Layered Taco Bake
Make dinner a fiesta with this delicious layered taco bake! Packed with all the flavors of tacos, it’s a crowd-pleasing one-pot dish.
This taco casserole has it all! Everything you love about tacos is baked into this flavorful casserole. The one-pot dish features ground beef, taco sauce, seasonings, tomato sauce, corn chips, and your favorite taco toppings. The meat mixture is finished with the toppings and tortilla chips or corn chips and the casserole is baked to perfection. Serve the casserole with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, or any combination of toppings.
What You’ll Like About This Dish
Taco night made easier. All the taco flavors you love, baked into a warm, cheesy casserole.
Fast and family-friendly. Only 10 minutes of prep, and easy to scale up for a group.
Customizable layers. Use your favorite toppings, chips, or proteins — it’s flexible!
Perfect for leftovers. Reheats well and makes great next-day lunches or snacks.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef – Use lean ground beef or swap in turkey, chicken, or pork.
- Taco sauce – Adds classic flavor, or use enchilada sauce or salsa.
- Corn chips – Fritos, tortilla chips, or Doritos all work well.
- Cheese – A Mexican blend or sharp cheddar melts nicely.
- Toppings – Tomato, lettuce, onion, sour cream, avocado, olives—whatever you love!
Steps to Make Layered Taco Bake
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet with the seasonings and spices.
- Stir in the taco sauce and tomato sauce and simmer to blend flavors.
- Layer half the beef mixture and some of the chips in a baking dish.
- Repeat with the remaining beef, then top with tomato, cheese, onion, and lettuce.
- Sprinkle more chips on top and bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Tips
For crispier lettuce: Add it after baking or serve on the side as a topping.
Make it spicier: Add diced jalapeños, spicy salsa, or extra hot sauce to the filling.
Recipe Variations
- Change the protein. Use ground turkey, shredded chicken, or leftover pulled pork.
- Try a different sauce. Swap taco sauce for enchilada sauce or salsa.
- Use your favorite chips. Fritos, Doritos, tortilla chips, or homemade strips all work.
- Add seasoning. Stir in 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning with the beef.
- Layer your way. Add beans, corn, or sautéed peppers between meat and chips.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, or pickled onions.
- Add extra toppings like avocado slices, cilantro, or lime wedges.
- Pair with a side of Mexican rice or a green salad with lime vinaigrette.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Freezing is not recommended if the casserole includes lettuce. For make-ahead, leave out fresh toppings and freeze the base only.
To Reheat: Warm individual portions in the microwave or reheat the casserole in a 350°F oven until heated through.
Layered Taco Bake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, lean
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup taco sauce
- 8 ounces tomato sauce, small can
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Dash hot sauce or cayenne pepper
- 6 ounces corn chips, coarsely crumbled
- 1 cup tomato, chopped
- 1 cup cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- Shredded lettuce
- Taco toppings for garnish, e.g., sour cream, avocado or guacamole, salsa, pickled onions, black olives
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes. Break the beef up with a spatula and add the chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, and hot sauce or cayenne. Continue cooking and stirring for 4 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink.
- Add the taco sauce and tomato sauce to the beef. Bring the mixture to a simmer; reduce the heat to low and continue simmering for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt, as needed.
- Turn half of the mixture into the baking dish and top with half of the crumbled chips. Add the remaining ground beef mixture and top with diced tomato, shredded cheese, chopped onion, and lettuce. Sprinkle the remaining chips over the top.
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer:
Our nutritional information is based on a third-party application that analyzes the ingredients list to determine the values. The information is meant to be helpful, but should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on measurements, brands, serving variations, and database availability.
