Taco Salad Casserole

Name: Taco Salad Casserole
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings.
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1/4 cup chopped onion; 1/4 cup chopped green pepper; 1 envelope taco seasoning; 1/2 cup water; 1 cup crushed tortilla chips; 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; Toppings: Chopped lettuce and tomatoes, sliced ripe olives, sour cream and picante sauce

This taco casserole recipe tastes like a taco salad and is a breeze to assemble. I crush tortilla chips to form a bottom layer, then spread on refried beans, a spicy meat mixture and cheese. —Rhonda McKee, Greensburg, Kansas

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings: Chopped lettuce and tomatoes, sliced ripe olives, sour cream and picante sauce

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Cook and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes; set aside.
Place chips in a greased 8-in. square baking dish. In a small bowl, stir refried beans; spread over chips. Top with beef mixture and cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 375° until heated through, 15-20 minutes. Top with lettuce, tomatoes and olives. Serve with sour cream and picante sauce.

Test Kitchen Tips

Using lean ground beef instead of beef that’s 80% lean saves 45 calories per 4-ounce serving of beef. Lean ground beef is also 29% lower in saturated fat.

Sharp cheddar cheese has been aged longer than regular cheddar. As cheese ages, its flavor becomes more pronounced. Using aged cheese in a recipe can add complexity and rich flavor, even to humble favorites like mac ’n’ cheese.

Check out 65 more tasty casserole recipes.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 527 calories, 28g fat (12g saturated fat), 98mg cholesterol, 1529mg sodium, 35g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 5g fiber), 33g protein.

Originally published as Taco Casserole in Quick Cooking January/February 2000

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Susan

Apr 14, 2019

If possible, I would give this 10 Stars!! Prepared for dinner last night
Shauna

Mar 29, 2019

Made it for dinner tonight. Only subbed red pepper for green - otherwise followed exactly and it was excellent!!!
Faith

Mar 19, 2019

I made it for my family and they loved it. Great recipe for beginners like me!
Mike

Dec 13, 2018

Very satisfying. This is a great way to make a large taco styIe dish to feed a crowd or have extras for left overs. I increased the basic recipe to a 9 x 13 pan but didn't put in the crushed chips. After cooking, I was able to crush the chips then put the casserole serving on top of them, and then I was able to add all the toppings (including Cilantro and avocado) at the time of serving and it kept everything fresh.
Adysson

Nov 9, 2018

DELISH!!! :)
Seawherry

Jul 9, 2018

This dish was easy and so lush. I did it a tad different. I made fresh tortilla chips thought it would hold the crunch better after baking. did everything as called in the recipe but added jalapeno peppers to the mix, green, red bell pepper, and white onion fried all together with ground beef. Topped with cheese and baked 15 min. Added shredded lettuce, tomatoes, spring onion and fresh cilantro , ( no olives) topped off with sour cream. Served remaining tortilla chips with some home made salsa. it was brilliant will be adding this to my book of recipes.
Dmcbhoover

Jul 8, 2018

Sorry Nebraskabebe but annie1992 is right. I didn’t try this yet, but using ground chicken or turkey cuts calories even more, even with dark meat. The recipe becomes the guideline for wonderful food, and tomorrow I’m going to try this, on the skinny side. Be flexible cooking, and you will be happy with the results. ??
annie1992

Jun 28, 2018

Nebraskababe, it's easy enough to substitute other ingredients and cut the calorie and fat levels down. I raise grass fed beef, far lower in fat and calories than commercial beef. I use fat free refried beans, baked tortilla chips and low fat cheese, using only half a cup of cheese instead of the original cup. Just like that, it's the same recipe, but about half the calories and fat are gone. For instance, a pound of 80/20 ground beef is 1126 calories, but a pound of 95% lean is only 616. Baked tortilla chips are 118 calories in an ounce, compared to 138. Full fat cheddar is 455 calories a cup, reduced fat is only 195 per cup. Even using the whole cup of cheese, I cut about 900 calories from the recipe, or over 200 calories per serving. Mine was pretty darned good, while still being healthy, and topped with some homemade fresh salsa it was excellent. Many recipes, especially flavorful ones, are easy to "lighten".
Nebraskababe

May 15, 2018

I know this would taste very good, but look 1 cup has 400 calories so I won't be making it. I want something that tastes good and is low in calories. Sorry!
Sue Zappa

Mar 23, 2018

"Taco Casserole" is the actual name of this recipe in the Jan/Feb 2000 Quick Cooking. I found my issue to see if I'd made this when all our kids were still at home. I had & it was marked, "A Favorite!" That's the highest praise a recipe can receive at our house. Glad to stumble across it today while looking for quick & easy recipes to fix next week when I'm so busy preparing for Easter Sunday dinner. I noticed the only change I made in the recipe to was to serve it with mild salsa, not picante sauce. Yum!