Layered Taco Casserole in a serving dish.

Tacos are a fan favorite in my house and this Layered Taco Casserole is no exception. I wanted to find a way to streamline the taco chaos that usually happens with little kids. So this Layered Taco Casserole was born. It’s a great meal that can be made in advance as well and just heated up in the oven until warm and bubbling. Making it a great dish to take to a friend in need or for a super busy weeknight.

My kids originally entitled this dish Taco Mush. When experimenting with my recipe I found frying the tortillas in a little oil before assembling the dish made them hold their shape better in the finished product. Also thicker tortillas work better than thin ones. It will still taste great but it will look like a pile of Taco Mush if you don’t follow those simple steps.

After the Layered Taco Casserole bakes in the oven I like to sprinkle it with toppings. My kids love green onions and avocado. I love shredded lettuce and tomato too. Each person puts on their own helping of sour cream and maybe some Cholula hot sauce too.

Assembling the casserole. Pour the enchilada sauce over the ground beef layer.

To make this I enjoy using my own taco seasoning mixture that is super simple to whip up. This way I know exactly what is going into our tacos. The recipe is included below.

For my recipe I use a smaller baking dish. The one pictured above is an Emile Henry 9×11″ baking dish. You can use a 9×13″ if you have one but the casserole won’t be as thick. If you have a smaller size baking dish I would use it. Here’s an Amazon affiliate link to one. https://amzn.to/3uL76uK

Layered Taco Casserole

Easy to assemle and delicious flavored, this simple Layered taco Casserole will quickly become a house favorite.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

For the Taco Seasoning:

1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

For the Layered Taco Casserole:

1 lb lean ground beef
2/3 C water
1 can mild enchilada sauce (10 oz)
1 can refried beans (15 oz)
2 C shredded Mexican cheese blend
cooking spray
2 tbsp canola oil
15 thick flour tortillas

Instructions

Mix together the taco seasoning and set aside.
In a nonstick skillet heat the canola oil over medium heat. One at a time cook the tortillas in the oil until they get nice and golden on the one side (about thirty seconds to one minute.) Flip the tortillas and cook on the other side until they bubble and puff up. Place on a paper towel lined plate and continue cooking the rest of the tortillas.
Once all of the tortillas have been cooked, add the ground beef to the same pan and brown over medium heat. When the ground beef is brown add in the water and taco seasoning. Mix well and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. About five minutes. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside.
Spray a 9"x11" casserole dish (or similar size) with cooking spray. Cut the tortillas in half and assemble four halves on the bottom of the casserole dish. You can tear an additional tortilla if you need to to fill any large open areas in the dish.
Spread half of the refried beans on top of the tortillas. Then sprinkle with half of the ground beef. Spreading evenly as you go. Spoon over 1/3 of the can of enchilada sauce. Then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.
Repeat these steps for the second layer. Tortillas, beans, beef, enchilada sauce, cheese.
Top the last layer with the remaining tortillas, the last 1/3 of enchilada sauce and the last 1/3 of shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. (You may need to bake for more if you refridgerated it first before baking, an additonal 10 minutes.)
Top the casserole with any topping you would like. We love shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, green onion and sour cream.