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 casserole 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° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top with lettuce, tomatoes and olives. Serve with sour cream and picante sauce.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 405 calories, 12g fat (0 saturated fat), 47mg cholesterol, 1181mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 6g fiber), 37g protein.

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

Reviews

My Review

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Average Rating:

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!
anneevans

Sep 18, 2017

This recipe was so easy and delicious. My granddaughter loves tacos. I think that she would eat hem every day! She stayed for super the other night and I made this for her. It was such a hit, she made me promise that I would give her Mommy the recipe. You can be sure that I will be making this one again !
mjflowers

Aug 20, 2017

This is delicious and quick to throw together on busy weeknights. I usually have all the ingredients on hand. My kids like it best with double the amount of chips on the bottom, and often request it with any flavor Doritos! I top it with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and sliced olives.
Joy

Jun 21, 2017

A great way to use leftover taco meat. The chips stayed very crisp and we just added lettuce, tomato, salsa and sour cream individually. Hubby ate 3 servings!
lincop56

Jun 6, 2017

Great and very easy husband says it's fancy nachos he added chili cheese Fritos for extra spice
gunslinger

May 21, 2017

Very easy and delicious. I added some hot sauce because I thought it needed a little more kick. I also served it with extra tortilla chips.