This cheesy ground beef taco bake is a dream dinner! This cheesy casserole is packed with all the taco fixings — even tortillas. It’s truly a taco in casserole form.
Amazingly Cheesy Beef Taco Bake
This ground beef taco bake is everything you’ve ever wanted in a taco and MORE!
Why you ask? Well, because it has all your favorite taco fixings! Taco bake recipes are truly the best meal and for so many reasons.
This beef taco bake recipe is made with ground beef, salsa, taco sauce, tortillas, and cheddar cheese. Keep reading to learn how to make it!
WHAT IS taco bake?
A beef taco bake is a casserole made with ground beef, tortillas, tomato products, and cheese. It’s a hearty meal that serves a crowd.
why you’ll love it
- Customizable
- Kid-Friendly
- Protein-Packed
- Easy to Freeze
What You Need
Basic ingredients, but big flavor! Here’s what you need for this beef taco bake recipe:
- Corn tortillas: we don’t recommend subbing for flour tortillas as they can be pretty mushy once baked.
- Ground beef: we used 85% for optimal flavor 😀
- Yellow onion: you’ll be dicing the onion to infuse flavor throughout!
- Tomato paste
- Taco seasoning: homemade taco seasoning or store-bought works.
- Salsa: use your favorite salsa! Any variety will do.
- Taco skillet sauce: we used this taco sauce, but an enchilada sauce works too.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: don’t skip the cheese! Feel free to use pepper jack if you want to add a little SPICE.
add some veggies!
If you have other veggies on hand, you can absolutely use them in your beef taco bake. Here are some other options to add:
- diced bell peppers
- diced sweet potato
- sliced jalapeños
- canned black beans
Our Favorite
Casserole Dish
This le creuset casserole dish is our all time favorite casserole dish! The white color rocks, it has a cover, and it’s great for so many dishes.
How to Make Ground Beef Taco Bake
Preheat & Prep Tortillas
Preheat the oven to 350℉ and prepare a 10-inch by 7-inch casserole dish. Set aside. Cut the corn tortillas in half and then into 2-inch strips.
Cook Beef & Onions
Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat and place the ground beef into the skillet. Once the ground beef has started to brown add the diced onion, and cook until the onion becomes translucent and the ground beef is fully cooked.
Stir in Sauces
Turn the heat to low and add the tomato paste and taco seasoning, and stir to combine. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the salsa, taco skillet sauce, and the cut up tortillas and stir.
Pour Into Casserole Dish
Pour the beef mixture into the casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese.
Bake
Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil after 20 minutes and bake for an additional 10 minutes to allow the taco bake to turn a golden brown color.
Garnish & Enjoy
Once the dish is done, garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
all the toppings
Have fun with your beef taco casserole toppings! We love topping ours with any (or all!) of the following:
- sour cream or Greek yogurt
- hot sauce
- shredded lettuce
- avocado slices or guacamole
- pico de gallo
Ingredient Swaps
Cheese: we used an orange shredded cheddar cheese, but really any kind of shredded cheese works, such as:
- white cheddar
- colby jack
- pepper jack
- Mexican cheddar
Meat: this beef taco bake obviously calls for ground beef, but feel free to use any of the following ground options:
- chorizo
- ground turkey
- ground chicken
- vegan ground
Storage
To store this ground beef taco bake, let it cool completely before placing in an airtight container or cover with aluminum foil. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To Freeze
If you want to freeze this taco bake, we recommend baking them first in a freezer safe casserole dish.
After you bake, let the ground beef taco bake cool completely before covering with tin foil or a freezer safe cover for your casserole dish. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat from frozen:
- Remove the taco bake from the freezer and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Place the taco bake in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until it is warmed all the way through.
- Top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy.
Ground Beef Taco Bake
Ingredients
- 8 6 inch corn tortillas
- 1 lb. 85% ground beef
- ½ medium yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning homemade or store bought
- 16 oz. salsa ~2 cups
- 8 oz. taco skillet sauce we used this taco sauce ~1 cup, enchilada sauce works too
- 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese ~2 cups
Optional Garnish
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Pico
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and prepare a 10-inch by 7-inch casserole dish. Set aside.
- Cut the corn tortillas in half and then into 2-inch strips. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat and place the ground beef into the skillet.
- Once the ground beef has started to brown add the diced onion. Cook until the onion becomes translucent and the ground beef is fully cooked. About 4 to 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low and add the tomato paste and taco seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the salsa, taco skillet sauce, and the cut up tortillas and stir. Pour the beef mixture into the casserole dish and top with the cheddar cheese.
- Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil after 20 minutes and bake for an additional 10 minutes to allow the taco bake to turn a golden brown color.
- Once the dish is done, garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy.
Tips & Notes
- We do not recommend substituting flour tortillas for this recipe as they would become a little mushy.
