Easy Baked Taco Casserole is the best quick dinner! Made in under an hour this taco casserole Is loaded with ground beef and tortillas!
If you’re looking for an easy dinner – this taco casserole is for you. It’s made with simple ingredients, and it’s full of protein and veggies!
This easy taco casserole meets all our requirements for a healthier dinner option and is so quick and simple to make!
It comes together with only 8 ingredients and some spices and in about an hour! (And it also makes great leftovers!)
If you like this recipe, try Taco Pasta, Taco Zucchini Boats, Taco Stuffed Peppers, Taco Skillet, or even our Chicken Taco Soup.
Why You’ll Love this Taco Bake:
There is so much to like about this ground beef casserole recipe! Here’s why it is one of our favorites:
- Made with basic ingredients – Most of these ingredients are fridge/pantry staples and if you’re missing one there are a lot of substitutions you can make!
- Easy to make – It may look like a lot of steps, but this recipe only takes about 15 minutes of prep time to make
- Secretly healthy ingredients – This healthy recipe is lower in calories, made with more wholesome ingredients, and lower in sodium than other taco casseroles. Check the green box below for any substitutions.
- Super filling! This casserole is packed with the protein (35g/serving) and veggies!
Taco Casserole Ingredients
To make this easy taco casserole you’ll need:
- olive oil – this is our favorite brand
- ground beef – ground turkey or chicken will also work
- garlic powder, paprika, pepper
- taco seasoning – we like to make our own, but you can also use any store bought brand!
- water
- onions, diced peppers, frozen corn
- flour tortillas
- shredded Colby Jack cheese (or cheddar!) – we prefer to grate our own!
Substitutions for this Recipe
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Onions: I used sweet onions in this taco bake casserole, but you can use white or red onions.
Ground Beef: We like 90/10 ground beef. Feel free to use leaner ground beef depending on what you like. Read this Butcherbox Review to see why we love them for our ground beef! I haven’t tried making this with ground turkey or ground chicken but I think it would work. If you’re using a higher fat beef, it can be helpful to drain the beef.
Seasonings: We recommend using homemade taco seasoning because it’s lower in salt and has no preservatives. If you don’t have taco seasoning it’s very easy to make with basic spices like chili powder and cumin.
Veggies/Other Add Ins: I haven’t tried making this with other vegetables added but I think it would be good with beans added in!
You can double the peppers and corn in this recipe. I usually like to serve it over a salad to get in my veggies. Try it with our Taco Salad dressing.
Corn: You can use frozen corn or canned no salt added corn that has been rinsed/drained.
Tortillas: This recipe calls for flour tortillas but I think it would work fine with gluten free tortillas or even grain free/paleo tortillas. If you try it let me know! I think corn tortillas would get too mushy. These Brown Rice Tortillas look amazing!
Gluten Free: I haven’t tried this recipe with gluten free tortillas but I think it would work!
Shredded Cheese: You can use pre shredded cheese, but shredding the cheese from a block melts much better! You can substitute Colby Jack with Mozzarella, Cheddar Cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, Pepper Jack, or any cheese you like.
Can you add sour cream to taco casserole? Yes, you definitely can add sour cream to a taco casserole! Add 1/2 a cup as a layer, or add it on top!
To make it lower salt: Use salt free taco seasoning and lower salt cheese.
To Make it Lower Carb: Skip the corn. You can try this with low carb tortillas but I’m not sure how it will turn out.
To Make it Lower Calorie: Use leaner ground beef 90/10 or 95/5 or ground turkey. You can also cut back on the cheese or use lower fat cheese.
To Make it Plant Based: Use plant based ground beef substitute and cheese. (I have not tried this but I think it will work!)
How To Make Taco Casserole
- Heat olive oil and add onion to a pan. Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
- Add ground beef, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes while mixing and crumbling the beef into small pieces.
- Then, add the water and the taco seasoning, mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the diced peppers and corn to the cooked beef mixture. Mix well and remove from heat.
- Spread cut tortillas evenly in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish sprayed with olive oil. (See photos)
- Add half of the beef mixture on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Layer the other 5 tortilla pieces on top. Add the remaining ground beef mixture, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Cover with foil or a lid and cook for 30 minutes at 350° until the casserole is warmed through and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes so that the cheese gets nice and broiled.
Can you make this ahead of time?
I don’t recommend prepping this casserole ahead of time because the tortillas can get a little soggy, but you can do it!
You can prep this dish the night before, cover and place it in the fridge overnight, but it would be better to brown your onion/garlic/beef, leave that ground beef mixture in the refrigerator and assemble/bake fresh.
When ready to bake, leave the casserole on the counter as you preheat the oven. Bake as directed. Make sure your casserole dish is not cold because it could crack if it’s too cold going in a hot oven.
Tips for this Recipe:
Double the ground beef for more protein! You can also substitute ground turkey.
Prep the ground beef mixture ahead of time to save time when making dinner.
Go crazy with the toppings! The more toppings, the better! Add all your favorite taco toppings to this for a delicious meal!
Want free ground beef? Right Now when you join ButcherBox you can get free ground beef for a year and $10 off! That’s up to 24 pounds of ground beef for free!
