Like the best crispy taco ever but with less sadness.
This yummy Taco Casserole with Fritos… you know how you get all excited to bite into your perfectly assembled crispy taco? The crunch, the saucy taco meat, the sour cream, the cheese… it’s going to be soooo good. And then… sadness. As the shell immediately cracks and collapses and the taco innards fall into a messy heap on your plate and you’re left to scoop up the whole works with a fork. I mean, it’s still good though, but what I’ve done for you here friends, and you are very welcome, is eliminate the sadness of that experience. Let’s just go straight to the fork and start there!
my foodie Chatter…
Yes, the taco eating experience can sometimes be disappointing, but this casserole is anything but. Richly flavoured, spiced beef and vegetables and beans topped with loads of cheese, crispy, crunchy corn chips and yes, more cheese.
We eat a lot of tacos around here in The Pypers Kitchen. A LOT. So many that I recently started to protest making pico de gallo because I felt like making 18342 batches of it was enough for one lifetime. Am I right? Obviously not because the short people in the house still force me to make it. And I do. Mom life is hard friends.
Taco Casserole with Fritos, how to make it…
This is seriously easy. Heat up a large, heavy cast iron skillet (I use my 10″ one… similar here) and add in a pound of ground beef. Once it’s browned and cooked through you’ll add in some chopped onion, jalapeño and bell pepper and a whole bunch of spices. Garlic, chili powder, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, sugar and a good pinch each of salt and pepper all cook together until deliciously fragrant.
Then, to make it saucy and amazing, you’ll stir in some tomato sauce, tomato paste, cilantro and kidney beans – or whatever your favourite beans are, we like kidney because it gives this a kind of taco-meets-chili vibe.
This whole mixture will get showered with cheese and then topped with a mountain of crunchy Frito corn chips and yes, you guessed it, more cheese.
Throw it all in the oven to brown and melt and then serve with all of your favourite toppings.
One skillet. Less than 30 minutes. Dinner. Done.
Taco casserole with fritos Recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Ground Beef – I use lean ground beef but you can sub in ground chicken or turkey or bison. If you want to make this vegetarian you can even use crumbled tofu or omit the crumbled stuff and add in another can of beans.
Mexican Oregano – you can sub in regular oregano if that’s what you have.
Tomato Sauce – you can sub in red enchilada sauce
Cheese – mozzarella cheese if my favourite for this because it’s so gooey and melty, but sub in any cheese. Cheddar is good as is jalapeno jack. Or add more beans and use a plant-based cheese to make this dish vegan.
Toppings – our favourite toppings are fresh cilantro, chopped avocado, sour cream, fresh lime juice and hot sauce. You can also add chopped tomatoes, diced onion, queso sauce or any salsa. You can load it up as much as you like, which is why some call this kind of dish a “walking taco”.
interested in more quick and easy skillet recipes to try? I’ve got you.
- Easy Skillet Cashew Chicken with Celery & Water Chestnuts
- Creamy Skillet Chicken with White Wine, Dijon & Olives
- Extra Cheesy Double Jalapeño One Skillet Hot Dish
- and even a yummy chocolate skillet dessert…
- Gooey Chocolate Cherry Cast Iron Skillet Dessert
Recipe-ish…
Taco Casserole with Fritos
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and finely diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups tomato sauce or salsa
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can kidney beans 15 oz
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups fritos
For serving:
- Chopped avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425
- Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet and when hot add in the beef.
- Cook, breaking up the beef and stirring often, until browned and cooked through.
- Add in the onion, jalapeño and bell pepper. Stir.
- Add in the chili powder, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, sugar and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 7-8 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, beans and cilantro. Stir well.
- Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over the mixture and then top with the Fritos.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese.
- Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Taco Casserole with Fritos Recipe I know you’ll also love my Crispy Fish Tacos with Quick Pickled Honey Jalapeños and Lime Cilantro Slaw. They’re crazy good.
