Oh, yes, that’s right. I made you all a Mexican lasagna with tortillas instead of noodles. It’s one of those easy weeknight recipes that the entire family gets excited about when they see it come out of the oven, all steamy and cheesy and gooey.
This taco casserole is layers of tortilla chips, refried beans and beef, all topped with plenty of cheese and baked to perfection. Add your favorite taco fixings such as lettuce, tomato and olives for a hearty and family friendly meal! Yes, this Potluck Taco Casserole is so delicious and has all the great flavor of taco salad making it a family favorite. We made it years ago and had almost forgotten about it until we recently re-made it. We forgot how great it was and wanted to make sure you got to try this easy taco bake recipe.
We’re pretty much obsessed with make-ahead meals at Pillsbury™ so we created this cheesy Mexican-inspired casserole specifically to be a freezer-friendly dinner. (We’ve even included instructions for baking it straight from the freezer as well as defrosting it first.) So whether you make it for dinner tonight or prep it now for a time-saving freezer meal later, you’re guaranteed delicious results.
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef I use 80% lean
1 small yellow onion diced
1 oz. taco seasoning equivalent to 2 Tablespoons
16 oz. refried beans
¾ cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded*
¼ cup black olives sliced
1/3 cup tomatoes diced
¾ cup crunchy toppings such as tortilla chips Doritos, and/or Fritos
To garnish:
1/3 cup lettuce shredded
Green onions (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add the ground beef and diced onions to a large pan and cook and crumble over medium heat until the meat is cooked through.
Drain excess grease.
Add ¾ cup water and taco seasoning.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Spread the refried beans in an even layer within a casserole dish. (Mine was 13.25″x9″ but varying sizes are fine.)
Spread the sour cream over the refried beans.
Top with cooked ground beef mixture, then with cheese.
If you’re preparing this head of time, let it cool and cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Baking:
If baking right away: Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and melted.
If baking after the casserole has been refrigerated: Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the toppings:
Top the casserole with black olives, tomatoes, and crunchy toppings. (Add additional cheese if you like as well.)
Bake uncovered for 8 minutes.
Garnish with green onions and/or shredded lettuce and serve!