1packettaco seasoning follow package instructions or homemade **see notes
1/2 - 1cup black beansdrained and rinsed. See Notes
2cups Mexican shredded cheese
1bag tortilla chipsSee Notes
2cups shredded lettuceadd more if needed
1/2cup sour cream or more as needed
1/8cupjalapenos optional**add more if needed. Slice thin
1 cup grape tomatoes or your choice of tomatoes.
1/4cup black olives
1cup red onionsdiced
2tsp garlicminced
2/3cupgreen peppersdiced
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the onions and green peppers. Secondly, brown the ground beef. Add the garlic, then add the taco seasoning and water per the taco packet. You can also use my recipe for homemade taco blend then proceed to step two below.
Next, pour the ground beef mixture into a 9x13 pan. Top with the shredded cheese and bake until the cheese has melted and gooey. Remove the pan from the oven and top with the tortilla chips.
Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top. Pop it back into the oven until the cheese melts. Lastly, top the casserole with your favorite toppings. We love to us lettuce, tomatoes and/or salsa, olives or slice jalapeños. Serve with sour cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips to make This Taco Bake
1.Taco seasoning: You can use store taco packets or you can find my homemade recipe HERE. After you make the taco seasoning follow step 1-3 in this recipe. 2. Ground Beef: I used 80% ground beef because it has more flavor. Feel free to use a leaner ground beef if you like. 3. Healthier Options: Sub the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken, use low fat cheese and sour cream. Use the low carb kind of black beans (soy black beans) and lower in carb tortilla chips like BeanitosYou can also eliminate the tortilla chip for a low carb option.4. Add-ins Corn, chili beans, black canned beans, green chili, enchilada sauce. Refried beans can be used if you want to add layers. I suggest doubling this recipe if you wan to do layers.5. Toppings: Salsa, shredded lettuce, salsa, olives, tomatoes, jalapenos, fritos or tortilla chips, kettle chips, shredded Mexican cheese, sour cream, cilantro, then sliced radishes,6. To freeze for later, let the beef cook then pour into a baking dish. Let it cool completely then cover with plastic wrap. and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator until completely thawed then follow the recipe steps 2-37. Leftovers: If you plan on having leftovers, before you add the garnishments on top of the taco casserole, take whatever amount of meat you're going to store, place it in a container with a tight lid. Store in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat the chilled meat mixture in the microwave or Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F until warmed through. *The enamelware pan I used in this recipe is from AmazonHERE. This recipe was published on Jan 11 2018. Post was updated Jan 28 2019. No change to the recipe.