This Walking Taco Casserole takes everything you love about walking tacos - seasoned beef, crunchy tortilla chips, melted cheese - and layers it all in one easy casserole dish. It's ready in just 30 minutes, feeds a crowd, and is perfect for potlucks, game day, or busy weeknights when you want something fun and filling.
All the Taco in one Easy Casserole
Ever heard of a walking taco? It's basically a bag of tortilla chips, topped with your favorite taco toppings. Right in the bag! So then you can just walk around and eat right out of the bag - a Walking Taco. Genius, right?!
This casserole is true to the general idea, but combines it all together in a casserole dish instead. So it's not as "walking-friendly", but even more delicious - because it's all baked under lots and lots of cheese.
It's quick, easy, and the prep is minimal - it mostly needs some time to bake in the oven. And it's cheesy to the max, with cream cheese in the ground beef mixture AND lots of cheese baked on top. Perfect for busy weeknights when you need something extra cozy!
Want to make it without the tortilla chips? Try my Easy Taco Casserole. Same flavor, just a little bit different in execution!
"This was easy to make, tasty and well liked by my kids!" - Kiki
Just Your Classic Taco Ingredients
Make It Your Own!
You can adapt this recipe to suit what you enjoy, but I would recommend always including at least the following:
- Tortilla chips
- Ground beef or other filling (beans, vegetarian meat options, chicken, etc.) with some kind of taco seasoning and/or salsa
- Sour cream & cream cheese
- Shredded cheese
If you don't like it spicy, just skip the jalapeños and use a mild taco sauce.
If you don't like cilantro you can skip this.
Cream cheese can be natural or flavored. I really like using a garlic & herb variety for this recipe!
Make It Vegetarian
You can swap ground beef for vegetarian mince, or make it with beans. Make sure the cheese you use is also vegetarian and does not contain animal rennet.
Just Prep, Layer & Bake!
1. Prep the Filling
Sear the ground beef and season with taco seasoning, then mix with salsa and simmer. Finally, add the sour cream and cream cheese and mix until everything is well combined.
2. Crush Some Chips
Crush â…” of the tortilla chips and add to the bottom of your casserole dish.
3. Add Fillings
Pour the ground beef mixture on top of the chips and top with cherry tomatoes and jalapeños.
4. Chips + Cheese
Crush the rest of the chips and add on top, then finish it off with shredded cheese.
5. Bake
Bake until cheese is melted and golden, then remove from the oven and top with cilantro just before serving. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
Crush the chips in the bag. It's easy and less messy to clean up! Just make sure the bag doesn't spring open and spread them all over your kitchen...
Make sure it doesn't burn. Keep an eye on it! If your oven runs hot you might need to tent with foil for the final few minutes in the oven.
Adjust the spice level to suit you and your family. You can make this anything from very mild with a mild salsa and no jalapeños to extra spicy with lots of jalapeños and habanero salsa.
Let it rest 5 minutes before serving. This makes it easier to serve as it will keep togther better.
Make ahead for extra busy weeknights. The leftovers heat up beautifully!
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in a covered casserole dish or an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheating in the oven: Reheat the whole casserole in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350°F (175°C). If it starts to burn, tent with aluminum foil.
Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1-minute increments.
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More Quick & Easy Dinner Casseroles
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Recipe
Walking Taco Casserole
Print RateIngredients
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil olive oil or neutral cooking oil + a bit more for greasing the dish
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 tablespoon taco seasoning store bought or homemade
- 1 8 oz jar salsa I like hot; use what suits you
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup cream cheese natural or garlic & herb flavored
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeños roughly chopped; optional
- 3 cups tortilla chips crushed; divided
To Serve
- ½ loosely packed cup cilantro finely chopped; more or less according to taste
- sour cream optional
- pickled jalapeños optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 440 °F and lightly grease a  9×13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish.
- Heat oil or butter in a pan over medium-high heat then add in ground beef. Cook 3-5 minutes until browned, then add taco seasoning and cook 1 more minute while mixing.1 lb ground beef, 4 tablespoon taco seasoning, 1 tablespoon butter or oil
- Add salsa and simmer 2 minutes.1 8 oz jar salsa
- Lower the heat to medium and mix in sour cream and cream cheese. Mix until melted, then remove from the heat.1 cup cream cheese, 1 cup sour cream
- Crush 2 cups tortilla chips and place in the bottom of the greased pan, then pour over the meat mixture. Add tomatoes and jalapeños followed by the remaining chips. Top with shredded cheese.1 cup shredded cheese, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup pickled jalapeños, 3 cups tortilla chips
- Bake in the middle of the oven at 440 °F for 20 minutes, until browned and set.
- Top with chopped cilantro, and serve! You can also serve with some extra sour cream and/or jalapeños added on top or on the side.½ loosely packed cup cilantro, sour cream, pickled jalapeños
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- Casserole Dish 9×13-inch (23x33 cm)
- Frying pan
- Measuring cups
Notes
- Tortilla chips
- Ground beef or other filling (beans, vegetarian meat options, chicken, etc.) with some kind of taco seasoning and/or salsa
- Sour cream & cream cheese
- Shredded cheese
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in a covered casserole dish or an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freezing: Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheating in the oven: Reheat the whole casserole in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350°F (175°C). If it starts to burn, tent with aluminum foil. Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1-minute increments.Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Kiki
This was easy to make, tasty and well liked by my kids! Only thing I’d suggest is covering the pan with foil to prevent the cheese from overcooking into the chips. It made a really tough top crust that my kids had a hard time cutting through.
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Kiki! That's a great suggestion. I didn't have that problem but it can be because of the specific cheese I used or that my oven runs a bit colder than yours. /Emmeline