What to Serve with this Recipe:
This taco casserole is perfect for loading up with lots of toppings! Some of our favorites are
- lettuce
- guacamole
- sour cream
- corn salsa or pineapple salsa
- chopped tomatoes
- black beans or refried beans
- cilantro
- taco dressing
- black olives
- marinated veggies
- tortilla chips that have been crumbled
If you’re looking to pair this with some veggie sides, try our Green Beans Almondine, Garlic Brussels Sprouts, or this Taco Salad!
Storage/Freezing
Refrigerating: This taco casserole will last for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freezing: I haven’t tried freezing this recipe, but I think the tortillas would get a little soggy so I don’t recommend it.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven, oven, or on the stove.
More like this Taco Bake Recipe:
Looking for other easy casserole recipes? We’ve got you covered!
Easy Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 2 pounds ground beef 90/10
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning one packet
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 cups diced bell peppers orange, red or yellow
- 1 cup frozen corn defrosted
- 5 10 inch flour tortillas cut in half divided
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray an oven safe 9×13 casserole dish with olive oil. Set aside.
- In a 12 inch sauté pan, heat olive oil and add onion. Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add ground beef, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes while mixing and crumbling the beef into small pieces.
- Once the meat is cooked, add the water and the taco seasoning. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the diced peppers and corn to the cooked ground beef. Mix well and remove from heat.
- Place cut tortillas (5 halves) in the bottom of the 9×13 dish, spread evenly in 1 layer. (See above for photos)
- Add half of the ground beef/veggie mixture on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Layer the other 5 tortilla pieces on top. Add the remaining ground beef/veggie mixture, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Cover with foil or a lid and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until the casserole is warmed through and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes so that the cheese gets nice and broiled.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Important Note: This is not an authentic Mexican recipe. My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions.
Julie Richard says
I made this casserole last night and it was delicious! I used fresh corn because I had some leftover. It was super filling. I like that it had a large amount of vegetables as well as protein. It will be on our regular rotation.
CHERYL Lynn YOUNG says
Mine came out dry. Not very good at all.
I’ll eat alittle more but toss most of it.
Liz Marino says
Did you make any substitutions? I’m not sure how this could’ve come out dry with the veggies/cheese/fat in the meat
Kristina says
This was quick to assemble and delicious. I easily halved the recipe for a smaller serving and used homemade taco seasoning and dairy free cheese with no problems. Definitely will make this one again!
Courtney Smith says
This recipe has quickly become a family favorite. Very simple and extremely tasty. Glad to add it in to our rotation!
Robin Caldwell says
I made this for dinner tonight with one modification. I used taco flavored Jennie-O ground turkey and no taco seasoning, as sometimes the spices are too strong for a family member. It was delicious! Thank you!
Tera says
This has been a huge hit in my house. I love how easy and versatile it is. I always add extra veggies to it and have experimented with Cabbage, Kale, Zucchini, hot peppers, tomatoes, black beans etc. Everything has been fabulous. I add extra seasoning due to the extra veggie content and we’ve been stuck on adding a little more cheese than the recipe calls for. I’ve topped it with sour cream, salsa and lettuce. I’ve made it with ground beef, canned ground beef and home grown ground pork. All have been amazing. I want to try canned chicken next and It shreds nicely. I think it’ll be amazing as well.
Heidi says
This looks really good, however I would use ground turkey, and I wish the directions were a little more specific, how much meat, how much taco seasoning, etc.
The Clean Eating Couple says
If you click the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page, it will take you to the full recipe with amounts and directions or you can just scroll.
Amanda says
My family enjoyed this taco casserole. I used corn tortillas and they worked perfectly. I used more cheese than the recipe called for and topped with salsa and sour cream. I am looking forward to having the leftovers!
Robin Hudson says
Tried this for the first time last night! Loved it! It makes a lot, so we have a meal for another night and I don’t have to cook again! I paired this with a side salad for extra veggies. I will most certainly make this again!
Shannon H says
This was tasty and very easy to make! I left out the corn (used extra pepper) and make it with frozen chopped onion. The tortillas on the bottom layer got crispy and were delicious. I’ll make this again
Jenny Jones says
Definitely adding this casserole into my regular dinner rotation! It’s really delicious! I did add black beans and sour cream on top. La Tortillas Factory makes a tortilla that is a mixture of corn and whole wheat. Those held up beautifully in this recipe and gave it a great flavor!
Penny Richards says
Can you use cooked chicken instead if ground beef?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I havent tried it but I’m sure it would work!
Nicole says
Me and hubby are big burrito lovers so when I saw this recipe I instantly thought Burrito Casserole! So good I swapped beef
Mince for Turkey and was just as good! Thanks for this recipe I’ll be making again and again. So easy and quick!
Jennifer V says
This was fast, easy and delicious! My husband devoured it and we are looking forward to the leftovers. Every recipe I have ever tried from you did not disappoint. Thank you for all the great content.
Terah says
I made this for dinner last night, it was so delicious! My husband loved it as well . I am gluten free so I used Siete almond flour tortillas vs flour tortillas.
Greg says
I just made this recipe and it’s delicious. I substituted green and yellow peppers with serano and jalapeños peppers. Made it really spicy if you like that then make it spicy .I added more of the vegetables than recipe called for. Added 4 cups of cheese instead of 2. All around awesome.
Ashley says
I love everything about this recipe–super easy, super cheesy, delicious, and very filling! I made it for dinner last night, and have PLENTY for leftovers for the week, even splitting it with my boyfriend 😀
Excited to continue making this and adding it to the recipe rotation!