Walking Taco Casserole Recipe

Why I love this recipe, and you will too!

• This Walking Taco Casserole recipe features simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry and fridge.
• It’s easy and perfect for a weeknight meal.
• You can make the meat mixture ahead of time, and then it takes just minutes to assemble it before baking.

What are Walking Tacos?

This recipe was inspired by the novel invention, Walking Tacos, which became popular several years ago. Walking tacos are a small bag of Fritos or Doritos topped with taco meat, lettuce, tomato, and cheese.

Often served from food trucks or vendors at fairs or other outside venues, these creative bags of deliciousness are portable, and when you are through, you can toss the bag. They are the epitome of convenience food.

Instead of individual servings like Walking Tacos, in the casserole version, everything is baked in a casserole dish. Then, in its simplest form, it’s topped with shredded lettuce, tomato, crunchy chips, and cheese.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Ground beef – forms the base of this recipe; I like to purchase 80-85 percent lean ground beef for the best flavor. If you want to make sure your beef doesn’t contain any extra fat after the ground beef is cooked and you have drained the grease, put the beef into a colander and rinse it with water. Drain it on a paper towel and pat dry before continuing with the recipe.
• Taco seasonings mix – enhances the flavor of the ground beef and adds the familiar taco flavor. Typically the purchased packages contain chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and paprika. However, if you prefer, you can easily make your own.
• Cream cheese – adds a slight tang and creaminess to the taco meat mixture.
• Salsa – made primarily with tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, and lime juice, salsa spices things up and adds great flavor to the taco meat mixture.
• Mexican blend cheese – you can usually buy packages of Mexican blend cheese already shredded. You can’t have tacos without cheese, but pretty much any shredded cheese works in this recipe! Feel free to add more, I always do.
• Corn chips (Fritos) – add a delicious corn-flavored crunch to this casserole. I usually use the original smaller corn chips, but you can use the “Scoops” and doritos too!
• Iceberg lettuce – has gotten a bad rap lately in the nutrition department, but this crisp, bright, mild-tasting lettuce is a mainstay for tacos. You can certainly substitute romaine if you prefer, but I like to use iceberg.
• Tomatoes – add their beautiful color and fresh tastiness to this dish. Fresh summer tomatoes are the best, but if you can’t find them, Roma or Italian plum tomatoes seem to have a consistent meaty tomato taste no matter what season it is.
• Additional optional toppings – sour cream, more cheese, pico de gallo, sliced jalapenos (pickled or fresh), more salsa, sliced black olives, drained and rinsed black beans, fresh or frozen corn, refried beans, taco sauce, guacamole, chopped scallions, etc.

Complete measurements for all ingredients are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Walking Taco Casserole

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ground beef. Break the meat into large pieces using a potato masher or fork. Let it brown for several minutes, and do not stir it.

Once the meat cooks for a few minutes and starts to brown on one side, break it into smaller pieces and continue cooking until more of it has browned. Stir once more and break up any remaining larger pieces.

Continue cooking until all of the meat has browned, about six to eight minutes total. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain the excess grease.

Put the skillet back on the burner and add the taco seasoning and two-thirds of a cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for three to four minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed.

Add the salsa and cream cheese and stir to combine. Continue stirring until the cream cheese has melted.

Spray an 11″ x 8.5′ oven-safe baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in the meat mixture and spread it out evenly.

Add one cup of the shredded cheese, then top that with the corn chips and spread them out evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling and the cheese has melted.

Remove the casserole from the oven and top with lettuce and tomatoes. Add additional toppings if desired.

Serve immediately while it’s still hot.

Recipe variations

This walking taco recipe is really more of a guide than something you have to follow to the letter. Feel free to add more or less cheese, Fritos, lettuce, or tomatoes and customize it any way you like.

You can also substitute your favorite corn or tortilla chips for the Fritos, and as I’ve said above, add as much or as little of optional toppings such as sour cream, sliced black olives, or pico de gallo. The list is never-ending.

If you want to make the meat mixture more substantial or serve more people, you can add some pinto beans, black beans, or kidney beans to it, and you can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for ground beef.

What sides go with this casserole

Because Walking Taco Casserole has veggies, I usually serve it by itself and call it a day. However, if you have company or want to add some variety, my Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey Lime Dressing and Jalapeno Cornbread would pair nicely.

Then, of course, my Ultimate Frozen Margaritas or Cranberry Margaritas would be a lovely addition, and my Smoked Queso Dip would be the perfect appetizer to serve with it.

How to make it ahead

You can make the taco meat mixture and store it in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Then, take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking it to allow it to come to room temperature. You can also freeze the meat mixture.

Before you are ready to serve it, add the cheese and Fritos, bake, and garnish as directed with the lettuce, tomatoes, and other toppings.

Leftovers, storage, and reheating

This casserole is best served and eaten right after it is made. Because it’s topped with fresh lettuce and tomatoes, it does not heat up well after being refrigerated. Even if you remove the lettuce and tomatoes first and store it in an airtight container, the Fritos won’t have any crunch.

If you don’t think you will eat all of it, the best thing is to divide it up and only cook what you think you will eat and freeze just the meat mixture to eat later. Allow the frozen meat mixture to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then follow the directions to add the cheese and Fritos and bake as directed.

Expert tips and tricks

• You can substitute ground chuck or ground chicken, pork, or ground turkey for ground beef.
• When cooking ground beef, once you break it up, let it cook undisturbed for a few minutes so it will brown properly before stirring it. If you stir it the entire time you are cooking it, it will steam and not be as flavorful as if you let the pieces get brown and crispy.
• If your family likes onions, feel free to add a handful of chopped onions to the beef when you are browning it.
• Mexican Blend cheese generally comes pre-shredded and contains a nice mix of Cheddar, Asadero, Queso Quesadilla, and Monterey Jack cheese. You can substitute any of these cheeses for the blend.

More Southwestern or Mexican-inspired recipes

Of course, this Walking Taco Casserole is not in any way an authentic Mexican recipe. But if you like recipes like this with a Tex-Mex or Southwestern vibe, I think you might also like these reader favorites:

If you need more menu ideas, here is a link to all of my Mexican-inspired recipes and my collection of 45 Cinco de Mayo recipes.