Taco Casserole With Tortilla Chips

This Taco Casserole With Tortilla Chips has all the best taco flavors with seasoned ground meat and tons of creamy sauce! It’s the perfect weeknight dinner for busy families. Add your favorite taco toppings like lettuce, salsa, cilantro, green onions, and avocado.

🔥 Why This Recipe Rocks

• It's a fun way to change things up on Taco Tuesdays!
• It's so easy to make with only 25 minutes of prep!
• Kids love this!
• You can prep it ahead of time for a busy weeknight meal.

Common Problems When Cooking Taco Casserole

• Don't use thin-style tortilla chips meant to dip into salsa. We need sturdy, thick tortilla chips so they stay crunchie.
• Stick with only adding half an envelope of taco seasoning which is 5 teaspoons. Even if using the lower sodium version, any extra is too salty.
• Put most of the crushed chips on top to keep that crunchy texture. Only use 20% of the crushed tortilla chips on the bottom layer.
• If you are prepping this casserole ahead of time, store the crushed tortilla chips separately in a zip-lock bag. Sprinkle them on top right before you bake it in the oven.

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients needed to make this yummy taco casserole!

• Ground Meat: You can use either beef, pork, or turkey. All types work well. If using beef, choose a ground sirloin or a grind that is 15% fat or less. The photo above is ground pork. If you use the ground turkey breast at 1% fat, you may need to add oil to the pot when you saute the meat.
• Tomato Sauce: Tomato sauce brings a little bit of zip and tang to the ground meat versus no tomato at all.
• Taco seasoning: Use your favorite store-bought mix.
• Sour Cream: To add tangy and extra creaminess. It helps loosen the texture of the creamy cheesy sauce.
• Cream of Mushroom Soup: This is often used as a base ingredient in casseroles and comfort foods. This recipe is one of a couple of exceptions where I still use canned soup. If you are trying to get away from the red can, most organic versions are watery. However, I found that Whole Foods has one that is thick and made with simple organic ingredients.
• Shredded Cheese: I use a Mexican blend, but cheddar or colby-jack would work great.
• Cilantro: A soft, leafy, green herb that is essential to Mexican-style dishes. It's very common in salsas and sold by the bunch in the produce section next to parsley.
• Thick Tortilla Chips: Use your favorite flavor. I pick Tostitos.

See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.

Variations

• Beans - add a can of rinsed black beans or pinto beans to the meat mixture.
• Deluxe Salad - Top plenty of shredded romaine lettuce with a spoonful of this casserole, your favorite salsa, and other favorite toppings for a salad.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease the casserole dish.

Step 1: Brown the ground meat in a skillet. Drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning and tomato sauce to the ground meat and combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 2: Crush the tortilla chips by hand into small pieces, but not pulverized.

Step 3: Combine the condensed soup, sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro in a bowl.

Step 4: Spread 1 cup of crushed tortilla chips on the bottom of the casserole.

Step 5: Spoon half of the sour cream mixture over the crushed chips.

Step 6: Spread all of the meat mixture over the sour cream mixture.

Step 7: Top the meat with the remaining sour cream mixture.

Step 8: Cover the casserole with the remaining crushed tortilla chips.

Bake, uncovered for about 40 minutes. It's ready until the center is hot (internal temperature 170℉-180℉), the chips will just start to toast and the cheese is melted.

Make Ahead Instructions

This taco casserole comes together in no time, but you can break up the prep to make dinnertime a bit quicker.

Assemble the casserole ahead but do not add the final layer of crushed tortilla chips. Cover and store the casserole in the fridge for up to three days.

Store the crushed chips in a zip-lock bag in the pantry until you’re ready to bake. At that time, you will sprinkle the chips on top so they don’t get soggy. Plan for more cooking time in the oven as it will take longer to heat through.

Freezing Instructions

I suggest using a disposable foil pan if you would like to freeze this taco casserole.

• Assemble the casserole except withhold the final layer of the crushed tortilla chips on top.
• Let cool and wrap tightly with 3 layers of aluminum foil.
• Transfer the crushed chips to a zip-lock freezer bag with the air pushed out.

The casserole and chips can be stored in the freezer for up to a month.

Move the frozen casserole to the refrigerator 2 days before you plan to bake it. The chips can remain in the freezer until you are ready to bake. Simply sprinkle the chips over the defrosted casserole and bake covered at 350℉. Keep checking its center temperature as it could take up to an hour to get hot.

Storage Information

Store the leftovers covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.

I don’t recommend freezing leftovers as the chip layer will be soggy when thawed.

Reheating Instructions

This casserole doesn't stand up well to reheating in the microwave because the chips will be soggy, but I still do it. If using the microwave, add more chips after you have reheated it.

Individual or larger portions can be reheated in the oven at 325℉ for 20-25 minutes for crispy results.

FAQ

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