Walking Taco Casserole is everything you love in a walking taco baked together! Seasoned ground beef, pinto beans, and Rotel layered with Fritos. Top with all your favorite walking taco toppings!
My go to protein when I just need the quickest, easiest dinner is any kind of ground meat. It cooks in minutes, is so versatile, and it's delicious, of course.
This particular dinner uses ground beef and the whole thing comes together in about 35 minutes. And 15 minutes of that is in the oven which means you can do other things you need to get done!
If you love a walking taco, you're going to love this casserole! It has a layer of Fritos on the bottom and then a layer of taco seasoned ground beef, Rotel tomatoes, and beans. And then it's topped with a layer of cheddar cheese and then more Fritos.
Once everything bakes together, the bottom layer of Fritos absorbs all the flavor from the meat mixture and the texture changes to almost like a corn tortilla texture. That may be my favorite part of this casserole.
And then the top layer of Fritos stay nice and crunchy so you get that nice textural difference which makes things so fun to eat!
There's so much flavor and then you can add whatever toppings you usually enjoy on a walking taco. We topped ours with sour cream, diced tomatoes, and green onions but you can do salsa, shredded lettuce, queso - the options are endless.
Ingredients
- Ground beef - you could use ground chicken or turkey if you don't eat beef or want to make it a bit lighter.
- Onion - the recipe calls for a white onion but use whatever you already have on hand.
- Garlic - use garlic powder if you don't have fresh garlic.
- Taco seasoning - use your favorite brand or homemade recipe.
- Rotel - this is canned tomatoes with green chiles. It adds a nice spice without being super spicy. There are mild and spicy varieties of Rotel if you prefer more or less spice.
- Pinto beans - you could substitute black beans if you prefer. Make sure you drain and rinse whatever beans you use.
- Cheddar cheese - a sharp cheddar is really nice in this casserole.
- Fritos - just the plain original Fritos.
How To Make Walking Taco Casserole
- Cook meat. Cook ground beef and onion over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add taco seasoning, Rotel, pinto beans, and water.
- Cook. Simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Layer. Place half of the Fritos in the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spread meat mixture over the Fritos. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the meat. Top with remaining Fritos.
- Bake. Bake at 350F for about 15 minute, until cheese is melted.
- Top. Top with preferred toppings, such as diced tomatoes, sour cream, and green onions.
How Long Is It Good For?
Walking Taco Casserole will be good for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Keep in mind that the Fritos will soften as they sit in the casserole so by day 3, you're going to have some really soggy Fritos. Still delicious but soggy.
Can You Freeze It?
I don't recommend freezing this casserole. The Fritos will be a completely soggy once frozen and defrosted.
If you wanted to only bake half of the filling, you can freeze the other half. Let it cool completely and then transfer it to an airtight container (like a freezer ziploc bag) and then place in the freezer.
When you are ready to serve it, let it defrost overnight in the fridge and then layer the filling with the Fritos and bake as instructed.
Can You Make It Ahead?
You can make the the meat mixture earlier in the day or even the night before. You can also layer it with the bottom layer of Fritos and the cheese.
However, I would hold off on adding the top layer of Fritos until right before you intend to bake it so they don't get soft. You really want that top layer to stay crunchy.
More Ground Beef Recipes
Make sure you subscribe to my email list to get all my new recipes delivered right to your inbox!
Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for even more!
Recipe
Walking Taco Casserole
Walking Taco Casserole is everything you love in a walking taco baked together! Seasoned ground beef, pinto beans, and Rotel layered with Fritos. Top with all your favorite walking taco toppings!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning
- 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel
- 1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 (9.25 ounce) bag Fritos
- sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with oil. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and diced onion; cook, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains in the meat and onion has softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, only 30 seconds or so.
- Add taco seasoning, Rotel, pinto beans, and water. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, lower heat, and let simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat.
- Spread half of the Fritos in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the meat mixture, followed by the cheddar cheese. Top with the remaining Fritos.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minute, until the cheese is melted.
- Top with sour cream, tomatoes, and green onions before serving.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 387Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 347mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 31g
Leave a Reply