Fun Festive Taco Casserole has all the appeal of tacos combined with a nacho like topping. That’s a win win in my book, because we love love love both of those things at our house! I tried it, thinking my teenager would like it. I was wrong, he was wild about it. A little salsa, a few slices of avocado and a dab of sour cream added a little freshness to this substantial Fun Festive Taco Casserole.
Fun Festive Taco Casserole
Fun Festive Taco Casserole isn’t all just about fun and festive, though. Each serving of Taco Night Casserole has a full serving of vegetables in a flavor profile my family already likes, and that’s a big plus. Teenagers can be worse than toddlers when it comes to veggies! I don’t mind either, that Fun Festive Taco Casserole is a snap to make.
About Fun Festive Taco Casserole:
This casserole is a layer of seasoned taco meat spiked with a little tomato sauce and taco seasoning with pinto beans (black beans would be great, instead) and corn, preferably Mexican-style corn, mixed in. The kicker is the little tortilla and cheese topping. That’s the incentive, the “lure” to get those unsuspecting kids to dive in.
Ok, so why not just make tacos and be done with it? The first answer is this is super delish, especially with the fun nacho topping, and somehow it seems like so much more than tacos. Then there are the few extra veggies you’re gonna manage to sneak in and a little extra protein from the beans.
It’s kinda nice to be able to do one “assembly” and pop it in the oven, then pull it out, all hot and bubbly, and call “dinner.” There’s not a line waiting for assembly or the mess involved with tacos. With tacos, I’ll likely have quite a bit of cleanup, and that’s held true from when the kids were small all the way through their teenage years! Honestly, it’s every burner tray, every counter, and the floor.
Taco Seasoning Homemade
Making Fun Festive Taco Casserole:
Just brown up the ground beef (or ground chicken or turkey, if you’d rather), drain, dump in the rest of the ingredients, and simmer for about five minutes so the sauce gets a bit thicker.
I like to use my own Homemade Taco Seasoning or, for a more of a kick, my Smokin’ Chipotle Taco Seasoning. Just buy a packet if you’d rather. If you use a packet, it will have some kind of “thickening” agent in it. Make sure that if you use homemade, your seasoning does, too. A little flour, cornstarch, or something along those lines. Both of my linked taco seasonings have a little cornstarch.
Once simmered for a few minutes, everything is piping hot, and it’s just a matter of placing it in a casserole, topping it with the chips and cheese, and baking until said cheese is melted. It takes only a few minutes in the oven.
Fun Festive Taco Casserole just out of the oven.
Serve With:
Garnish as you wish with all your favorite taco garnishes: taco sauce, salsa, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and/or sour cream or whatever else your family loves.
You don’t really need a side, but refried beans are always nice (and filling.)
Change it Up:
- Fun Festive Taco Casserole is pretty versatile. If you wish, add diced onion or bell pepper to saute with the beef, or a small can of green chiles to simmer in the beef mixture.
- And if you wish, try a double layer of chips and cheese. You mihgt with to break the chips up before placing them on the casserole so they’re easier to divide into servings.
Fun Festive Taco Casserole – load it up with cheese!
Make Ahead and/or Leftovers:
The casserole, itself, will be fine in the fridge for four to five days, and is best reheated in the microwave in servings. The tortilla chip topping will not; it’s best to just add fresh to any reheated servings.
This is a great casserole to make ahead. Leave off the topping. Heat in the oven for about 20 minutes, covered, then uncover and add the chips and cheese. Continue to heat until melted.
Make Ahead and Freeze:
Double and freeze half. Line a casserole dish with foil, spoon half the filling in, and seal. Once frozen, remove the foil and label with the name of the dish and instructions. Go ahead and add the chips and cheese, portioned in their own bags and labeled. Wrap everything together.
To heat, either thaw overnight in the fridge and proceed as if it were leftover, or bake from frozen, adding a few more minutes to the time. Once piping hot, add the chips and cheese.
before any toppings
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends not only on WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Use these sales not just for your holiday, but to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- Take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality; be selective.
The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.
Ground Beef:
- Ground Beef is on sale often and freezes well – there’s no need to pay full price. Stock up at rock bottom and freeze in amounts that make sense for your family. Most recipes using ground beef call for one pound. Some can get by with a little less.
- Grocery store pricing is lowest during the summer months, and some of the lowest prices are before the Summer Holidays.
- Regardless of the time of year, each percentage of ground beef drops to a low about once a quarter; being versatile gives more options for savings. Generally, the higher the % of fat, the lower the cost, but more waste in fat.
- Ground beef is usually cheaper in larger family packs and even cheaper in the “chubs.”
- Discount stores have great sales, and your buyers’ club is worth checking.
Corn, Canned & Canned Cream Corn:
- The best times to buy canned or creamed corn are late summer, when the warehouses are full, or before any big food holiday, when the sales are highly competitive.
- Know your pricing, watch for lows, and stock up appropriately for the year at rock bottom.
- Of all canned vegetables, it is one of the better. It’s a budget option over frozen, especially if used in recipes. A can contains about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups corn.
Canned Beans:
Canned beans won’t break the bank but dried are always less expensive.
- At the grocery, look for them at a low before or after any holiday where ham is served and before Cinco de Mayo. Sales are usually unadvertised.
- Markets and discount grocery stores are great options and might even beat the grocery store sales prices.
- 1 pound of dried beans is roughly the equivalent of three cans. The standard can is 15 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups).
Homemade Taco Seasoning:
- Making homemade is a big saving over buying, provided you have a good price on the ingredients and a use for them in the future.
- As of 1/2/2025 a one once packet of Ortega Taco seasoning works out to $17.44 a pound.
Grocery Cheese:
- Grocery Store Cheese is a great item to pick up at rock bottom and keep on hand. The best pricing is a discount store’s sales, but if not an option, know the lows at your grocery. Compare pricing by pound or ounce.
- In some stores, sliced cheese is pricier than block cheese; at Lidl, it’s typically the same, and at Aldi, it’s less.
- Cheese keeps for weeks, unopened, and can be frozen. After freezing, it will be a little crumbly but still great for casseroles and cooking.
Tortilla Chips:
- Always pricy, and generally sold by the ounce (it makes it difficult to compare) but can run up to $5.00 a pound or more. Look for off brands.
- It is messy, but a flex is to make your own Homemade Tortilla Chips, fry or oven bake.
Fun Festive Taco Casserole
Fun Festive Taco Casserole
All the appeal of tacos with none of the mess, and a topping of nachos baked right on the casserole. It’s delish and a sneaky way to add a few veggies.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: stove, oven
- Cuisine: Mexican or Southwestern
Ingredients
- 1 pound of ground beef, chicken or turkey
- 1 fifteen ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 package taco seasoning (substitute homemade; make sure it has a thickening agent like cornstarch, flour, arrowroot, etc.)
- 16 ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed (substitute dried, already cooked, about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 14 to 15 ounce can Mexican style or regular corn or equivalent amount of frozen
- enough tortilla chips to cover the top of the casserole
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, Cheddar, Colby, Jack, or something similar
- favorite taco toppings for garnish, optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Brown meat in large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain. Stir in seasoning mix, beans, tomato sauce and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer five minutes.
Put into a 2-quart casserole, sprinkle with tortilla chips and cheese and bake 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with all your favorite taco toppings, taco sauce, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, avocados, etc., if desired.
Nutrition: Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 539 Calories; 23g Fat (38.5% calories from fat); 31g Protein; 52g Carbohydrate; 14g Dietary Fiber; 77mg Cholesterol; 1063mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 3 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Notes
Double and freeze half if desired ; just add the topping after it’s thawed and heated through.
