Taco Tuesday just got a lot easier with this taco casserole recipe. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare plus 20 minutes in the oven, and you can serve your family a delicious ground beef taco casserole that they will love!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Ground beef: I use 1 lb of lean ground beef for a healthier meal
- Onion and garlic: ½ cup chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves to flavor the meat
- Green bell pepper: ½ cup chopped green bell pepper for flavor and color
- Taco sauce: I used Frontera taco sauce. I love the flavor and texture
- Diced green chiles: for a little added heat
- Taco seasoning: provides lots of flavors. I used 1 ½ tablespoons because the taco sauce is already seasoned
- Hard taco shells: you can also use tortilla chips or Fritos, but I like the flavor of taco shells
- Mexican cheese blend: or your favorite shredded cheese
- Your favorite taco toppings: I used sliced jalapenos, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, a drizzle of Mexican crema or sour cream, fresh cilantro, and sliced avocado
How To Make a Taco Casserole?
Ground beef taco casserole is very easy to make!
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Using a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic until there is no pink left, breaking up the meat as you cook it.
- Add the chopped green bell pepper, taco sauce, taco seasoning, and diced green chiles. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 6-8 minutes.
- Place half of the broken-up taco shells in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
- Spoon half of the meat mixture over the taco shells.
- Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese evenly over the meat.
- Repeat layers (taco shells, meat, cheese)
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly
- Serve with your favorite taco toppings
Make-ahead Method?
If you want to make this taco casserole recipe ahead of time, I recommend you make the meat mixture and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days, then assemble and bake the dish when you plan to serve it.
I wouldn’t recommend assembling the whole unbaked dish ahead of time because the taco shells will absorb too much moisture and become soggy. You can bake it and store it in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
Storing Leftovers?
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before storing, remove any avocado slices if you used them because they will turn black.
Freezing:
Let the casserole cool down completely before wrapping it twice with foil and once with plastic wrap and storing it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When I plan to freeze this casserole, I bake it in a disposable foil dish.
Best Taco Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup diced white onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup green bell pepper
- ½ cup taco sauce (I used Frontera)
- 1 ½ tbsp taco seasoning
- 1-4 oz can diced green chiles, undrained
- 12 hard taco shells, broken up in small pieces
- 2 cup Mexican cheese blend
- Toppings: diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, sliced black olives, a drizzle of Mexican crema or sour cream, sliced avocado, and fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Using a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic until there is no pink left, breaking up the meat as you cook it.
- Add the chopped green bell pepper, taco sauce, taco seasoning, and diced green chiles. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 6-8 minutes.
Assemble the casserole in these layers:
- ½ broken up taco shells
- ½ meat mixture
- ½ shredded cheese
- repeat layers
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top with diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, sliced black olives, sliced avocado, a drizzle of Mexican crema or sour cream, and fresh cilantro
