This easy Doritos Taco Casserole recipe is a quick and easy weeknight meal. Seasoned ground beef, poblanos, diced tomatoes, cheese and black beans are mixed together and topped with your favorite Doritos or chips to create a crunchy, flavorful topping. This will remind you of walking tacos in a casserole form!
DORITOS TACO CASSEROLE
Did you grow up eating walking tacos?
I remember loving them as a child! You would take a small Doritos bag of chips and fill it with ground meat, cheese, salsa, beans and sour cream.
Today’s Doritos Taco Casserole reminds me of walking tacos but in a casserole form. Seasoned ground beef is mixed with diced tomatoes, bell peppers, poblanos, black beans and cheese and are topped with Doritos or your favorite tortilla chips.
This meal is an easy dinner option to make and a family favorite for weeknight meals. I suggest that if you think you will have leftovers to just add the chips when you are ready to eat the casserole so the chips don’t get soggy.
My favorite part about this casserole is that you can use anything you have on hand in your fridge and pantry. For example you can swap black beans for any other bean like kidney beans or red beans. You can also add other ingredients like avocado, pickled red onions, jalapeños or salsa.
If you like this recipe then try some of my favorite Mexican casserole dishes, like this Mexican Chicken Casserole, Easy Mexican Noodle Casserole or my One Pot Mexican Stuffed Pepper Casserole.
Why You Will Love This Dorito Taco Casserole
This dorito casserole recipe is a family favorite and there are a lot of reason to love it! A few reasons I make it time and time again are:
- Quick & Easy Cook: This beef taco bake is easy to pull together, and can be cooked and on the table in just 45 minutes. You can prepare any extra toppings while it bakes in the oven.
- Optional Toppings: Get creative with the casserole toppings, I’ve made some suggestions to help you later in this post! Each time you make this you can mix up the garnishes which keeps things new and fun!
- Family Friendly: This is one of those hearty casserole recipes the whole family will enjoy on a weeknight meal or taco tuesday. I like to place the toppings in individual bowls, that way everyone can top their casserole exactly how they want.
Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef – I use 1 pound of ground beef in this recipe.
- Vegetables – For added flavor, I sauté red onion and poblano pepper along with the ground beef.
- Seasoning – Taco seasoning adds flavor to the beef. You can also make a homemade taco seasoning.
- Tomatoes – Diced tomatoes are added to the beef. Sometimes I like to use diced tomatoes with green chilies or fire roasted diced tomatoes which can add even more flavor.
- Beans – Black beans are my favorite bean to use in this easy casserole but you can sub in any beans you like. Make sure you drain the beans so the casserole isn’t watery.
- Sour cream – Sour cream is added to the casserole but is optional. You also could add a dollop of Greek yogurt for a healthier option.
- Doritos – Doritos are used in this recipe, but you can substitute with your favorite brand of tortilla chips. You also could use a healthier version like Nacho Grain Free Tortilla Chips by Siete Foods.
- Cheese – I like to use a combination of shredded cheddar cheese and also pepper jack cheese in this recipe. You can add any cheese you like. Some other good ones are monterey jack, colby or cotija cheese.
- Optional toppings – You can top the casserole with green onion, olives, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeno peppers, avocado and sour cream. Additional topping suggestions can be found later in this post.
How to Make This Doritos Taco Casserole Recipe
Step 1. Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Step 2. Sauté the beef: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned throughout, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
Step 3. Sauté the vegetables: Add the diced red onion and poblano pepper to the browned ground beef. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
Step 4. Cook the beef taco mixture: Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Simmer the taco meat for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Add the diced tomatoes with green chiles, black beans, and sour cream to the skillet. Heat through, stirring occasionally, until everything is well combined.
Step 5. Prepare the cheese and Doritos: Mix the shredded cheddar cheese and shredded pepper jack cheese in a bowl. Mix 1 cup of the crushed Doritos with 1/4 cup of the cheese.
Step 6. Layer up the casserole: Spread the Dorito-cheese mixture in an even layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread half of the meat mixture evenly over the Dorito-cheese layer.
Spread half of the remaining crushed Doritos over the meat layer.
Step 7. Finish layering the dish: Top with half of the remaining shredded cheese. Top this with the remaining half of the meat mixture, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle half of the remaining Doritos over the second meat layer. Finish by sprinkling the last of the cheese mixture over the Doritos.
Step 8. Bake the casserole: Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly on top.
Step 9. Top the taco casserole: Let the casserole cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite taco toppings liked sliced jalapeños, chopped tomatoes, green onions, or your favorite toppings (optional).
Recipe Modifications for this Doritos Taco Casserole Recipe
- Dorito Flavors: You can use any type of Doritos you like – nacho cheese, cool ranch, spicy, or even a mix! You also can just use regular tortilla chips, Fritos or make your own homemade tortilla chips.
