Tap here to get 5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

Taco Casserole

5 from 7 votes
|

posted: 04/15/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy
|
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

This easy Taco Casserole is the perfect dinner recipe for a hungry family! Made with simple ingredients, this is a skillet dinner everyone will love.

overhead view of a taco casserole in a white skillet with chopped tomatoes, jalapeños, sour cream, olives, and lime wedges

I am really excited to share this dinner with you guys! I think it is going to be a total winner in your house, and I can’t wait for you to try it.

Obviously I love every recipe that makes its way to your in box. If it’s not good, it doesn’t make the cut. But there are a couple reasons I really love this recipe.

This casserole recipe is easy, is a one pot recipe with minimal clean up, and is made with easy to find ingredients. This stovetop wonder is perfect comfort food.

Reader Review

This was beautiful, all your recipes are! Definitely making again ASAP!

How to Make Taco Casserole

  1. Cook the ground beef in a large skillet. When it is browned, drain the grease from the skillet.
  2. Cook the rice. Add in rice, taco seasoning, salsa, and beef stock to the beef. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
  3. Finish off the casserole. When the rice is tender, stir in black beans and frozen corn. Then top it off with cheddar cheese and put it under the broiler until the cheese is melted.
spoon dishing out cheesy taco casserole recipe from a skillet

Taco Casserole Ingredients

As I mentioned, this recipe has really simple ingredients. So much of this you can easily keep in your pantry. This is a great dinner to fall back on.

  • Ground Beef: You can certainly use ground turkey or ground chicken as well.
  • Taco Seasoning: I love using homemade taco seasoning in this recipe, but you certainly can use a 1 ounce seasoning packet bought from the grocery store.
  • Salsa: My homemade blender salsa would be amazing in this recipe, but store-bought salsa will work as well.
  • Beef Stock: This recipe was made with regular beef stock. You could use low sodium, to reduce the over all sodium in this recipe.
  • Rice: I use long grain basmati rice in this recipe and found that it works perfectly.
  • Canned Black Beans: Black beans are packed in liquid that contain a lot of sodium. You will want to make sure that you drain and rinse the beans before adding them.
  • Frozen Corn: If you are making this in the summer months, you can also use fresh corn. Canned corn will also work.
  • Cheese: Be sure to grate your own cheese for this recipe, as it will melt much better.

Substitute with Ground Turkey

If your family likes the taste of ground turkey more than ground beef, you can definitely use that in place of the ground beef. If you use use lean ground turkey, you will need more olive oil to start with.

two small white plates stacked with a taco casserole recipe on them, garnished with olive slices, chopped tomatoes, and jalapeño slices, a skillet with taco casserole in the background

Spice Level

How spicy this taco rice casserole is really depends on what salsa you use. My kids can’t tolerate much spice, so for them I make this with my mild blender salsa.

If you love heat, make it with a hot salsa.

Additionally, you can control the heat level by making your own taco seasoning. I have a whole post about my taco seasoning recipe, and it goes over spice in there.

I love that recipe because it is customizable and you can make a big batch to keep on hand.

overhead view of an easy taco casserole recipe in a skillet, being spooned out, you can see beans, meat, rice, and corn

Make Ahead

I know how much you love casseroles that you can make ahead, and that totally works with this one.

To make ahead:

  1. Follow the instructions up to the point of putting on the cheese.
  2. Allow the casserole to cool and then cover with aluminum foil.
  3. Put the skillet in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
  4. Before baking, add the cheese.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Please note that depending on the type of salsa you use, you may need to add more before baking. Putting it in the oven for that length of time can dry it out if your salsa is light on the liquid and heavy on the chunks.

You can also make this ahead and freeze. After making it on the stove top, transfer to a baking dish. Wrap very well and store in the freezer for up to three months.

When ready to bake, top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Please note that transferring a ceramic or glass baking dish right from the freezer to the hot oven can result in it breaking. I suggest using an aluminum baking dish.

Storing Leftovers

Store any left overs in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Eat or discard within three days.

overhead view of a white plate with taco bake casserole on it, garnished with jalapeño slices, olive slices, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and chopped cilantro

Skillet Dinners You will Love

I love that this is a one pot dinner, and I have other stove top dinners I know you will love:

If you make this taco casserole recipe or any of my other recipes, come back and tell me what you think!

overhead view of an easy taco casserole recipe in a skillet, being spooned out, you can see beans, meat, rice, and corn
5 from 7 votes

Taco Casserole

Serves: 8 servings
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 33 minutes
Total: 38 minutes
This easy Taco Casserole is the perfect dinner recipe for a hungry family! Made with simple ingredients, this is a skillet dinner everyone will love.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef or turkey (see post for notes)
  • 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (or a 1 ounce store bought packet)
  • 2 cups salsa
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
  • 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to a hot oven-proof skillet. Add in the ground beef and saute until browned.
  • Drain the fat from the pan. Stir in the taco seasoning, salsa, beef stock, and rice.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and cover, stirring occasionally for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.
  • Stir in the black beans and the frozen corn. Top with cheddar cheese and put under the broiler in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
Serving: 1.25cups Calories: 474kcal (24%) Carbohydrates: 42g (14%) Protein: 27g (54%) Fat: 22g (34%) Saturated Fat: 11g (69%) Cholesterol: 70mg (23%) Sodium: 928mg (40%) Potassium: 808mg (23%) Fiber: 7g (29%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 683IU (14%) Vitamin C: 3mg (4%) Calcium: 261mg (26%) Iron: 3mg (17%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
overhead view of an easy taco casserole recipe in a skillet, being spooned out, you can see beans, meat, rice, and corn

did you make this

Taco Casserole

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!

Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

Reader Interactions

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love hearing from you & seeing what you made!

    Rate This Recipe:




  1. Pina Della Rocchetta says

    I have made this recipe three times exactly as is and all of my family loves it! It makes great leftovers too!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad to hear that your family likes this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!

  2. Julie says

    I haven’t made this yet, but THANKS for this simple hearty recipe!! I look forward to making this, and may add black olives and green onion. And a dollop of sour cream of course!!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I hope you enjoy it Julie!

  3. Andrew says

    Any adjustment if using brown rice? Or did I miss that? Thanks

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m sorry, Andrew, I’ve only made this using white rice.

  4. Sophie Mason says

    5 stars
    This was beautiful, all your recipes are! Definitely making again ASAP!

  5. Valerie Conlin says

    I only have minute rice. Will I need to reduce amount of beef stock to adjust recipe?

    • Lisa Longley says

      I would really needed to test it with the minute rice to know how much to adjust the beef stock, but it will definitely need to be reduced.

SUPER-SIMPLEFAMILY FAVORITES
Broccoli Pasta"Omg! I didn’t think anything so simple could be so good!"
overhead of skillet of Cajun Shrimp Pasta ingredients on a cooling rack with toasted bread sitting beside
Cajun Shrimp Pasta"My family absolutely loved this recipe. Even my finicky eaters."
overhead photo of a gray skillet filled with beef and broccoli recipe, garnished with sliced green onions
Beef and Broccoli Recipe"I have made this a couple or more times. It’s easy & quick to prepare. I like this for a quick meal. It will be my go to recipe."

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

MY TOP 10 EASY DINNER EBOOK!

5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

MY TOP 10 EASY DINNER EBOOK!