This taco casserole recipe has flavorful ground beef, salsa, corn, black beans, plenty of cheese, and a layer of Doritos. It’s the perfect easy comfort food for busy families!
This ground beef taco casserole is also great because you can load it up with your favorite toppings. I’m one of those people where toppings make the meal. It’s easy to top the whole thing like I did for the photos, or you can let everyone top their own piece once it’s dished up.
I didn’t really grow up with casseroles, but I can definitely see the appeal. They’re warm, comforting, easy to throw together, and feed a crowd. If you like taco flavors and ground beef, chances are that you will like this taco casserole with Doritos. Or your family will. I can imagine that this one would be popular with the kiddies!
It’s strange… I did not expect my husband to like this, but he LOVED it. He devoured the entire thing and enjoyed the leftovers very much. Just goes to show that even when you think you know a person, they can sometimes surprise you.
This casserole is quite forgiving and easily customizable depending on your preferences. Keep scrolling for some tips and tricks.
How to make taco casserole
- Preheat your oven and prep the ingredients;
- Cook the ground beef in a skillet for 5 minutes, then add in the onion and spices and continue cooking;
- Spread an even layer of crushed Doritos on the bottom of a casserole dish;
- Stir the beans, corn, salsa, and half the cheese into the skillet;
- Spoon the beef mixture evenly over the Doritos;
- Top casserole with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes;
- Meanwhile, prep your toppings;
- Add toppings to casserole (or serve it first and let everyone top their own bowls).
(Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below)
Taco casserole toppings
- Fresh tomatoes
- Chopped cilantro
- Avocado
- Scallions
- Black olives
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Iceberg or romaine lettuce
…etc.
Recipe notes & tips:
- You don’t have to use Doritos. Other tortilla chips (or Fritos) will definitely work in this taco bake!
- Use a ready-made taco seasoning if you prefer not to use the individual spices.
- You could add more veggies (such as red peppers) to this casserole. I’d add them in at the same time as the onion.
- Feel free to swap the black beans with another kind if you prefer (such as kidney or pinto). Or even add a layer of refried beans instead.
- If you want to add some heat, use a medium or spicy salsa, hot cheese blend, add some cayenne pepper, or you could even add some spicy chopped green chilies.
Other Tex-Mex recipes you may like:
- Skillet Salsa Chicken
- Creamy Taco Soup
- Easy Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Easy Beef Taco Salad
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Will you make this Doritos taco casserole?
Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
Easy Taco Casserole Recipe
This taco casserole recipe has flavorful ground beef, salsa, corn, black beans, plenty of cheese, and a layer of Doritos. It's the perfect easy comfort food for busy families!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 2 cups crushed Doritos I used Nacho Cheese flavor
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can corn drained
- 1 (14.5 ounce) jar salsa use your favorite kind
- 2 cups shredded Tex-Mex cheese blend (or use cheddar)
- Toppings (optional, to taste): tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, avocado, black olives, sour cream, iceberg lettuce, etc.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F and move the rack to the middle position. Prep your ingredients.
Add the oil and ground beef to a skillet. Cook, breaking up the meat as you go along, for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
Stir in the onion, chili powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the crushed Doritos in an even layer to the bottom of a 9x13 (or similar size) casserole dish.
If there's a lot of excess fat in the skillet, spoon most of it out. Stir in the beans, corn, salsa, and half the cheese. Let it warm through (until the cheese melts).
Spoon the beef mixture evenly over the Doritos.
Top the casserole with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it's warm and the cheese is nice and melty.
Meanwhile, prep the toppings. Serve casserole as-is or with your favorite toppings.
Recipe Notes
- Serves 6+ depending on how much people eat.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Lauren A Milke says
This was so delicious! My family loves cheese so added an extra 1/2 cup on top. I also substituted the black beans for black olives because it better suits my family’s likes.
Thank you so much,
Lauren
Natasha says
You’re very welcome, Lauren! XO
Jeanne says
Yet another delicious recipe from you! This was easy and a favorite at my house. Will be adding it to the meal rotation!
Natasha says
Yay! So glad you liked it!! XO
Monica Van Rickley says
It was good! Made it for lunch. I had ranch style beans and since I didn’t know when else I could use it, it was the chosen one. Because of this I omitted adding chili powder. I also used frozen corn and served with a dollop of sour cream, avocado 🥑 and green onions. Even though I added the Doritos, we ate with some tortilla chips we had and it tasted like Nachos. I would definitely serve this as a snack while watching TV with the family.
Natasha says
I’m so glad you liked it and made it work with what you had at home, Monica! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Jamie says
I made this last night….. It was delicious!! Although I think I used too much cheese on top (my own doing though, lol), so I recommend a sprinkled layer of cheese top.
I also added a packet of taco seasoning in the beef mixture, since I had it on hand, because the kids love it!
My daughter is a vegetarian – so I made a small separate batch of meatless mixture, and added everything else, and just seasoned to taste. I used a large muffin pan to cook her vegetarian batch in the oven (it made about 3 portions).
All-in-all, the recipe was delicious and very easy to make! Next time I am going to try the beef and vegetable mixture to stuff some bell peppers!! mmmm………
Thanks Natasha for your recipes – they are always crowd pleasers at mi casa!! 😉
Natasha says
I am so happy you enjoyed it. Love the vegetarian tips too. Thank you so much for following along! XO 🙂
Carol says
This Recipe was fun. I wouldn’t normally admit to using Doritos in a recipe, but it received five star reviews from husband and son!
I just found your site, and you have some great inspirational quick dinners, which I’m always looking for.
Way to go, Natasha!
Natasha says
That’s awesome! I thought Doritos would be a fun touch hahaha. So happy it was a hit! 🙂 So glad you found me. Happy new year!
Hannah says
Made this today and it is DELICIOUS! I swapped the black beans for black eyed peas (because they are supposedly easier to digest and I have GI problems), mixed regular tortilla chips with the doritos, and used a McCormick Mild Taco Seasoning Packet (not too much), and then added tortillas to eat it all in! It is like tacos on steroids!
Natasha says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Love your tweaks. 🙂 Happy new year!!
Pia says
Hi Natasha
Again we had a lovely and tasty meal from one of your recipes.
Thank you!
Pia
Natasha says
Yay!! That’s awesome!! So glad you liked it.
Mimi says
I literally never ever cook, made this for my fiancé and my parents as a surprise, and it was a smash hit 😉 Super delicious and not even I could mess anything up; ingredients were easy to get as well!
Natasha says
That’s awesome!! So happy to hear it! 🤗 Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment. ♥️
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
This would be a winner of a dinner here Natasha! So easy and delicious!
Natasha says
Thanks so much, Mary Ann! 🙂