Description
Hearty easy taco casserole with fritos brings Mexican-inspired comfort to dinner tables across America. Layers of seasoned ground beef, crispy corn chips, and melted cheese create a crowd-pleasing meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cups Fritos corn chips
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
Cheese and Dairy:
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Seasonings and Garnishes:
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Shredded lettuce
- Sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Warm the oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure proper cooking temperature.
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, carefully draining any accumulated fat to prevent excess greasiness.
- Enhance the meat with taco seasoning, then fold in black beans and diced tomatoes with green chilies, allowing the mixture to simmer and develop robust flavors for 5 minutes.
- Create a crispy foundation by evenly spreading half of the Fritos across the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Construct the casserole’s primary layer by distributing the seasoned beef mixture directly over the Fritos base.
- Generously blanket the beef with a combination of shredded cheeses, ensuring complete coverage for maximum melting potential.
- Crown the casserole with the remaining Fritos, creating a crunchy upper layer.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese transforms into a bubbling, golden landscape.
- Allow the casserole to rest briefly after removing from the oven, which helps stabilize the layers.
- Personalize the dish by garnishing with optional toppings: sour cream, diced onions, fresh tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and jalapeños.
- Serve alongside crisp, shredded lettuce to add a refreshing contrast to the warm, hearty casserole.
Notes
- Crush Fritos slightly before layering to enhance the crunch and help them absorb more flavor from the meat mixture.
- Use lean ground beef or substitute with ground turkey for a healthier protein option that keeps the dish lighter.
- Make this dish vegetarian by replacing ground beef with plant-based crumbles or additional black beans for protein and texture.
- Prep ingredients ahead of time to create a quick weeknight meal that can be assembled in minutes and baked immediately.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 495 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 820 mg
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg