Easy Frito Taco Casserole

If you’re looking for a delicious and easy weeknight meal, this taco casserole with Fritos is the perfect recipe for you.

With simple ingredients like ground beef, refried beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and Fritos, this casserole is a crowd-pleasing favorite that the whole family will love.

Plus, it’s super customizable, so you can add or remove any ingredients you’d like to make this the perfect dish for you.

Each serving contains just 275 calories and 21g of protein, making this a great meal to help you hit your protein goals, too.

What is a Frito taco casserole?

Think of everything you love about tacos, layer it all in a big dish, and bake it all together: that’s a taco casserole!

By topping the casserole with Fritos (or tortilla chips) you’re basically making a giant deconstructed taco without the need for taco shells. What’s not to love?

This recipe can go by many names: Frito pie casserole, walking taco casserole, Frito taco casserole, and many more. But no matter what you decide to call it, just know that it’s just as delicious as it is simple.

How to make a taco casserole with Fritos

This Frito taco casserole comes together in no time thanks to a handful of very simple ingredients:

To make this Frito pie recipe, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Next, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Lightly season the meat with salt & pepper and allow the meat to sear for a few minutes before adding 1/2 cup enchilada sauce to the pan and mixing everything up. Note that I don’t add any taco seasoning because the enchilada sauce has plenty of taco flavor to it.

Allow the meat to cook with the enchilada sauce for about 5 minutes, or until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the brown ground beef and set aside.

Then, take a 9×16 baking dish and spread the refried beans on the bottom (there’s no need to spray the dish). Drain the canned corn and then add the corn directly over the refried beans, and do the same thing for the canned diced tomato as well.

Add the ground beef as your next layer, then drizzle 1/4 cup enchilada sauce over the top for some added flavor since we drained most of the sauce out from the meat (I like to drain the excess fat from the beef, so I drain the sauce out along with it).

Cover the top of the dish with 1 cup of Mexican or cheddar cheese, then bake uncovered in your preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Now you have two options: you can top the casserole dish with Fritos at the very end when the casserole is finished baking, or you can top it with 1 cup Fritos with 5 minutes left to allow the corn chips to become extra crispy.

Personally, I like when the Frito corn chips become really crispy in the oven, so I like going that route. However, you can absolutely wait to dive into that bag of Fritos until after the casserole has finished cooking.

Top the casserole with pico de gallo, hot sauce, green onions, a dollop of sour cream, or any of your other favorite taco toppings, and enjoy!

This is a great recipe to customize, so feel free to add or remove any ingredients for your taste preferences. For example, you can try using ground turkey or chicken instead of ground beef, or mix in some black beans or pinto beans for added protein and fiber.

Or, you can swap out the ground meat completely for some deliciously crispy pulled pork carnitas instead.

To kick the flavor up a notch, you can use flavored chips like the elote corn chips from Trader Joe’s (what I used in this recipe) or even top the casserole with Doritos. Feel free to add some seasoning on top, like chili powder, if you prefer a kick.

Storing leftover taco casserole

If you’re saving leftover casserole for later in the week, be sure to separate the Fritos out or leave them off as a topping all together.

When you store leftover taco casserole in an airtight container with corn chips, they become very soggy. Trust me, I learned this the hard way.

To reheat this Frito taco pie, you can easily heat it up in the microwave, then add some Fritos on top for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

This taco casserole with Fritos is the perfect recipe for busy weeknights, game day, or anytime you’re looking for a comforting and satisfying meal. With plenty of cheese, delicious taco meat, and a crunchy layer of corn chips on top, it’s sure to become a new family favorite.

Plus, with just 275 calories per serving, it’s a healthier alternative to traditional Frito pie recipes. Give this recipe a try the next time you’re in the mood for a healthy spin on comfort food that the whole family is sure to go crazy over.

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Easy Taco Casserole with Fritos

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Looking for an easy and delicious weeknight recipe? Look no further than this recipe for taco casserole with Fritos to switch things up in the most delicious of ways.

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Ingredients

• 1lb Lean 96/4 Ground Beef
• 1 Cup (112g) Lite Shredded Mexican Cheese or Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Can (15oz) Sweet Corn
• 1 Can (16oz) Fat-Free Refried Beans
• 1 Can (15oz) Diced Tomatoes with Chiles
• 3/4 Cup Red Enchilada Sauce
• 4oz (112g) Fritos or Corn Chips

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef. Allow the meat to sear for a few minutes before adding 1/2 cup enchilada sauce to the pan and mixing everything up.
3. Allow the meat to cook with the enchilada sauce for about 5 minutes, or until the beef is no longer pink.
4. Drain the ground beef and set aside.
5. Take a 9x16 baking dish and spread the refried beans on the bottom (there's no need to spray the dish).
6. Drain the canned corn and then add the corn directly over the refried beans.
7. Open up the can of diced tomatoes and drain the excess juice, then add the diced tomato as the next layer on top of the corn.
8. Add the ground beef as your next layer, then drizzle 1/4 cup enchilada sauce over the top for some added flavor.
9. Cover the top of the dish with 1 cup of Mexican or cheddar cheese, then bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
10. After 15 minutes, you can remove the dish from the oven and top with Fritos before returning the dish to the oven for the final 5 minutes, or you can simply pull the dish out after 20 minutes and top it with Fritos at the very end (baking the Fritos just gives them extra crisp).
11. Top the casserole with salsa, hot sauce, green onions, sour cream, or any of your other favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Notes

If you are saving leftover casserole for later in the week, separate the Fritos out. If you store leftover taco casserole in an airtight container with corn chips, they become very soggy.

This taco casserole is very customizable, so you can add or remove any elements you'd like. If you prefer ground turkey or chicken, both will work instead of ground beef.

To reheat this casserole, you can easily heat it up in the microwave, just be sure to top it with Fritos at the end.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1/8 of Recipe
Amount Per Serving Calories 275Total Fat 9gCarbohydrates 26gProtein 21g

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