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5.0 from 30 votes

Taco Casserole

Hearty corn tortillas are layered with a perfectly seasoned beef filling that's also loaded up with lots of veggies, then it's topped with tons of cheese. And it's layered again and again. It's like a Tex-Mex lasagna and it's undeniably delicious!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 10
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped red onion or yellow onion
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 1/4 lbs. lean ground beef
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder*
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/4 cup water or chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese**
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • 15 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into halves
  • Taco toppings (optional, see notes)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper, saute 4 minutes. Scoot to the far side.
  3. Crumble in beef, season with salt and pepper. Let brown on bottom, then break up beef and continue to cook until browned. Drain fat.
  4. Add garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook 1 minute longer.
  5. Stir in black beans, tomatoes, corn, water, lime juice, and cilantro and remove from heat.
  6. To assemble casserole, layer 10 tortilla halves along bottom of baking dish, work to cover whole bottom surface as best possible.
  7. Spoon and spread 1/3 of the beef mixture over tortilla layer.
  8. Toss cheeses together and spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over beef layer.
  9. Repeat this layering process with tortillas, beef filling and cheese two more times.
  10. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes.
  11. Finish with optional toppings then cut into slices. Serve warm with lime wedges if desired.

Notes

  • Taco Toppings
  • These are optional but do add some delicious flavor if you'd like to add a few.
  • *If you'd like to make it spicy add 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (and more to taste) along with the chili powder. Or dice 1 - 2 a jalapeños and add along with the bell pepper.
  • **For a quicker option you could use 4 cups pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese.
  • Mexican hot sauce (such as Cholula or Tapatio)
  • Sour cream
  • Avocado
  • Tomatoes
  • Jalapeños
  • Onions
  • Radishes
  • Cilantro or lettuce