This easy taco casserole is one of my family’s favorite casseroles. It’s hearty, feel-good and loaded with ground beef, black beans, rice, cheese and all the flavor you can handle!
It’s also a great way to use up the broken tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag.
How to make taco casserole
Brown some ground beef in a skillet and then drain off the extra grease. I found this ground meat tool a couple of months ago and it makes chopping up and flipping ground meat so much easier. I love it!
Add the drained ground beef, soup, salsa, milk, rice, black beans and corn to the casserole dish and mix well.
Cover and bake for 40 minutes and then sprinkle the broken tortilla chips around the edges and sprinkle cheddar cheese in the center. Bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
I had two different kinds of tortilla chip shrapnel left, so I have a bit of a hodgepodge of chips going on in my casserole.
It would look prettier if using a single tortilla chip variety but in these pantry-challenged days, I’m not about to be picky!
Can you make taco casserole without ground beef?
Absolutely! You could substitute ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork or you could make a vegetarian taco casserole by omitting the meat.
Can I make this casserole spicy?
Heck yes! Use a hot Picante sauce instead of mild salsa and you’ll add a nice kick of heat to the recipe.
What to serve with this easy rice casserole
Cranberry Fire Roasted Cornbread
Honey Glazed Cornbread Donuts with Crumbled Bacon
If you like this casserole recipe, try these other taco-inspired recipes.
Chicken Taco Casserole with Orzo
Chicken Tacos with Avocado Corn Salsa
Pin this taco casserole recipe to Pinterest!
Easy Taco Casserole
Easy Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 10 3/4 oz can condensed tomato soup
- 1 16-oz jar chunky salsa For an extra kick, use spicy picante sauce
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup instant white rice
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brown ground beef in skillet until cooked through. Drain off grease.
- Add ground beef, soup, salsa, milk, rice, beans and corn to casserole dish, stirring to mix together. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Stir. Sprinkle with cheese. Add tortilla chips around edges and bake uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
