Looking for the best walking taco casserole recipe? Look no further than this. Filled with gooey cheese, ground beef, taco seasoning and corn chips like Fritos that have been baked to perfection before topping with your favorite toppings, you and your family are about to have a memorable feast.
That said, Whether you call this walking taco bake or Fritos taco bake, or perhaps you heard it being called Frito pie, we are talking about one and the same thing. So let’s get started.
What is walking taco casserole?
First we need to know what Walking tacos are! They are a fun and portable way to eat tacos. They get their name from the fact that they are served in individual snack-sized bags of Fritos, Doritos, or similar corn chips, which allows people to walk around and eat them without needing plates or utensils.
They are popular at places like tailgates, potlucks, backyard gatherings, state and county fairs, or anywhere people want an easy taco experience while socializing with family and friends
Walking taco casserole is a creative casserole dish inspired by the portable walking taco concept. It takes the taco fillings and crunchy chips and transforms them into a bakeable casserole.
The casserole is then baked until the cheese melts and the fillings are heated through. Some recipes top it off with more crushed chips, jalapeños slices, sour cream, etc. after baking.
Why make this?
Versatile and customizable: You can use your favorite taco meat, beans, cheese, salsa, chip, and topping combinations. I used Fritos, feel free to use Doritos. Make a walking taco casserole that suits your taste.
Crunchy: The crushed corn chips layered into the casserole bake up crispy and golden, adding delightful texture and bite to contrast the savory beefy fillings.
Convenient: Since everything is baked into a casserole dish, there's no fussy assembly required. Just scoop it onto plates and enjoy! This is also great for potlucks.
Comfort food: Warm and hearty layers of taco ingredients and melty cheese, all topped with cool sour cream, lettuce, etc. An irresistible Tex-Mex goodness in every bite.
Ingredients
- Oil
- Ground beef
- Sweet onions
- Garlic cloves
- Salsa
- Taco seasoning
- Shredded cheese blend
- Black beans
- Crushed tortilla chips, sub with Fritos or Doritos
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How to make walking taco casserole with Fritos, tortilla chips or Doritos
This is an overview of the recipe with step by step photos. Scroll down to end of post for a printable recipe card with the amount of ingredients and full recipe instructions.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook beef, onions, and garlic for 5-7 minutes, breaking up beef with a wooden spoon until browned. Drain excess fat if needed.
Stir in salsa, water, and seasoning . Cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat then add beans half of the shredded cheese
Spread 2 ½ cups crushed tortilla chips evenly into a 9x13 casserole dish.
Spoon beef mixture evenly over chips.
Top with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 mins then remove from oven and top with remaining crushed tortilla chips.
How to serve + toppings
This easy ground beef taco casserole with Fritos is easy to serve. Just scoop out by portions into individual plates and serve with the following toppings
Sour cream, a squeeze of lime to enhance the flavor, Guacamole, diced avocados and pico de gallo make for great toppings.
If serving at a party, you can set up a taco topping bar so that everyone can customize their Frito pie to their liking.
How to store
You can store this for later, however bear in mind that the crunchy chips won’t stay crunchy. It will soften. Feel free to top with extra chips after reheating.
Refrigerate: To store leftovers, place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, keeping toppings separate. You can also freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container without toppings.
Reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the microwave until warmed through and add fresh toppings after.
Alternatively preheat your oven to 350°F then reheat in the preheated oven until warmed through. You can now add your desired fresh toppings. Top off with more Fritos or any other corn chips you have.
Helpful Tips
- After baking do not finish off with the toppings. Simply serve on the side so each person can choose their own toppings.
- Try using ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- To add some heat, add more cayenne pepper when seasoning or use a spicier salsa.
- Want to make a walking taco casserole with Fritos? Swap out the tortillas chips with Fritos or Doritos if you prefer.
- Feel free to bulk up the filling with vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms or zucchini.
FAQs
You can use any corn or tortilla chip that you like, Fritos, Doritos, Tostitos, are good ones.
Ground beef or turkey are most common, but you can also use ground chicken, shredded chicken, pork, or chorizo sausage.
It's best to start with a layer of crushed chips on the bottom first so the bottom gets crispy. Then alternate filling layers and crushed chips.
No, to get the signature crispy crunchy texture you need to bake it in the oven. A slow cooker will create a mushier casserole as the chips will get soggy.
More recipes like this one
- Chicken tater tots casserole
- Quesabirria taco
- Tuna noodle casserole
- Check out all our Home Cooked Recipes
If you love walking tacos or nachos, get ready to fall hard for this recipe. The combo of crispy and creamy textures with spicy, cheesy taco flavors makes this baked casserole a new crowd favorite!
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The best walking taco casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef (I used 90% lean)
- ½ medium sweet onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 8 ounce salsa (use your favorite brand)
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons taco seasoning (Use 2 (1 oz) packets taco seasoning or 4 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning blend)
- 15 ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheese blend (divided)
- 3 ½ cups Crushed tortilla chips (divided)
Additional topping ideas:
- lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, black olives, sour cream.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Stir in salsa, water and taco seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Mix in black beans and half the shredded cheese (1 cup).
- Spread 2 ½ cups crushed tortilla chips evenly into a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Spoon beef mixture evenly over chips. Top with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with remaining crushed tortilla chips.
- Serve immediately and add desired toppings.
Notes
- After baking do not finish off with the toppings. Simply serve on the side so each person can choose their own toppings.
- Try using ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- To add some heat, add more cayenne pepper when seasoning or use a spicier salsa.
- Substitute the Fritos with Doritos tortilla chips.
- Feel free to bulk up the filling with vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms or zucchini.
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