This taco-style Doritos casserole mixes finely crushed Doritos straight into a seasoned beef filling, then finishes with a crunchy topping. As it bakes, the Doritos absorb flavor and moisture, creating a creamy casserole that’s easy to scoop and serve. Best of all, it only needs a short time in the oven.
It delivers exactly what you want from a Doritos casserole: seasoned beef with familiar taco flavors, plenty of melty cheese, and Doritos mixed through the whole dish instead of just sitting on top.
What Goes Into This Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Doritos
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 12 ounces frozen corn
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 14.5-oz can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 cups Mexican cheese blend
Why Doritos Work In This Casserole
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 creamy, scoopable 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.
Tips For The Best Results
- Fully brown the beef and onions, then drain well so the casserole doesn’t bake up watery.
- Add garlic after the onion is softened and sauté for only one minute so it doesn’t burn and get bitter.
- Remove the dish from the stove before adding sour cream and cheese to keep them smooth.
How Long To Bake
Doritos casserole only needs to bake in the oven for 10 minutes because all of the ingredients are already cooked. This casserole is ready to serve when it is warmed through and the cheese on top is melted.
It’s a quick two-step bake: first to warm through, then a final few minutes to melt the topping.
Be careful not to overbake this Doritos casserole. Baking too long can dry out the filling and change the crunchy texture of the crushed Doritos on top.
What The Finished Casserole Is Like
As the casserole bakes, the finely crushed Doritos absorb moisture from the tomatoes and sour cream, creating a creamy, hearty filling. The loosely crushed Doritos added during baking provide a crunchy finish on top, giving the casserole a balanced mix of creamy and crisp textures.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Dorito casserole as a twist on taco Tuesday and customize with your favorite taco toppings, like diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Whatever toppings you have on hand for a regular taco night are great ideas for this casserole.
It’s satisfying on its own, but if you want a little extra on your plate, pair it with Mexican corn salad, or elote (Mexican street corn). You can even serve it with Spanish rice or cilantro and lime rice.
Storage And Reheating Instructions
Dorito casserole is best served fresh, right out of the oven. If you need to store leftovers keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
I don’t recommend freezing this dish, since reheating softens both the filling and the Doritos topping.
To get a head start, the beef and onion can be cooked up to three days ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to finish the casserole.
Doritos Taco Casserole Recipe
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
- Put the Doritos in a Ziploc gallon bag and smash with your hands or a rolling pin.
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