30 Minute Walking Taco Casserole

The entire family loves this Walking Taco Casserole recipe! Made with seasoned taco meat, tomatoes, beans, cheese and crunchy chips it's a family favorite and it's perfect as an easy weeknight meal. 

Don't forget to load it up with all your favorite tacos toppings!

Oh, and add this easy casserole to your taco bar and Cinco de Mayo recipe ideas!

What is a Walking Taco Casserole?

I heart alllll the taco recipes. Classic taco salad or taco stuffed peppers? Yes!!! Shredded chicken tacos? You betcha!

So really, it should come as no surprise that I'm super excited to show you this walking taco bake. SO much yum!

If you've ever been to a farm auction, or even a sports concession stand, you've probably been introduced to the beauty of a walking taco.

The concept of walking tacos basically takes everything that is soooo good about taco ingredients and mixes it all together. The whole taco party is spooned into small bags of corn chips (or Doritos if you want to start a debate) to be eaten with a fork while you're cruising around.

Basically, it's all that in a bag of chips...See what I did there??!?

Anyhow, this walking taco casserole recipe puts the walking into a delicious casserole form that will make your taste buds sing and is perfect for feeding a hungry family or group.

And it's a great graduation party option, too. Oh and a weeknight dinner.

This one is a jack of all trades. You can dress it up, dressing it down or make it however you like it!This one has field meal written all over it, friends!

If you like my One Pot Chili Mac, taco recipes or leftover taco meat recipes in general you're gonna love this one. Let's get started...

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe

• Ground beef - you can also use shredded chicken but if you're a tried and true walking taco fan, beef it is.
• Taco seasoning - you can use store bought or use low sodium taco seasoning.
• Cream cheese - for a melty but not overly cheesy addition.
• Rotel style tomatoes - the brand name is Rotel, which is what I've always called it. At the store, look for this or the equivalent can of diced tomato with green chilis.
• Ranch style beans - ranch beans are pinto beans that have some tomato sauce and seasonings incorporated into them. You could also use plain canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained.
• Frito corn chips - if you don't have a bag of fritos in the pantry, tortilla chips or nacho Doritos also work.
• Mexican blend cheese - this cheese usually blend has monterey jack, cheddar and asadero and queso quesadilla cheese.
• For serving: think of whatever you like adding to your tacos here! Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, jalapenos, green onions and black olives, to name a few.

How to make walking taco casserole

Grab your favorite medium sized casserole dish and spray it with non-stick cooking spray.

Cook and crumble the ground beef, then add taco seasoning.

If your beef is lean, you may not need to drain it. If it does have some fat after cooking, you know what to do. Discard the fat before adding the seasoning.

In goes the cream cheese, rotel tomatoes and beans. Give everything a stir until it's mixed well and the cream cheese has melted in and incorporated with it's new buddies.

Spread into the baking dish, then top with the fritos and shredded cheese. Ummmm, my mouth is watering!

Then, bake it for about 15 minutes in the oven until it's heated through and the cheese is melted.

Tips for the best walking taco casserole

• Drain the rotel and beans so they don’t make the dish too soupy.
• Let everyone add their own toppings to their plate. If you're like me, you have a picky eater or two and this way everyone is happy with their finish dinner.

To make ahead of time

• This is a great dish to make ahead of time! You can brown ground beef ahead of time.
• Or assemble as instructed, then before baking, just top it with foil and refrigerate for up to two days.
• Note: when you make it this way, the chips will be a little bit soggier, which is actually how I like it! Otherwise you can assemble it without adding the cheese and chips. You'll add those right before baking.
• This also makes it a great meal to share with a neighbor or family with a new baby in the house!

Recipe Variations

• Use ground pork or ground turkey instead of the ground beef.
• Mix up the types of cheese used. Plain old shredded cheddar is just as good if you have it in your fridge.
• Use Dorito nacho chips or tortilla chips.
• Add four ounces of diced green chiles for a little more spice.

Storage

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Other Tex Mex Recipes

Here are some other recipes I think you'll love!

Mexican Ground Beef Casserole

Taco Pasta Salad

Mild Pico de Gallo

Mexican Chopped Salad