This taco casserole recipe is simple and easy to make. It’s so versatile could be served with tortilla chips, cilantro rice, tortillas, or a salad.

Make it Your Own

Our goal is to create simple recipes utilizing ingredients already at home. So what’s awesome or special about this recipe?

What’s so awesome about this recipe is the numerous ways it could be made. Ingredients could be switched out to accommodate every single lifestyle. For an example, to make this a vegan casserole. Swap out the ground beef for beyond meat or mushrooms. Instead of using Mexican cheese, try vegan cheese. I personally, love the Miyoko’s brand their selection of “cheese” products taste amazing. To make it a vegetarian casserole, remove the ground beef for tofu or beyond meat. Also, add in roasted corn or more beans such as pinto.

If on the keto diet, instead of adding beans switch it out for cauliflower rice. Or maybe substitute the beans for spiral vegetables. In order to keep the 90-98% lean ground beef from drying add butter. While cooking the ground beef place a few tablespoons of unsalted butter. The butter would add more flavor and keep the ground beef juicy when transferred to the casserole.

Instead of butter try eggs. If using this option, 5-6 eggs are needed along with an additional pound of lean ground beef. Whisk the eggs, then add the cooked ground beef to the eggs. Stir up this mixture until all the ground beef is coated with eggs. Afterwards, add the ground beef+egg mixture to your casserole dish. This trick would also prevent the ground beef from drying out and provides a little more protein.

Taco Casserole Ingredients

The stars of this dish are the ground beef and toppings. As mentioned earlier, depending on your lifestyle different “meat” options could be utilize. In this recipe, 90% lean ground beef is used. But a more fatty ground beef could be used or other ground meat options such as pork, chicken, or turkey. Simply cook the ground beef until done then add the taco seasoning.

Next, remove the cooked ground beef from the pan and set aside. Then, add a tablespoon of oil into the pan and cook the chopped onions and peppers until translucent. As the peppers and onions cook, drain the black beans and mix them in with the ground beef. After five minutes, add the onions and peppers to the ground beef and black beans. Place all ingredients in a casserole dish and add salsa on top. Lastly, add the Mexican cheese and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Or until all the cheese melts.