Walking Taco Casserole Made In Just 25 Minutes

This walking taco casserole is loaded with flavor. It is made with Tex Mex seasoned beef and vegetables, topped with crunchy Doritos, melty cheese, and sour cream. This taco casserole recipe is the ultimate party plate or family dinner, and it’s ready in under 30 minutes!

THE BEST WALKING TACO CASSEROLE

If you love everything about ground beef tacos and the simplicity of casserole recipes, you're going to fall in love with this walking taco casserole!

For the days when you want to prepare something filling and delicious without a lot of effort or time, this walking taco casserole is one of the best things you can make.

And if you’ve never heard of a walking taco before (also known as taco in a bag), it’s basically a crushed-up bag of chips mixed with taco ingredients like seasoned beef, vegetables, and cheese. It’s also called taco in a bag (I’m sure you can guess why).

This easy taco casserole version has all the flavor and texture of the walking taco but even better. It has layers of deliciousness, the Doritos bake up extra crisp in the oven, and the cheese becomes wonderfully gooey and melty.

What’s more, it’s ready in about 25 minutes, is made with simple ingredients, and makes enough to feed the whole family. 

Can you say easiest Taco Tuesday ever?

Oh, and if you want another recipe that comes in clutch on Taco Tuesday, you have to give these chicken fajita crunchwraps a try. They are like the ones from Taco Bell, but better! 

INGREDIENTS

Again, this walking taco casserole is made with basic ingredients and pantry staples that you can find anywhere. 

And I wouldn’t be surprised if you have most of this list in your kitchen already.

Anyway, here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 ½ tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup crushed tomato 
• 10 oz black beans
• 2 cups Doritos
• 3 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• Sour cream for topping
• Spring onion for garnish

It may seem like a lot at first glance, but when you look closer, you’ll realize it’s primarily common spices for homemade taco seasoning, veggies, and toppings.

In fact, if you’ve made some of my similar recipes, like this spicy southwest salad or ground turkey casserole, you’re probably already familiar with everything on this list and might have the majority of them at home already!

By the way, if you want to make another version of this casserole recipe without shredded lettuce and tomatoes, check out this Mexican casserole.

ADJUSTING THE SPICE LEVEL

Now, let’s talk about the spice level - I like my taco casserole on the spicier side, so this recipe calls for a lot of chili powder. 

And if you want to make it even spicier, you can add some chopped jalapenos to the casserole. 

But if you want yours to be milder, feel free to reduce the amount of chili powder to your liking. Or you could also add more cheese and sour cream - both will tame any spiciness. 

With that said, if you want an all in one seasoning instead of my homemade taco seasoning, you can just use a taco seasoning packet instead. Just substitute all of the spices and seasonings with a packet of taco seasoning.

Either way, your taco casserole will come out delicious and flavorful!

CHIPS TO USE

So, I like to make this taco casserole with Doritos, and the classic nacho cheese is my favorite flavor to use. 

But you can experiment with other flavors of Doritos, like spicy nacho and cool ranch, and see what you like best. 

You could also just use regular tortilla chips or even Frito corn chips! 

And if you want to cut down on the carbs and add some extra protein, I suggest using Quest Protein Chips - the nacho cheese, ranch, and loaded taco would all go great in this walking taco casserole recipe. 

Cheese To Use

Now, as you may have noticed, I use two kinds of shredded cheese in this recipe - shredded cheddar cheese and shredded Monterey Jack. I just prefer these two kinds of shredded cheese, but you can use any combination that you want! Another one of my favorite kinds of shredded cheese to use is pepper jack for a little extra kick.

HOW TO MAKE WALKING TACO CASSEROLE

Another thing to love about this recipe is how insanely easy it is to make.

It basically comes down to three steps: sauté, assemble, and bake. And altogether, this recipe should take a little under 30 minutes to make!

Sound good? Then let’s dive into how to make walking taco casserole!

STEP 1: COOKING

The first thing you’ll want to do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180°C).

Next, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and it around so the oil coats the surface. Add your chopped onion and cook, occasionally stirring, until it becomes translucent.

Then, add your ground beef along with the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Sauté the taco meat and spices until the ground beef has browned and is cooked through. Then add your crushed tomato and black beans to the ground beef mixture and let everything cook for another 5 minutes for deliciously seasoned taco meat.

STEP 2: ASSEMBLE & BAKE

Once your taco casserole filling is ready, you’ll want to transfer the ground beef mixture to a baking dish in an even layer. 

Then top it with Doritos or any tortilla chips of your choice, followed by the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Or you can use a Mexican blend cheese to enhance the Mexican flavors.

Next, pop your baking dish in the oven and let it bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 

Once that happens, take the baking dish out of the oven and sprinkle it with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, followed by a few dollops of sour cream and some chopped spring onion. You could even add enchilada sauce for more flavor.

Anyway, serve this ground beef taco casserole with Doritos warm, and enjoy!

STORING YOUR WALKING TACO CASSEROLE

This walking tacos recipe makes enough casserole for about 4-5 people so it's the perfect family dinner recipe - especially on Tuesdays!

Plus, you can easily double or triple it for a bigger group or to have extra as leftovers. 

Now, if you have plans to store the extras for later in the week, I highly recommend making this taco casserole ahead of time. I’ll go into more detail on that in a second.

But if you do happen to find yourself with leftovers after dinner, you can transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

MAKING THE CASSEROLE AHEAD OF TIME

This walking taco casserole recipe is a fantastic make-ahead dish. 

To prep it a couple of days ahead, make the filling as described earlier, then transfer it to an airtight container. 

Or, to save your future self a couple of minutes, you can also place it in the casserole dish and put the cover on it if it has one, or cover it with cling wrap.

And when you’re ready to make your taco casserole, just take it out, transfer it to a casserole dish (if you haven’t already), and proceed with the rest of the recipe. It’s that easy!

WRAPPING IT ALL UP 

This walking taco casserole is one of my favorite things to make for a big party or family gathering. 

It’s incredibly easy, uses simple ingredients, and is an instant hit with everyone who tries it!

So I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do - I highly recommend making it for your loved ones and see what they think! And if they end up asking you for the recipe, you’ll know where to point them. 

Oh, and if you make it, leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

And if you liked the walking tacos casserole, give this broccoli rice casserole and crack chicken casserole a try next!

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