- Protein: I used ground beef in this recipe but you could swap for ground chicken, turkey or pork. Or try using sliced steak or leftover shredded chicken.
- Beans: I’ve added black beans to the beef, but you could swap these for any beans. I especially like red beans or pinto beans.
- Vegetables: When sautéing the onions you could add some extra veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, shredded lettuce, zucchini or corn.
- Flavor Additions: Add a can of corn or extra diced green chiles for extra flavor and texture.
- Taco Seasoning: If you don’t have taco seasoning, you can substitute it with a mixture of chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Spice Level: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the taco seasoning for a kick of heat. Or if you like your food extra spicy, try adding some red pepper flakes or chili powder.
- Vegetarian: Replace the ground beef with a plant-based protein like crumbled tofu or seasoned lentils.
Recipe Tips
- Double the recipe: When making the ground beef mixture, you can double it up, using half the mixture to make a fresh casserole, and freezing the remaining beef mixture for a quick and easy dinner another night.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: To reheat the casserole place into the microwave until heated through.
- Freeze: I do not recommend freezing the whole casserole as the tortilla chips will become really soggy during the freezing and defrosting process. However you can prepare and cook the ground beef layer, then once cooked and cooled, place it into an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, this is the perfect make-ahead casserole. I suggest not adding the chips until you are ready to eat the casserole so they don’t become soggy. You can prep the casserole all the way until the part where you bake it and put it in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
You can add a variety of dressing or sauces to this casserole to add more flavor. Some I really like are Catalina dressing {or Russian or French Dressing}, Ranch dressing, salsa or taco sauce.
If you want to try a different protein some good options that I think work best are ground turkey or ground pork. You also could use shredded chicken or shredded beef. You also can leave the meat out all together or use cooked lentils for a vegetarian version.
This casserole will stay in the fridge to up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can reheat the in an oven or microwave.
What to Serve with this Doritos Taco Casserole
This taco casserole is the perfect chance to add your favorite toppings. You can get creative and set out individual bowls so people can top their casserole with the ingredients they like.
- Salsa: Pico de gallo, Avocado Tomatillo Salsa, Tomatillo Salsa, Easy Watermelon Salsa, Cowboy Caviar
- Guacamole or diced avocado
- Pickled jalapeños
- Pickled Red Onions
- Pickled Vegetables
- Sliced green onions
- Green or black olives
- Shredded lettuce
- Sour cream
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Shredded cheese – cheddar, pepper jack or Monterey jack
- Crumbled cheese – cojita or feta
Other Ground Beef Recipes You Might Like:
Ground beef recipes have a lot of protein that can keep your family feeling full and satisfied. Here are some other beef recipes you might like:
- BEEF ENCHILADAS
- BEEF TACO PASTA
- GROUND BEEF LAYERED HUMMUS
- BEEF TACO DIP
- MEDITERRANEAN GROUND BEEF ZUCCHINI SKILLET
- MEDITERRANEAN GROUND BEEF STUFFED PEPPERS
- SKILLET BEEF LASAGNA
If you try it, please leave me a star rating and comment below, and follow me on Instagram @acedarspoon for more delicious recipes!
Doritos Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup diced poblano pepper
- 1 ounce packet taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup water
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup sour cream {optional}
- 5 cups lightly crushed Doritos or tortilla chips
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Optional Toppings
- green onions, sliced
- olives
- tomatoes, diced
- lettuce, shredded
- jalapenos
- avocado
- sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned throughout, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the beef back to the skillet and add the diced red onion and poblano pepper to the browned ground beef. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Add the diced tomatoes with green chiles, black beans, and sour cream {optional} to the skillet. Heat through, stirring occasionally, until everything is well combined.
- Mix the shredded cheddar cheese and shredded pepper jack cheese in a medium mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl mix 1 cup of the crushed Doritos with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture.
- Spread the Dorito-cheese mixture in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Spread half of the meat mixture evenly over the Dorito-cheese layer.
- Spread half of the remaining crushed Doritos over the meat layer.
- Top with half of the remaining shredded cheese. Top this with the remaining half of the meat mixture, spreading it evenly.
- Sprinkle half of the remaining Doritos over the second meat layer.
- Finish by sprinkling the last of the cheese mixture over the Doritos.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly on top.
- Let the casserole cool for a few minutes before serving. Top with sliced jalapenos, chopped tomatoes, green onions, or your favorite toppings (optional).
Notes
- Double the recipe: When making the ground beef mixture, you can double it up, using half the mixture to make a fresh casserole, and freezing the remaining beef mixture for a quick and easy dinner another night.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: To reheat the casserole place into the microwave until heated through.
- Freeze: I do not recommend freezing the whole casserole as the tortilla chips will become really soggy during the freezing and defrosting process. However you can prepare and cook the ground beef layer, then once cooked and cooled, place it into an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
