I have got the BEST recipe for you! The Best Fried Tortilla Taco Casserole Recipe is so easy to make and frying the tortillas just gives this recipe that extra something that just makes it that much better!
Regular Taco Casserole is super yummy on it’s own, but try it by frying (or toasting!) the tortillas first to turn it into this cheesy Fried Tortilla Taco Bake and you are going to wonder why you never fried your tortillas first, before. One time I bought a different brand of soft taco size tortillas and they looked kind of thick to me. So I decided to fry them in a little oil before making the taco bake and OH MY GOODNESS! It just took what was already good to completely amazing. Which meant I had to rename this recipe to the best Fried Tortilla Taco Casserole instead of just taco casserole.
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Some helpful and recommended equipment
- Silicone utensils for the kitchen are so handy and super easy to clean!
- I love pretty casserole dishes and this one comes in a few different colors!
- I have two of the Tramontina Saute pans and love them for browning meat, making sausage gravy and any time you need a larger pan.
- I bought this cheese grater on the recommendation of another blogger and it is a game changer!
- Of course, I still love my handy dandy, old school salad shooter for grating cheese and slicing olives.
Notes and tips
Use your favorite seasonings and taco toppings.
Use chicken instead of ground beef.
Try corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. Frying them the same way before assembling your casserole.
Make sure you use plenty of cheese!
Make two and pop one in the freezer for another time. Just bake for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. Taking the tinfoil off the last 15 to 20 minutes.
Put leftovers in airtight container in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Or freeze leftovers in freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Ingredients for Fried Tortilla Taco Casserole
- ground beef
- taco seasoning
- soft taco size flour tortillas
- refried beans or black beans + milk (optional)
- nacho cheese sauce
- black olives
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese
- green onions
- Your favorite taco toppings!
As with all of my recipes, go ahead and make this your own by adding ingredients you and your family love. I sometimes add a can of rotel, and you can top it off with plenty of extras too. Some red onions? Yum. Some shredded lettuce and fresh tomatoes? Yum again. Oh wait, what about some avocados? Super, duper yum!
Now, let’s make assemble and bake Fried Tortilla Casserole
First things first, take your ground beef and brown it. Drain, then add your taco seasoning and water amount called for on package directions. While that is simmering, start getting the rest of the ingredients ready.
If you like refried beans, go ahead and open the can, and this part is totally preference only, but I heat them up on the stove or in the microwave with a tablespoon or two of milk. Just to get them into a better spreading consistency. If you don’t like refried beans, you can use black beans or any other bean of your choice. Or you could leave the beans out completely. It’s all up to you and what you like.
Next, go ahead and heat some oil in a frying pan and crisp your tortillas up, one at a time, on each side. Drain on paper towels. Then roughly chop them up. You can leave them whole or just chop into a few pieces. I’ve made this before without chopping them, chopping them just makes it easier to serve. Or you could toast the tortillas under the broiler for a minute or two on each side (keep an eye on them!) instead of frying.
Now the easy part. Place half the tortillas in the bottom of a 9X13 inch casserole, then layer half of your ingredients. For this one, I layered half the meat, half of the beans, half the can of nacho cheese, half of the sour cream, and half of the shredded cheese, green onions and black olives. Then you just repeat the layers, starting with the rest of your tortillas and ending with the rest of the green onions and black olives.
Lastly, place some tinfoil over the top and place that yumminess in the oven! Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the top cheese is melted. We usually eat ours with some crunchy tortilla chips and salsa on the side.
Let me know if you try this recipe and if you have any suggestions to make it even better!
Looking for other super easy dinners and yummy recipes?
Chuck Roast Birria Tacos in the Instant Pot
White Chicken Enchilada Casserole
And for dessert
The Best Fried Tortilla Taco Casserole Recipe
The Best Fried Tortilla Taco Casserole Recipe is so easy to make and frying the tortillas just
gives this recipe that extra something that just makes it that much better!
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 packets taco seasoning (I use store-bought taco seasoning, but you can make your own and use it)
- 1 package soft taco size flour tortillas (usually 8 to 10 in the package)
- 1 (16 oz.) can refried beans or black beans + 1 to 2 Tbsp. milk (optional for refried beans. Drain and rinse if using black beans.
- 1 (15 oz.) can nacho cheese sauce
- 1 (6 oz.) can black olives, chopped
- 1 (14 oz) container sour cream
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese or pepper jack cheese.
- 2 to 3 green onions, chopped.
- Your favorite taco toppings!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a large skillet on medium heat, add your ground beef and cook until brown and crumbled.
- Drain fat off the meat, then add your taco seasoning and water amount called for on package
directions. While that is simmering, start getting the rest of the ingredients
ready. - Open your can of refried beans, add a milk and heat in microwave to warm (about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Stir. Or
- Open can of black beans and drain and rinse.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat and crisp your tortillas up, one at a
time, on each side. Drain on paper towels. Then roughly chop them up. Or you could toast the
tortillas under the broiler for a minute or two on each side (keep an eye on
them!) instead of frying. - Spray the bottom of a casserole dish (9X13) and place half the tortillas in the bottom.
- Now begin layering half of your ingredients on the tortillas. Half the beef mixture, half of the beans, half the can of nacho cheese, half of the sour cream, and half of the shredded cheese.
- Then add half the green onions and black olives.
- Then repeat the layers, ending with your shredded cheese and the last half of the green onion and black olives.
- Put tinfoil over the top of the casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the tinfoil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Top with your favorite taco toppings, dig in and enjoy!
Notes
Use your favorite seasonings and favorite taco toppings.
Use chicken instead of ground beef!
Try corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. Frying them the same way first assembling your casserole.
Make sure you use plenty of cheese!
Make two and pop one in the freezer for another time. Just bake for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. Taking the tinfoil off the last 15 to 20 minutes.
Put leftovers in airtight container in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Or freeze leftovers in freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
I love the idea to fry the tortillas first! What a great idea!
This looks so delicious!!! I cannot wait to give this a try! 🙂
I need to make this asap! I always make tacos but it’s too hard for the babies to eat. And my littlest is a refried bean fiend!