This kid-friendly easy beef taco casserole recipe lets you cook up a whole bunch of cheesy tacos all at once. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo or any time you need to make tacos for a crowd!
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Why we love this recipe
There are a few words that I know are sure to create full-on suppertime happiness in my household of kids and adults of all ages, and one of those is TACO. 🌮
And so I have everything from Taco Macaroni and Cheese to Taco Corn Chip Salad to Spaghetti Tacos (bonus points to anyone who knows where the inspiration for that last one came from!), this easy beef taco casserole is the one I pull out when I am needing to make a taco-loving crowd cheer.
It starts by spreading a salsa and cream cheese mixture over the bottom of your casserole, then standing up some taco shells filled with spicy beef in that delicious base.
Cover everything with cheese, bake it up, and all that’s left to do is scoop it out and garnish it up!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Ground Beef: We like the 80/20 variety for the best flavor, but you can use a leaner variety (or even turkey!) if you prefer.
- Taco spices: Look for these in the international section of your supermarket…or you can do like we do and make your own homemade taco seasoning!
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend works just fine!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
Here’s how you make this recipe
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 450 and spray a 9 x 13 inch casserole with cooking spray.
STEP 2: Start by cooking up some ground beef with some of your favorite salsa – any kind you like and have on hand – and some taco spices. You can use the kind of spices in the envelope, or you can make your own with this super simple taco seasoning recipe.
STEP 3: Take a little more of that salsa and mix it up with some whipped cream cheese, and spread it all over the bottom of a casserole. This is going to let you stick a bunch of crunchy taco shells into the casserole without falling over.
STEP 4: Now divide your beef mixture between those shells, nestle them into the cream cheese mixture and and top each one with shredded cheese. Be generous. :)
STEP 5: Pop the casserole in the oven and cook it up until the cheese is nice and melty. The taco shells are going to get nice and soft on the bottom and stay crunchy on the top, which is pretty much the best of both worlds, taco shell-wise.
Scoop out a couple of tacos per person and give them a generous dollop of sour cream and scatter on some scallions. And there you go!
Recipe FAQs
That’s up to you – it is all about the taco spices and the salsa. If you like things on the milder side 🙋🏼♀️ then use the amount of taco spices called for in the recipe and a mild version of salsa. If you like a little more heat, you can add some extra spices and pick a regular or hot salsa. 🔥
You can, but they will work a little differently. Spoon the beef filling into the center of each tortilla, roll it up, nestle it in the cream cheese and continue on with the recipe.
It can be made a few hours ahead, but not much more than that or your tacos will get soggy.
Leave your question (or comment or suggestion) in the Comments box below the recipe and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
Well OF COURSE you need a strawberry margarita to go with your tacos! And how about this cool and delicious cherry tomato and green bean salad?
And to cool things down after dinner, let’s have some strawberry banana icebox cake! And okay, one more margarita…can you say liquid dessert?
Other taco recipes we love!
Looking for more casserole inspiration? Here is our complete collection of casserole recipes!
We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Easy Beef Taco Casserole
This kid-friendly easy beef taco casserole recipe lets you cook up a whole bunch of cheesy tacos all at once. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- One 1.25 ounce package taco spices (about 3 tablespoons….see note)
- 1 16 ounce jar of your favorite salsa
- 1 8 ounce container whipped cream cheese
- 12 hard taco shells
- 2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
- Sour cream for garnish
- 4 scallions, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 and get out a 13 x 9 inch casserole.
- Cook ground beef over medium high heat in a large skillet until browned. Stir in taco spices and half the salsa and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Combine the remaining salsa with the cream cheese and spread over the bottom of the casserole.
- Divide the beef mixture among the 12 taco shells and stand them up in the casserole however they fit best. Top each taco with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the casserole and top the tacos with spoonfuls of sour cream. Scatter with scallions and serve!
Notes
- Ground Beef: We like the 80/20 variety for the best flavor, but you can use a leaner variety (or even turkey!) if you prefer.
- Taco spices: Look for these in the international section of your supermarket…or you can do like we do and make your own homemade taco seasoning!
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend works just fine!
Jeanie says
Oh, my, you had me at taco! I mean, who doesn’t love tacos??? 🌮🌮🌮 (Rhetorical, I know.😉) I love tacos in all of their glorious iteration’s. I was going to make taco salad for dinner tonight, but, I think I’ve found something new and better to serve on this Cinco de Mayo. Not to mention, all the fabulous toppings that are waiting – and begging – to be added. Thanks for another fantastic and delicious recipe. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Jeanie, you made my day! I am making this for dinner tonight as well – we are Taco Twins! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Rachel says
This recipe is so great! The cream cheese makes such a flavor difference and it’s such a great way to make so many tacos. Delicious!
I’m so glad you like this one, Rachel! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Nancy says
Not tried yet, but as only hard corn shells are all that’s available, this may just work! I’m so close to buying a taco press (had one but never used it so it went) but haven’t yet!
Missing Mexican so will give this a try!
Thanks for all the lovely recipes!
Be safe!
Hi Nancy! I’ve been thinking about getting a taco press myself! In the meantime, so happy you are going to give this one a try…you stay safe and healthy too! :)
Theresa Murphy says
This looks really good! I made “regular” tacos earlier this week and, as luck would have it, I bought an extra box of shells! So, yeah me! I’m wondering if I can use an 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened, and “whip” it myself instead of the tub cream cheese? Worth a try! Thanks for keeping us in comfort food, Kate!
Hi my friend! I don’t see any reason why you can’t whip that cream cheese yourself – let me know how that comes out, okay? Stay healthy and xoxo!