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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Feeds a Crowd
This casserole is as simple as the original Walking Taco dinner you know and love, but this version feeds a hungry family!
With all the well-loved flavors of taco meat, shredded cheese, fresh salsa, and crunchy Fritos, this taco bake is a crow-pleaser.
Easy to Prep
Ready in just 40 minutes with minimal prep-work, this walking taco casserole is made entirely in one pan for easy clean up, too.
Choose Your Own Toppings
A delicious spin on taco night this walking taco casserole is made in just one skillet and topped with crunchy Fritos chips for crunch.
This recipe is easy to vary — set out a variety of toppings and let everyone choose how to load up.
Big on Flavor
With a base of seasoned beef, you then layer on salsa and cheese before baking it in the oven where all the flavors fuse together. Top it with a layer of Fritos and more cheese to finish it off and the result is a gooey bite of cheesy flavor in each bite.
This walking taco recipe is:
Simple: This taco bake uses only 8 main ingredients and comes together in about 40 minutes with minimal effort. Perfect for chaotic nights.
Customizable: Though the original recipe is delicious, it is beyond simple to add new flavors and extra layers to the recipe to create a new casserole each time you make it.
Versatile: Everyone loves a taco bake! Not only can you use this recipe as a full-on dinner, but you can also use it as a side dish for any gathering.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Made with just 6 main ingredients plus seasonings, this recipe is super simple and easy to whip up.
- Ground beef: Lean ground beef works best and provides the most delicious flavor; however, ground venison, turkey, or even chicken can be used.
- Onion: Use what you have on hand. Sweet onion pairs easily with any flavor but red onion gives a bit more bite. Yellow or white work great, too.
- Seasonings: You need a dash of garlic powder and salt for the beef to come together.
- Taco seasonings: Grab a pack of your favorite brand. Though you can make your own, you’ll save time with a store-bought pack.
- Shredded cheese: Cheddar cheese is a go-to, but you can adjust the flavor of the casserole by using something like fiesta cheese.
- Salsa: Any salsa you love will work for the recipe. Pico de gallo or freshly diced tomatoes also work.
- Fritos: Used in place of regular tortilla chips, Frito corn chips give a more unique and delicious flavor. Feel free to use store-brand chips to save a buck.
- Optional: Layer on shredded lettuce, guacamole, and/or sour cream.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
This casserole comes together in a few simple steps. Here's a look.
- Sauté onions and brown beef; and add garlic powder and salt.
- Add water and taco seasoning. Boil to thicken. Add salsa and cheese.
- Top with corn chips.
- Layer with cheese.
- Bake to melt cheese.
- Top with sour cream, guacamole and any other toppings, as desired.
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Try thee toppings for walking tacos:
Sour cream, Lettuce, Green onions, Guacamole, Mexican cheeses like cojita cheese or queso fresco, Black olives, Salsa verde
Meat and chips are layers with lettuce and cheese. Sour cream, salsa and guacamole can be layer on.
Sliced jalapenos, tomatillo or corn salsa, bell peppers, onions and/or beans can be added as well.
Walking tacos taste best fresh. Remove chips and col toppings and store separately. Cool and store meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Brown and season the beef. Layer it in a baking dish or oven-safe skillet and top it with salsa and shredded cheese. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to finish it and eat, let it come to room temperature before topping it with Fritos, another layer of cheese, and baking it as per the instructions.
Tip: If you know you’re making it in advance, try not to let all the liquid in the beef be cooked down. Leftover “juice” will make sure that the beef doesn’t dry out when reheated.
If the skillet you cook the beef in is not oven-safe, don’t panic. Before you start to layer everything. Transfer the beef mixture to a large or deep casserole dish and smooth it out before adding on the remaining layers.
This Walking Taco Casserole recipe was featured on South Your Mouth!
Walking Taco Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
Taco Meat
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or onion powder or both
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- 1 oz taco seasoning (1 packet)
Toppings
- ¾ cup salsa
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 4 cups corn chips Fritos or store brand
Optional Extra Toppings
- 8 oz sour cream
- 8 oz shredded lettuce
- 8 oz guacamole
- hot sauce to taste
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Sauté onions. In a large oven-safe skillet add chopped onions. Cook over medium heat. Add a splash of oil as needed. Cook until onions are transparent.
- Cook taco meat. Add ground beef and break it into pieces. Season with garlic powder and salt. Cook until ground beef is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Add water and taco seasoning to the cooked beef. Stir to combine. Bring to a low boil for 8-10 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add salsa and cheese. Turn off heat and add in salsa and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.If your skillet is oven-proof, spread the mixture evenly. If your skillet is not oven-proof, pour meat mixture into a large casserole dish.
- Add corn chips and cheese . Top meat mixture with a single layer of Fritos. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the Fritos.
- Bake. Cook for 20 minutes in the oven or until the cheese is melted and crispy.
Notes
- Feel free to add corn chips on after baking or offer them on the side if you prefer.
- Make it spicy: Use hot salsa or add red pepper flakes to taste.
- Extra flavor: Add bacon bits when adding the ground beef.
- Make it deluxe: Add black olives, pico de gallo, corn, beans, shredded lettuce, and/or cotija cheese.
Esme Slabbert says
Amazing looking casserole with taco. Yum yum and again yum for sure
Found your post on The Country Cook. My entries are Vegan and GF Chocolate Cheesecake and Baked Chutney and Mayonnaise Chicken
Hope you will join/share M-Sat at https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/