Taco Potato Casserole

This taco potato casserole combines seasoned ground beef with tender potatoes and a blend of cheese for a hearty, comfort food dinner. Simple to prepare and tested to work out perfectly in your home kitchen, it's an tasty weeknight dinner idea.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: Taco Potato Casserole Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 575kcal

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef, 93%-7% blend
¾ cup diced sweet yellow onion, Vidalia onion
30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns
20 ounces Rotel Original diced tomatoes & green chilies (two 10-ounce cans)
15 ounces mild cheddar cheese sauce
2 ½ cups shredded Colby jack cheese, divided (1 cup mixed into the hash brown mixture and 1 ½ cups to top the casserole)
2 ounces taco seasoning (two 1-ounce packets)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Heat a 10-inch skillet on medium-high heat, then add the lean ground beef and diced sweet yellow onions. Cook and brown the ground beef for 6-8 minutes or until no pink remains. Remove the skillet from the heat. Drain the excess fat from the cooked ground beef.
To a very large mixing bowl, add the frozen shredded hash browns, cooked and drained ground beef, Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies, mild cheddar cheese sauce, 1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese, taco seasoning, salt and black pepper. Using a large spoon, mix to combine all the ingredients together until evenly incorporated.
Transfer the hash brown mixture to the prepared 9x13 casserole dish and spread the mixture into an even layer.
Top the taco potato casserole with the remaining 1 ½ cups shredded Colby jack cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the casserole are bubbly.
Remove the taco potato casserole from the oven and allow the casserole to rest on the counter for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Chop Onions Evenly: Chop the sweet yellow onion into very small, even pieces to ensure they cook uniformly and blend well with the ground beef.
Combine Ingredients Gradually: When mixing the ingredients in the large bowl, add them gradually and mix in between to achieve a consistent blend.
Preheat Skillet: Ensure your skillet is properly preheated before adding the ground beef and onions so they sear in the pan. This will give your casserole the best flavor.
Avoid Overmixing: When combining the hash browns with other ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. Overmixing can cause the hash browns to break down too much.

Nutrition