With summer drawing to a close, I have been slowly getting back in the mood for more comfort food-type recipes. A cross between nachos and an enchilada bake, this taco casserole certainly fits the bill. Layers of crunchy tortilla chips, a bean-and-veggie filling and cheese are stacked in a baking dish and heated until the cheese is nice and melted throughout. The bottom layers become softer, more along the lines of enchiladas, while the top layer keeps that crunch reminiscent of nachos.
A mixture of black, pinto and red kidney beans are used to replace the ground beef in the original recipe, along with a few veggies, like onion, green pepper and corn. The result is a protein-packed filling that is the perfect base for the casserole.
You can really play around with this recipe and make it your own. Change it up with different flavors of salsa, use different types of cheese, or add more cayenne and jalapenos to make it spicy. You really can’t go wrong. The same goes for the toppings: Try shredded lettuce, sliced green onions or even guacamole. The possibilities are pretty much endless.
You can also adjust the amount of chips in the recipe. If you add more chips (although you may need a deeper casserole-type dish if you go that route), it will come out more like nachos and be crunchier overall. Or follow it as written and you’ll get a mix of softer textures and crunch.
This post was originally published on September 3, 2014.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste optional
- 2 cups 16 ounces jarred chunky-style salsa
- 8 to 9 cups about 7 ounces corn tortilla chips
- 1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ¼ cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- Assorted toppings such as sliced avocado sliced green onions, sliced jalapenos, diced tomatoes, plain Greek yogurt. additional salsa, hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly mist a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or an oil mister. Set aside.
- To a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the pepper and corn. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add all of the beans, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne (if using) and salsa. Stir to combine and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Spread half of the tortilla chips evenly in the prepared baking dish. Drop half of the bean mixture in dollops over the chips. Sprinkle evenly with half of the cheddar cheese and half of the pepper jack cheese. Top with the remaining chips, then spoon on the rest of the bean mixture, and finally sprinkle on the remaining cheddar and pepper jack cheeses.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot throughout, about 20 minutes.
- Serve with desired toppings.
Caitlin says
it looks super filling but so delicious and could feed a crowd!
Ashley Jennings says
It definitely feeds a bunch of people! I think it would be great for game day type food too!
Jacki @ Two Forks One Love says
Yum! I made a similar dish called Taco Pie -- mine includes ground turkey, but beans could easily be substituted for a vegetarian version.
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
YUM! I'm so there on the cheesiness!! This is such a great idea Ashley!
Ashley Jennings says
All the cheese, all the time! 🙂 Thanks Jessica!
Millie | Add A Little says
This looks super delicious and easy to put together!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Millie! It's nice and simple - perfect for busy days!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
Oh yes, Mexican is my favorite too! Especially around football season. It pairs so well with a nice cold beer. This casserole is definitely my kind of meal and I can't wait to give it a try!
Ashley Jennings says
Agreed! I have a feeling this dish will be making an appearance at all our football watching parties! 🙂 And thanks Sarah!
Christina @ Bake with Christina says
Yum I love Mexican food! This casserole looks awesome, thanks for sharing!
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Christina! 🙂
Michelle says
Looks good! Good meal for football season
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Michelle! Agreed - I think this would be great for game day!
Jamie says
Yummy! I am going to make this recipe this weekend! Question - do you think Fritos would hold up in place of tortilla chips?
Ashley Jennings says
Sure! I think that should work just fine. Enjoy Jamie!
Meg @ Beard and Bonnet says
I need this so bad! I love everything about this dish.:) Pinning!
Ashley Jennings says
haha thanks Meg! That's how I am with pretty much all mexican food! 🙂
Joanne says
The.Boy and I had the BEST nachos the other day and these are pretty much them but in big casserole form! Which means I must make them. ASAP.
Ashley Jennings says
Yummm nachos!
Rebecca @ it's a nourishing thing says
YUM! This time of year just screams casserole season to me! Will definitely have to give this one a try!
Ashley Jennings says
Agreed - I'm starting to really want more comfort foods these days! Soups, casseroles, all of it! 🙂
Heather says
It's in the oven right now! Can't wait to eat!
Ashley Jennings says
Awesome! Hope you enjoyed Heather!
Tammy says
This was so delicious I can't even tell you! I can't wait to try this again with some different ingredients!
Ashley Jennings says
So happy to hear this Tammy! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Nicolle says
I made this recipe for a group and it was delicious. Next time I would probably make it as a taco mix or separate mix and chips as a type of chunky dip. Great flavour!
Ashley Jennings says
So glad that you enjoyed it Nicolle!
Charlie_Sue says
Yum! Thank you for posting! We made this last night and the flavor was spot on and it was just so easy. Next time we make this, and there definitely will be a next time, we will add another half a jar of the salsa. Thanks again.
Ashley Jennings says
So glad to hear it! (and that you'll make it again!) 🙂
Jennifer @NourishedSimply says
Made this recipe this weekend. I loved the recipe. My attempt of course did not look at great as yours.
Ashley Jennings says
So glad you enjoyed it Jennifer! haha and thank you - I always have to clean everything up for pictures 🙂
Sam says
Could you make this in a slow cooker? If so what settings and time do you suggest? Sounds delish!
Ashley Jennings says
Hey Sam - hmmm we haven't tested it in a slow cooker so it's hard to say. My guess is that the filling part would do fine in a slow cooker on low (maybe around 6 to 8 hours?). I'd keep an eye on it though if you try it since I'm not sure!
Laura says
This was delicious! Both my 4 & 6 year old gobbled it up and my husband went back for generous seconds! Thanks for a great, easy, and quick recipe! Definitely a keeper 🙂
Ashley Jennings says
So happy to hear this Laura! Thanks for letting me know!
Nicki Escudero says
Thanks for sharing this great recipe, Ashley! It was super-simple to make, and super-tasty! Nicki
Ashley Jennings says
Oh I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Mady says
Hi
This looks really good however it makes a lot. Is it possible to freeze leftovers?
Ashley Jennings says
Hey Mady! I wouldn't freeze it fully assembled (I think the tortilla chips might get a little weird). However, I think the filling portion (with the beans, salsa, veggies, etc.) should freeze just fine! So just assemble a sort of smaller version and then freeze the remaining filling to use another time.
Helen says
Made this today for lunch and everyone love it! Thanks for a great recipe
Ashley Jennings says
So happy to hear it Helen!
Angie says
This sounds like a good potluck dish that I can easily veganize with non-dairy cheese. Thx for the recipe.
Ashley Jennings says
Thanks Angie - hope you enjoy!
Stephanie says
I put the recipe into myfitnesspal and it's telling me it's 1,320 calls per serving! This doesn't seem right or is it?
Ashley Jennings says
Hi Stephanie - we don't calculate calorie counts for our posts as they can vary by different brands of ingredients, weights of fruits and veggies, etc.
Crystalin says
I love Mexican food and as a vegetarian love when I find recipes like this! Thanks so much for posting! I'm going to make this tonight 🙂 I'm obsessed with refined beans so I'm going to mash my pinto beans but I'll keep the kidney and black beans as is when I make this tonight! Thanks again.
Crystalin says
* refried beans
Ashley Jennings says
Hope you enjoy!! 🙂
Triz says
This looks delicious, but how far do you think in advance you could make it? Would say, 4-5 hours (baseball practice and gymnastics) be okay, or would the chips get too mushy? Thanks!
Ashley Jennings says
I would make the filling in advance and have everything else just prepped and ready to go. And then assemble / bake when ready to eat (otherwise I do think it will get mushy if completely assembled / baked in advance!). If you have the filling ready to go it won't take long at all to assemble and get it in the oven!