Taco Bake Casserole

Why we love this recipe

How much do I love thee, oh Taco Biscuit Bake?

Let’s put it this way: this taco casserole recipe involves a Bisquick crust, topped with ground beef cooked up with tomatoes and taco spices, topped with a cheesy sour cream filling, topped with more Bisquick.  And you can add your favorite taco toppings as well.

The result? A taco bake recipe full of melty, cheese, just the right amount of spicy, biscuit-filled, taco-liciousness that will have them coming out of the woodwork to find out exactly what smells so amazing. It’s your favorite tacos in casserole form. What’s not to love?

Oh, the cheesy deliciousness! But first, let’s discuss Bisquick.

What Is Bisquick?

Let me start by saying the Bisquick people have never heard of me or my blog, so this is my pure love and adoration for Bisquick talking.

Bisquick is basically a mixture of flour, shortening, salt, sugar and baking powder. You can use it for anything from pancakes to waffles to biscuits to this scrumptious taco casserole.

It can usually be found in the breakfast aisle of your supermarket next to the pancake mixes, and I highly recommend having a box on hand At All Times.

PRO TIP: Make sure you watch the expiration date on your box of Bisquick, since we don’t want the baking powder part to lose its power to make your baked goods light and fully!

And if you are out of Bisquick or want to try making your own, here’s a great homemade Bisquick recipe for you!

Ingredients you need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Bisquick: This baking mixture of flour, baking soda, shortening and sugar can be found in the breakfast aisle of your supermarket near the pancake mix.
• Tomatoes with Chiles: You can take the spice level of this recipe up or down depending on the spice level of these canned tomatoes, which can be found near the regular canned tomatoes. You can also use regular canned tomatoes if you want a very mild spice level.
• Taco Seasoning: The packaged kind is fine, but if you want to try making your own homemade taco seasoning, it’s super easy! Here’s our sure-fire taco seasoning recipe.
• Garnishes: The sky is the limit! We love to top our serving of taco casserole with everything from sour cream to chopped lettuce and tomatoes to guacamole. Other ideas are salsa, fresh corn, crushed tortilla chips, crumbled cornbread, bell pepper (or other peppers), black olives, refried beans, chopped cilantro, black beans, chopped green onion – you get the idea!

Got everything ready to roll? Let’s make it!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

How to make this recipe

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 400 and spray a 9 x 13 inch or any similar size casserole with cooking spray. Mix together one cup of Bisquick , 2 tablespoons melted butter and 2 tablespoons milk.

STEP 2: Press the Bisquick dough into the bottom of the baking dish, smooshing it with your fingers all the way to the edges. It will be a thin crust – that’s what we want! Bake your crust until the edges just start to turn brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.

STEP 3: Put a pound of ground beef and some chopped onion in a large skillet and cook it all over medium heat until the beef is browned.

STEP 4: Stir in a can of chopped tomatoes with chilis, 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and ¼ cup water and simmer for 5 minutes or until liquid is mostly gone.  Turn off the heat and set aside.

STEP 5: Put 1 cup sour cream and two cups of cheddar cheese into a mixing bowl and mix together.

STEP 6: Spoon the beef mixture onto your crust, then dollop the sour cream mixture on top of that.

STEP 7: Mix the remaining Bisquick, milk and melted butter and dollop it on top of the filling, smooshing it all together a little. It’s okay if it doesn’t go all the way to the sides. Bake it up for 25 minutes, then let it rest for about ten minutes. 

Recipe FAQs

Want to round out your meal?

Well, we already mentioned the margarita. 🍹 This recipe for a strawberry basil margarita is our current fave, although we wouldn’t say no to a prosecco margarita.

If you want to add guacamole as a possible garnish to this easy taco casserole, we love this bacon guacamole recipe!And now we need something to cool down all that spiciness – how about some strawberry banana sorbet?

Other taco recipes we love!

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.