If your family loves tacos, casseroles, and Doritos, this is the kind of dinner that disappears fast. It has all the cozy, familiar flavors—seasoned beef, melty cheese, creamy sauce—plus that crunchy Doritos topping.
And because it reheats beautifully and can be prepped ahead, it’s a great weeknight dinner that works for busy nights, meal trains, or stocking the freezer.
Ingredients Needed
- 2 cups Doritos, finely crushed
- 1 cup Doritos, loosely crushed
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 12 ounces frozen corn
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 cups Mexican cheese blend
Before You Start
Browning the beef and onions
Cooking them together builds flavor from the start. Fully browning the beef evaporates moisture, which is important so the casserole doesn’t bake watery. Draining the grease also prevents separating or oily pockets under the cheese.
Adding garlic at the right time
You will sauté garlic for just one minute because garlic burns easily. Adding it after the onion is softened gives it enough heat to become fragrant without turning bitter.
Removing from heat before adding sour cream and cheese – Sour cream can curdle if boiled, and cheese can become grainy. Stirring them in off the heat keeps the filling silky and smooth.
This Recipe Uses Two Different Textures of Doritos on Purpose
The finely crushed chips blend into the filling and absorb the liquid from the tomatoes, sour cream, and seasoning. This turns the filling into a cohesive, almost taco-dip-meets-casserole texture.
The loosely crushed chips go on top and stay crisp because they are exposed to direct heat for only a few minutes.
Make-Ahead & Freezer Notes
This casserole freezes perfectly as long as you don’t add the cheese and Doritos topping before freezing. Assemble the base, freeze, then thaw and add the topping just before baking so it stays crunchy.
You can also prep the beef and onion up to three days in advance—super helpful if you know you’ll be tight on time.
Storing
- Store this delicious casserole covered in the fridge for up to two days.
- Store leftovers of this easy casserole in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
How to Serve Doritos Casserole
Serve with your favorite taco toppings, including diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.
This recipe is a perfect stand-alone dish, but if you’re looking to fill your plate a little more, pair it with Mexican corn salad, or elote (Mexican street corn). You can even serve it with Spanish rice.
Recipe for Dorito Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups Doritos, finely crushed
- 1 cup Doritos, loosely cushed
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 12 ounces frozen corn
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies, NOT drained
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 cups Mexican cheese blend
- Sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, avocado, sour cream (for optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Gently crush the chips and set them aside. Two cups should be crushed fine, more like bread crumbs and one cup should be larger chunks, to be spread on top at the end.
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onions. Drain any extra grease.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add the frozen corn, taco seasoning, tomatoes with chiles, and two cups of finely crushed chips.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the sour cream two cups of cheese.
- Pour into the prepared casserole dish and place in the oven. Bake 5 minutes, until warmed through.
- Add one cup of cheese on top, then one cup of loosely crushed Doritos and bake another five minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and serve.
Video
Notes
- This is a great freezer meal. Double your recipe and make a second casserole dish of this delicious meal for later. Hold off on adding the top Doritos and cheese so that you have a fresh crunchy topping when you thaw and bake.
- Put the Doritos in a Ziploc gallon bag and smash with your hands or a rolling pin.
- For an even quicker cooking time, the ground beef and onions can be cooked ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
Nutrition
Comments
Jill says
Out of this world delicious. Can’t wait to try more of your casseroles. Have a great week.