the chilis are not very hot, they mostly add taste but you can skip them or cut it back if you want. Also, your choice of chili powder has more to do with the heat and you can cut it back if you want.
Dan
Gail says
Don't have a 9x6 pan or a 9x13 could a I USE it and maybe put foil bags in the remaining spots?
Deloris Eldredge says
It finally dawned on me the other day that I wasnโt getting your emails anymore.
I tried signing up again but I canโt get past that miserable I AM NOT A ROBOT thing. My eyesight isnโt as it used to be and those pictures are fuzzy so I never get it right. Is there some way to by pass that?
Thank you
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Deloris,
I'm not sure why you weren't getting the emails since I have made no changes for about 5 years but it is run by Google so who knows. That captcha thing is also Google and I can't control it either.
But I did do it for you and you should already have the email that you will need to click to accept the subscription.
Thanks for asking and have a great day.
Dan
Wanda says
I am trying this Tonite,I was disappointed to see serving was for 6. Not 2 as the recipe indicated and your title cooking for 2.
Sue Shortley says
Hi Dr. Dan, I love your column. I was wondering if there is a reason not to use corn tortillas for this recipe? It looks delicious, by the way!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Sue,
For this recipe, I just felt flour tortillas was what I wanted. Corn tortillas would be fine.
Dan
Halfadim7 says
Hey there, Dr. Dan... can you give me an idea on how to properly reheat the leftovers? The microwave just dried out the tortillas and made them tough. Do you think it might work in the oven at a low temp with the lid on it? Please let me know what you've found to work the best.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Carol,
I would usually do it covered with foil in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or so (varies by amount and thickness)
Dan
Halfadime7 says
We tried this tonight and it was very good. I would only say, as mentioned above by Denise, that you need to include the tortillas to the ingredient list. We also found that 3 tablespoons of chili powder were a bit hot and some folks may be turned off by that. I found that the cooking process actually turned down the heat from the chili powder, so it ended up okay with us because we topped it with sour cream. Great recipe, Dr. Dan! We'll have this again. Thank you.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Carol,
I'm running behind on comment responses. I did get the tortillas added. I do like my chili powder. In calculating for the taco meat and the enchilada sauce, it was actually a bit more but I see your point. Most recipes like this are much blander.
Thanks for the comment and rating.
Dan
Denise says
Hi Dr. Dan,
We will be trying this recipe tomorrow. You may want to add the tortillas to the ingredient list.
Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes.
Denise
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Denise,
Thanks for the heads up on the tortillas, I fixed that as soon as you brought it up. So sorry about the delayed response, the house was full of company and a few things slipped.
Glad you are enjoying the blog.
Dan
Peggy Abernathy says
Love your recipes. Thanks.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Peggy,
Welcome to the blog. Sorry for the delayed response.
Glad you are enjoying the blog and thanks for the note.
Dan